Effects of recombinant interferons on the clonogenic growth of leukemic cells and normal hemopoietic progenitors

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Abstract
We have examined the effects of recombinant immune and leukocyte interferons (rIFN-γ and rIFN-a) on the clonogenic growth of leukemic cells and normal hemopoietic progenitors using in vitro colony assays. Both interferons suppressed the colony formation by granulocyte-macrophage progenitors (CFU-gm) and erythroid progenitors (CFU-e and BFU-e) in a dose-dependent manner. Six myeloid leukemic cell lines were less sensitive to rIFN-γ than CFU-gm. The colony formation of some myeloid leukemic cell lines was suppressed more potently by rIFN-α than by CFU-gm. Four lymphoid leukemic cell lines of the T-cell type were very resistant to both recombinant interferons. Reduced sensitivity of leukemic cells to rIFN-γ, a possible hemopoietic regulator, may explain partially the unregulated proliferation of leukemic cells in vivo.