Staphylococcus aureus protein A induces the production of interferon-alpha in human lymphocytes and interferon-alpha/beta in mouse spleen cells. 1983

E M Smith, and H M Johnson, and J E Blalock

Human and mouse lymphocytes produced IFN-alpha and IFN-alpha/beta, respectively, when incubated with highly purified Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SPA). Maximum IFN induction occurred when lymphocytes were incubated with SPA at 250 to 500 micrograms/ml for 24 hr. The SPA induced-IFN were identified by neutralization of antiviral activity with specific antisera. A commercial preparation of SPA was found to induce both HuIFN-alpha and HuIFN-gamma, with the latter comprising over 90% of the antiviral activity. The SPA preparation that induced IFN-gamma was shown by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to be contaminated with 5% S. aureus enterotoxin A (SEA), a potent T lymphocyte mitogen and IFN-gamma inducer. Preincubation of the commercial SPA with a specific antiserum to SEA blocked the induction of IFN-gamma and had no effect on IFN-alpha production. SEA is a very potent IFN-gamma inducer, effective at concentrations of 1 ng/ml or less. Thus, very minor contamination of SPA by SEA or other IFN-gamma inducers could be responsible for previous reports that SPA induces IFN-gamma in lymphocytes or that SPA behaves as a T cell mitogen.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007370 Interferon Type I Interferon secreted by leukocytes, fibroblasts, or lymphoblasts in response to viruses or interferon inducers other than mitogens, antigens, or allo-antigens. They include alpha- and beta-interferons (INTERFERON-ALPHA and INTERFERON-BETA). Interferons Type I,Type I Interferon,Type I Interferons,Interferon, Type I,Interferons, Type I
D007371 Interferon-gamma The major interferon produced by mitogenically or antigenically stimulated LYMPHOCYTES. It is structurally different from TYPE I INTERFERON and its major activity is immunoregulation. It has been implicated in the expression of CLASS II HISTOCOMPATIBILITY ANTIGENS in cells that do not normally produce them, leading to AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. Interferon Type II,Interferon, Immune,gamma-Interferon,Interferon, gamma,Type II Interferon,Immune Interferon,Interferon, Type II
D008214 Lymphocytes White blood cells formed in the body's lymphoid tissue. The nucleus is round or ovoid with coarse, irregularly clumped chromatin while the cytoplasm is typically pale blue with azurophilic (if any) granules. Most lymphocytes can be classified as either T or B (with subpopulations of each), or NATURAL KILLER CELLS. Lymphoid Cells,Cell, Lymphoid,Cells, Lymphoid,Lymphocyte,Lymphoid Cell
D008810 Mice, Inbred C57BL One of the first INBRED MOUSE STRAINS to be sequenced. This strain is commonly used as genetic background for transgenic mouse models. Refractory to many tumors, this strain is also preferred model for studying role of genetic variations in development of diseases. Mice, C57BL,Mouse, C57BL,Mouse, Inbred C57BL,C57BL Mice,C57BL Mice, Inbred,C57BL Mouse,C57BL Mouse, Inbred,Inbred C57BL Mice,Inbred C57BL Mouse
D009500 Neutralization Tests The measurement of infection-blocking titer of ANTISERA by testing a series of dilutions for a given virus-antiserum interaction end-point, which is generally the dilution at which tissue cultures inoculated with the serum-virus mixtures demonstrate cytopathology (CPE) or the dilution at which 50% of test animals injected with serum-virus mixtures show infectivity (ID50) or die (LD50). Neutralization Test,Test, Neutralization,Tests, Neutralization
D002478 Cells, Cultured Cells propagated in vitro in special media conducive to their growth. Cultured cells are used to study developmental, morphologic, metabolic, physiologic, and genetic processes, among others. Cultured Cells,Cell, Cultured,Cultured Cell
D004340 Drug Contamination The presence of organisms, or any foreign material that makes a drug preparation impure. Drug Adulteration,Drug Contamination, Chemical,Drug Contamination, Microbial,Drug Contamination, Physical,Drug Impurity,Adulteration, Drug,Chemical Drug Contamination,Chemical Drug Contaminations,Contamination, Chemical Drug,Contamination, Drug,Contamination, Microbial Drug,Contamination, Physical Drug,Contaminations, Chemical Drug,Contaminations, Microbial Drug,Contaminations, Physical Drug,Drug Adulterations,Drug Contaminations,Drug Contaminations, Chemical,Drug Contaminations, Microbial,Drug Contaminations, Physical,Drug Impurities,Impurity, Drug,Microbial Drug Contamination,Microbial Drug Contaminations,Physical Drug Contamination,Physical Drug Contaminations
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D013154 Spleen An encapsulated lymphatic organ through which venous blood filters.

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