Interferon-induced biochemical changes in cell membranes: possible role of cellular enzyme superoxide dismutase.

Interferon exhibits pleotropic effects on homologous cells. Interferons may be used clinically for both antiviral and antitumor therapy. A better understanding of how interferon achieves its hormonal effects should be useful in developing more judicious and specific applications of these natural substances in therapy. Interferon induces increased activity of two enzymes, 2'5'-oligoadenylate synthetase and a protein kinase, that depend on double-stranded RNA for activation. 2'5' A polymerizes ATP into a novel 2'5'-linked oligonucleotide, which in turn can activate a latent cellular nuclease (RNase L) which degrades mRNA. The second dsRNA-dependent enzyme, a protein kinase, phosphorylates a protein of approximately 67,000 daltons as well as the small subunit of eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF-2). The phosphorylation of eIF-2 results in the inhibition of protein synthesis. The extent of sensitivity to exogenous interferon could be influenced by several factors, including the number of cell surface receptors for interferon and the rate and efficiency at which ligand binding and "processing" is achieved. Prostaglandins, cyclic nucleotides, and oxygen-free radicals could participate in modulation of interferon action at this level. Interferon induces specific changes in the composition of membrane lipids. These changes included loss of unsaturated fatty acids from phospholipids, significant increases in levels of unesterified fatty acids, and moderate increases in concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol esters. The changes were absent in cells treated with interferon in the presence of inhibitors of fatty acid cyclooxygenase or superoxide dismutase. Whether or not interferon-associated lipid changes directly participate in interferon action is not yet clear. Apparent diversity in its mechanistic approach to virus inhibition may be the key to the success of interferon as a wide-spectrum antiviral agent. Heterogeneity in molecular species of interferon may signify its molecular evolutionary adaptations to specific needs and the eventual development of a "fool-proof" system that we now perceive as the "interferon-system." The observed pleotropic effects may be due to linkage to a broader cellular machinery that operates to identify and effectively handle "foreign" substances.