Lectins as inducers of interferon-gamma production in human lymphocytes: lentil lectin is highly efficient.

Several of many tested plant lectins induced interferon (IFN) production in cultures of human peripheral blood mononuclear leucocytes (PBL). The mannose-binding lectin obtained from Lens culinaris (LCL) was a particularly efficient inducer of trypsin-sensitive antiviral activity, which qualified as IFN-gamma because it was 90-95% destroyed by pH 2 treatment but not neutralized by anti-IFN-gamma antibodies. However, such antibodies neutralized the residual 5-10% pH 2-resistant IFN, which therefore represented IFN-alpha. Further evidence for the IFN-gamma nature of the LCL-induced IFN was that its production in PBL cultures required both T lymphocytes and macrophages and that its induction of antiviral resistance in human amnion cells was significantly delayed compared with IFN-alpha. Under optimal conditions LCL induced titres of IFN-gamma corresponding to more than 20,000 IFN-alpha units/ml medium, higher than observed with other tested, established IFN-gamma inducers. Other desirable properties of this lectin, as discussed, also suggest that it will be of value for efficient large-scale IFN-gamma production.