An X-linked Locus Influences the Amount of Circulating Interferon Induced in the Mouse by Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1

Abstract
Production of circulating interferon (IFN) was measured inbred mouse strains following i.v. injection of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). IFN titers reached maximal levels 2-3 h after injection of virus and a 10-fold difference was found between C57BL/6 mice and BALB/c, as high and low producers, respectively. Mendelian analysis revealed that HSV-induced IFN production is governed by several loci, one of which is X-linked. The strain distribution pattern obtained from results in recombinant inbred lines and the results obtained in the congenic B6-C-H-28c-If11 strain furthermore indicated an absence of close linkage to If-1. Evidently, the levels of HSV-induced early IFN production are influenced by several autosomal loci and 1 X-linked locus.