Interferon affects nuclear proteins in cells of clinically sensitive chronic myelogenous leukemia patients

Abstract

Cytoplasmic protein extracts from chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells contained an activity that altered the electrophoretic mobility of complexes formed between nuclear proteins and the transcriptional enhancers of interferon (IFN)-inducible genes. Exposure of CML cells to IFN-α diminished the effect of the CML cytoplasmic proteins on these nuclear protein-DNA complexes. The presence of clinical responsiveness to IFN-α correlated with the sensitivity to the IFN-induced change in the electrophoretic mobility of nuclear protein-DNA complexes. These data suggest that the action of IFN-α in CML may be linked to a pathway that can result in posttranslational modification of nuclear proteins. © 199O by The American Society of Hematology.