Potentiation of thermal injury in mouse cells by interferon.

Mouse cells, when exposed to high temperature (43 degrees), shut off overall protein synthesis and continue to synthesize "heat shock proteins". Such heat shocked cells, upon reincubation at 37 degrees C, recover and proliferate. However, when mouse cells are pretreated with mouse interferon (IFN) and then exposed to 43 degrees, more than 99% of the cell population fail to recover. Synthesis of the major heat shock protein is unaffected in cells treated with IFN. Experiments designed to assess the role of intracellular glutathione (GSH) during cells' recovery from hyperthermia indicated that there is an irreversible depletion of glutathione when IFN treated cells are heat shocked. Neither depletion of GSH, nor potentiation of thermal injury was observed in a IFN-resistant line of mouse cells.