[Polyenzymatic activation of cellular hydrolases induced by interferon; its role in cytolysis and other cellular manifestations induced by interferon].

Interferon (IFN) treatment of human effector T cells activates CMC directed against K562 targets. An increase of the activity of the different hydrolytic enzymes tested (hexosaminidase and acid-phosphatase) measured in the effector cell population parallels cytolysis activation. IFN and IFN inducers (PIC) treatment of cultured murine L-929 cells generate molecular mediated cytolysis. An increase of hydrolytic enzyme activity (hexosaminidase; B-glucuronidase, acid and alkalin phosphatases) precedes cell lysis. Thus, in both cytolytic systems, IFN induced a polyenzymatic activation of hydrolases. This activation is similar to coordinate enzyme induction discovered by Hosli [16] in pathological and experimental instances, when absorbed substrates cannot be hydrolyzed by lack of specific enzymes. Activation of hydrolytic enzymes induced by IFN which determines its enhancing effect on CMC and on fibroblast autolysis [17] could speculatively explain other effects of IFN such as antiviral action, diminution of cell protein synthesis, inhibition of cell division or molecular alterations of cell surface.