Abstract
Unité 43 de Recherches sur les Virus, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Hôpital Saint Vincent-de-Paul, 74 avenue Denfert-Rochereau, 75674 Paris Cedex 14, France
In addition to its antiviral effect, interferon, at high concentrations, stimulates steroidogenesis and provokes cell rounding in Y-1 mouse adrenal tumour cells. This stimulation was inhibited by cytochalasin B and colchicine. In contrast, dibutyryl cAMP and cholera toxin, also able to induce steroid production and cell rounding, increased steroid production even in the presence of these cytoskeleton-disrupting agents. The initial trigger for interferon or cholera toxin thus probably involves a distinct receptor organization. However, since both inducers increased cAMP synthesis in this differentiated cell line, the further metabolic steps of ketosteroid production could be the same.