The anti-tumor activities of interferon (IFN)-[alpha] in chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML)-derived cell lines depends on the IFN-[alpha] subtypes

Here we report on the anti-tumor effects of five interferon (IFN)-[alpha] subtypes, [alpha]1, [alpha]2, [alpha]5, [alpha]8, and [alpha]10 in chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML)-derived cell lines. All of the CML cells can respond to IFN-[alpha] although the anti-tumor effects of IFN-[alpha] depend on the target cell and on the type of IFN-[alpha] subtype used. Proliferation assays showed that IFN-[alpha]8 was substantially more effective than the other four IFN-[alpha] subtypes. IFN-[alpha]8 was the most potent at upregulating immunomodulatory molecule expression while IFN-[alpha]1 was least potent. These data indicate in vitro distinctions between IFN-[alpha] subtypes that should be appreciated more in the clinic.