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. 1991 Jul;33(4):274–277. doi: 10.1007/BF01744948

Differential growth inhibition and enhancement of major histocompatibility complex class I antigen expression by interferons in a small-cell lung cancer cell line and its doxorubicin-selected multidrug-resistant variant

S P C Cole 1,✉, B M T Campigotto 1, J G Johnson 1, B E Elliott 1
PMCID: PMC11038582  PMID: 1711927

Abstract

Expression of class I and class II major histocompatibility complex antigens on a human small-cell lung cancer cell line and its multidrug-resistant variant was examined before and after exposure to interferon α (IFNα) and IFNγ by flow cytometry. Neither IFNα nor IFNγ induced class II antigen expression on the drug-sensitive or resistant cell line. Induction of class I antigen expression along with an inhibition of proliferation was observed in both cell lines after IFNα treatment. On the other hand, IFNγ treatment resulted in growth inhibition and enhancement of class I antigen expression in the sensitive cell line but not the resistant cell line. The differential response of the two cell lines to IFNγ cannot be directly attributed to the acquisition of drug resistance but it suggests that further investigation of the possibility that drug-sensitive and resistant small-cell lung tumors may respond differently to immunotherapies that include IFNγ is warranted.

Keywords: Interferon, Major Histocompatibility Complex, Major Histocompatibility Complex Class, Lung Tumor, Antigen Expression

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