Rat interferon inhibits catecholamine-inducible synthesis of lactic dehydrogenase in rat glial tumoral C6 cells.

The synthesis of lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) by rat glial tumoral C6 cells may be induced by catecholamines (i.e., isoproterenol, 3 X 10(-5) M). Three hours after beta-adrenergic agonist addition, there is a rapid increase in intracellular LDH activity that reaches a plateau within about 18-20 h. It has been shown elsewhere that this synthesis requires de novo RNA and protein synthesis. We observed here that pretreatment of C6 cells with rat interferon (IFN) for 18 h, prior to isoproterenol or noradrenaline addition, inhibits the induced synthesis of LDH. This suggests that IFN might act at the translational level. The inhibition observed is dependent on the dose of IFN used. There is an approximate correlation between the kinetics of development of the antiviral state and the kinetics of development of the inhibitory effect of IFN on the LDH-inducible synthesis. Both effects are maximal within approximately the same time.