Interferon-resistant cell line lacks fatty acid cyclooxygenase activity.

A clone of L1210 mouse leukemia cells selected for resistance to both the antiviral and anticellular properties of mouse interferon were essentially devoid of fatty acid cyclooxygenase activity. Experiments in which broken cell preparations were mixed or the two cell types were cultivated together failed to indicate the presence of a diffusible enzyme inhibitor. Fatty acid lipoxygenase activity of similar magnitude was detectable in both cell types. A selective impairment of fatty acid cyclooxygenase in interferon-resistant cells is consistent with recently described data suggesting that this enzyme may play a crucial role in mediating the antiviral and anticellular effects of interferon.