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Interferon Induction by Nucleic Acids: Structure-Activity Relationships

  • Chapter
Interferons and Their Applications

Part of the book series: Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology ((HEP,volume 71))

Abstract

The first report of a nucleic acid as an interferon inducer was that of Isaacs et al. (1963) who suggested that “foreign” nucleic acids, i.e., those heterologous to the cell in question, were interferon inducers. This concept was abandoned when the supporting experiments could not be reproduced either by Isaacs’ group or by others. In 1967, nucleic acids regained favor as interferon inducers when workers at Merck and Company demonstrated highly efficient induction of interferon in vitro and in vivo by the synthetic double-stranded (ds) polynucleotide, poly(I) poly(C) (Field et al. 1967). In the meantime, the interferon-inducing agent of the fungal products, helenine and statolon had also been shown to be dsRNA in nature (Lampson et al. 1967; Kleinschmidt et al. 1968). While nucleic acids are by no means the only class of interferon inducers, they are the most potent, least toxic, hence the most specific. They also possess that widest host cell spectrum of interferon-inducing activity. The superiority of dsRNAs as interferon inducers may be related to the possibility that dsRNA is the actual molecular signal for interferon induction during virus infection.

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Authors
  1. P. F. Torrence
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  2. E. De Clercq
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. HEM Research Inc., 12280 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD, 20852, USA

    Paul E. Came Ph.D.

  2. Clinical Research, Department of Oncology, Orlowitz Cancer Institute, 230 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA

    William A. Carter M.D. (Professor and Director) (Professor and Director)

  3. Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hahnemann University of Health Sciences, 230 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19102, USA

    William A. Carter M.D. (Professor and Director) (Professor and Director)

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© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Torrence, P.F., De Clercq, E. (1984). Interferon Induction by Nucleic Acids: Structure-Activity Relationships. In: Came, P.E., Carter, W.A. (eds) Interferons and Their Applications. Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology, vol 71. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69178-2_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69178-2_11

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-69178-2

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