Multiple active sites on human interferons.

Human interferons stimulated in peripheral leukocytes and foreskin fibroblasts are active in cultures of human and rabbit cells. The dominant factors in leukocyte and fibroblast interferons responsible for antiviral activity in rabbit cells were shown to be antigenically distinct from each other as well as from rabbit interferon. In addition, leukocyte interferon contained also a minor component with antigenic determinants characteristic of fibroblast specificity, which could be isolated by affinity chromatography on Sepharose-bound antibodies directed against firboblast interferon. Neutralization tests with selected anti-interferon sera suggested that the antiviral activities of leukocyte and fibroblast interferons in human and rabbit cells were associated with single molecules. A model is proposed where molecules of human interferon contain multiple reactive sites each of which is capable of interaction with cells of a different species. The number and distribution of these determinant sites may vary with the source of the human interferon and account for the differential in antiviral protection expressed in homologous and phylogenetically unrelated host cells.