Interferon-gamma: pleiotropic effects on a rat pancreatic beta cell line.

Abstract

We have recently shown that interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) markedly upregulates the expression of the class I major histocompatibility proteins on pancreatic beta cells and have therefore postulated that interferon-gamma may enhance cytotoxic lymphocyte-mediated beta cell damage in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. To further explore the interaction between interferon-gamma and the pancreatic beta cell we have used the RIN-m5F insulinoma line to define the effects of interferon-gamma on major histocompatibility protein expression, (pro)insulin and protein synthesis and cell growth. Interferon-gamma induced a dose-dependent increase in the expression of the class I major histocompatibility p..