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

Here we report on the anti-tumor effects of five interferon (IFN)-α subtypes, α1, α2, α5, α8, and α10 in chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML)-derived cell lines. All of the CML cells can respond to IFN-α although the anti-tumor effects of IFN-α depend on the target cell and on the type of IFN-α subtype used. Proliferation assays showed that IFN-α8 was substantially more effective than the other four IFN-α subtypes. IFN-α8 was the most potent at upregulating immunomodulatory molecule expression while IFN-α1 was least potent. These data indicate in vitro distinctions between IFN-α subtypes that should be appreciated more in the clinic.