Effect of cloned interferon-gamma on expression of H-2 and Ia antigens on cell lines of hemopoietic, lymphoid, epithelial, fibroblastic and neuronal origin.

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), tested in the form of the product of a cloned murine IFN-gamma gene, was found to increase the expression of H-2 antigens on cultured cell lines of a wide variety of cell types including factor-dependent hemopoietic cells, pre-B and B cells, macrophages, T cells, mast cells and cell lines of epithelial, fibroblastic and neuronal origin. However, IFN-gamma induced Ia antigens on only B cells, macrophages and T-dependent mast cells or persisting cells. On the basis of these results, we suggest that a major function of IFN-gamma is to potentiate immune responses by enhancing the expression of H-2 and Ia antigens on a variety of cell types.