Abstract
The interferons are a group of endogenous proteins that exhibit a variety of biological functions in addition to their ability to induce resistance to viruses. In order to evaluate the anti-fibrogenic actions of interferon, we have delineated the level of regulation responsible for γ-interferon-induced changes in collagen and fibronectin gene expression in cultured fibroblasts. Confluent human skin fibroblasts were exposed to 500 anti-viral units/ml of γ-interferon. RNA was then extracted from the cells, and steady-state mRNA levels were determined by Northern and dot blot hybridization studies. Cells exposed to interferon had type I procollagen mRNA levels that were 23% of control and type III procollagen mRNA levels only 7% of control. The interferon-treated cells also had β-actin mRNA levels that were decreased to 51% that of untreated cells but had fibronectin steady-state mRNA levels that were 560% of control levels. Nuclear run-on assays revealed that interferon did not affect the transcriptional rates of types I and III collagen or β-actin, but it did increase the transcriptional rate of fibronectin to 670% of control levels. These findings demonstrate that γ-interferon causes a marked decrease in types I and III procollagen mRNA levels in vitro by a posttranscriptional mechanism while inducing fibronectin expression at a transcriptional level.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 13348-13351 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Biological Chemistry |
Volume | 262 |
Issue number | 27 |
State | Published - 1987 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
- Cell Biology