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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1992 May 15;89(10):4447–4451. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.10.4447

Natural human antibodies to gamma interferon interfere with the immunomodulating activity of the lymphokine.

A Turano 1, A Balsari 1, E Viani 1, S Landolfo 1, L Zanoni 1, F Gargiulo 1, A Caruso 1
PMCID: PMC49099  PMID: 1316609

Abstract

Natural antibodies to gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) were found in patients suffering from different viral diseases and, at a lower titer, in healthy individuals. Such antibodies were affinity-purified and studied for their capability to interfere in vitro with the antiviral and immunomodulating activity of IFN-gamma. Data obtained show that these human anti-IFN-gamma antibodies have no inhibitory effect on the antiviral activity of IFN-gamma. On the contrary, they are able to inhibit the expression of Fc receptor sites and HLA-DR antigens induced by IFN-gamma on the U-937 cells, a human monocytoid/macrophage-derived cell line. These antibodies can also interfere in a mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC) with the proliferation of lymphocytes and the generation of cytotoxic lymphocytes. However, they showed only a moderate inhibitory effect on the cytotoxicity generated in MLC to K-562 cells. Human antibodies capable of interfering with the immunomodulating activities of IFN-gamma might open up a new field in clinical therapy for those diseases that carry evidence of activated cell-mediated immunity.

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Selected References

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