Glucocorticoid-mediated Establishment of an Antiviral State Coincident with Other Glucocorticoid-induced Biochemical Activities in L929 Cells

Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, 12901 North 30th Street, Tampa, Florida 33612, U.S.A. Incubation of L929 cells with three different glucocorticoids, hydrocortisone, dexamethasone and triamcinolone acetonide, rendered the cells unable to support plaque formation by several unrelated DNA and RNA viruses. The establishment of this antiviral state by dexamethasone coincided with an inhibition of cell growth and induction of glutamine synthetase activity. These steroid-mediated activities occurred only in cultures of L929 cells and not in cultures of rabbit skin or rat glioma cells. Keywords: Glucocorticoids, virus inhibition, dexamethasone On leave from Cape Cod Community College, West Barnstable, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Received 12 March 1985; accepted 27 June 1985.