Interferon-induced 56,000 Mr protein and its mRNA in human cells: molecular cloning and partial sequence of the cDNA

Treatment of responsive cells by interferons (IFNs) induces within a few hours a rise in the concentration of several proteins and mRNAs. In order to characterize these IFN-induced mRNA species, we have cloned in E. coli the cDNA made from a 17-18S poly(A)+ RNA of human fibroblastoid cells (SV80) treated with IFN-beta. We describe here a pBR322 recombinant plasmid (C56) which contains a 400 bp cDNA insert corresponding to a 18S mRNA species newly induced by IFN. The C56 mRNA codes for a 56,000 dalton protein easily detectable by hybridization-translation experiments. The sequence of 66 of the carboxy-terminal amino-acids of the protein can be deduced from the cDNA sequence. IFNs-alpha, beta or gamma are able to activate the expression of this gene in human fibroblasts as well as lymphoblastoid cells. The mRNA is not detectable without IFN; it reaches maximum levels (0.1% of the total poly(A)+ RNA) within 4-8 hrs and decreases after 16 hrs.