Interferon-induced inhibition of Chlamydia trachomatis: Dissociation from antiviral and antiproliferative effects

Abstract

The yield of infectious Chlamydia trachomatis was analyzed in human (HeLa) and mouse (McCoy) cell lines treated with the human interferon (IFN) subtypes IFN-αA and IFN-αD, with their hybrids [IFN-αAD (bglII), IFN-αAD (PvuII), and IFN-αDA (BglII)] constructed in vitro from their expression plasmids, or with IFN-β1 or buffy coat IFN. In HeLa cells, a significant inhibition of Chlamydia infectivity was obtained with IFN-αD, IFN-αDA (BglII), and buffy coat IFN. In McCoy cells, IFN-αAD (BglII) and IFN-αAD (PvuII) induced a strong degree of inhibition of Chlamydia infectivity. In McCoy cells, there was a correlation among the antichlamydial, antiviral, and antiproliferative activities of the different IFNs tested. In HeLa cells, however, the ability of a particular IFN subtype to inhibit Chlamydia infectivity did not always correlate with its inhibitory effects on encephalomyocarditis virus replication or with its antiproliferative activity.