Inhibition of Cell Division by Interferons

The Daudi line of human lymphoblastoid cells shows a high sensitivity towards growth inhibition by human interferons. In cells pretreated with 70 reference units/ml of an interferon preparation for 48 h, the incorporation of exogenous [3H]thymidine into DNA is inhibited by as much as 85%. We are investigating the extent to which this effect reflects a true inhibition of the rate of DNA synthesis or whether it may be caused by changes in the metabolic utilization of exogenous thymidine by the cells. Interferon treatment results in a 30% inhibition of the rate of membrane transport and a 60% decrease in the rate of phosphorylation of [3H]thymidine in vivo. The latter effect is due to a decrease in V of thymidine kinase without any change in the value of Km for this enzyme. In addition to these changes, incorporation of [3H]uridine into DNA, which occurs as a result of the intracellular conversion of this precursor into thymidine nucleotides, is also inhibited by 75%, whereas RNA labelling by [3H]uridine is decreased by only 15% in interferon-treated cells. Thus several different metabolic events associated with thymidine nucleotide metabolism and DNA synthesis in Daudi cells are disrupted by interferon treatment.