Differential induction of 2',5'-oligoadenylate synthetase by IFN-beta ser and IFN-alpha 2 in serum-supplemented and serum-free HL-60 leukemic cell cultures.

The influence of cell culture conditions on the induction of 2',5'-oligoadenylate (2-5A) synthetase by recombinant interferons IFN-beta ser and IFN-alpha 2 has been investigated in human HL-60 leukemic cells. Cells maintained either in the fetal bovine serum-supplemented medium (FBS-SM) or in a serum-free, chemically defined Nutridoma-supplemented medium (SFN-SM) are treated with different concentrations of the two types of IFN and the extent of 2-5A synthetase induction compared. While cells in FBS-SM show a substantially greater increase in 2-5A synthetase by IFN-beta ser than cells in SFN-SM, the latter culture condition is significantly more effective in elevating synthetase activity with the addition of IFN-alpha 2. These data suggest that there are growth modulators and other "factors" in the fetal bovine serum which may interact specifically with each type of IFN to coordinate the optimal expression of the 2-5A synthetase protein.