The action of interferon under anaerobic conditions

Antiviral activities of interferons

“…(b) Oxygen tension: the reported effects of oxygen tension on interferon action are contradictory. Isaacs et al (1961) reported oxygen tension influence on interferon action, whereas other investigators have been unable to determine any effects (Gifford, 1963a;Burke and Buchan, 1965;Zemla and Sehramek, 1962).…”

Cellular Resistance to Viral Infection, With Particular Reference to Endogenous Interferon1

“…The most popular thesis at the moment is that interferon uncouples mitochondrial or nuclear oxidative phosphorylation, thus depriving the virusproducing machinery of the cell of the energy required to make one or more of the constituent parts of mature virus (48,50). However, Zemla and Schramek (80) reported contrary findings on studies of interferon action under anaerobic conditions. It should be emphasized that interferon in usual doses apparently does not markedly affect the capacity of the cell to respire or to divide, but definite inhibition of growth of L cells in the presence of interferon has been described (63).…”

The Interferons: Cellular Inhibitors of Viral Infection

“…The additional observation that oxygen deprivation depresses growth of certain viruses and enhances the antiviral action of interferon perhaps lends credence to an hypothesis that interferon acts as an uncoupler of mitochondrial or nuclear oxidative phosphorylation (28). Detracting from this intriguing theory are the observations that known potent uncouplers are far less active as virus inhibitoFs than is interferon (40), and that WEE virus grows nor mally and retains susceptibility to interferon under conditions of anaerobio sis (41). Moreover, still unresolved is the problem of impurities in crude interferon preparations that may cause cellular alterations unrelated to their antiviral action.…”