Interferon production by human lymphoblastoid cell lines of different origins.

150 lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from normal individuals or from subjects with various clinical conditions were induced to form interferon by treatment with Sendai virus. Irrespective of the status of the donor, most of the lines produced some interferon and 22 produced considerable amounts (more than 3000 international units/ml). Lines derived from infectious mononucleosis patients were good interferon producers while those from leukaemic donors were poor producers. The data suggest that the clinical conditions of the donor and the source of transforming virus may influence the quantity of interferon produced by a given cell line.