Antiviral and Anticellular Activities of Human and Murine Type I and Type II Interferons in Human Cells Monosomic, Disomic, and Trisomic for Chromosome 21

Two trisomic-21 (T-21), one monosomic-21 (M-21), and three diploid (D-21) human fibroblast cell strains were compared for their sensitivity to the antiviral and anticellular activities of human type I (HuIFN-β), human type II (HuIFN-γ), murine type I (MuIFN-β), and murine type II (MuIFN-γ) interferons. Antiviral activity was monitored by the reduction of vesicular stomatitis virus yield and anticellular activity was assessed by the inhibition of [methyl-3H]thymidine uptake in proliferating cells. T-21 cells were more sensitive to the antiviral activities of HuIFN-β and MuIFN-β than either D-21 or M-21 cells. However, T-21 cells were not more sensitive to the antiviral activities of HuIFN-γ and MuIFN-γ. Neither did T-21 cells exhibit an increased sensitivity to the anticellular activity of either HuIFN-β or -γ, or MuIFN-β or -γ. A chromosome 21 dosage effect could not be observed under any of our test conditions.