Abstract
Summary
Certain basic polyamines, such as neomycin, neamine, kanamycin, streptomycin, and spermine, added to poly I:C increased the T m. The degree of termal stabilization was influenced by the molecular ratio of polyamine to poly I:C and by the ionic strength. Complexing with certain of the polyamines markedly reduced the rate of degradation of poly I:C but not of poly C by pancreatic ribonuclease. Some of the polyamines potentiated induction of resistance by poly I:C of primary rabbit kidney cells but not RK-13 rabbit kidney line or primary grivet kidney cells to infection by vesicular stomatitis virus. Neomycin did not alter the activity of poly I:C in intact animals against pneumonia virus of mice or against parainfluenza 1 (Sendai) virus in mice and did not decrease the toxicity of the complexed polynucleotide for these animals. Added neomycin did not affect the induction by poly I:C of interferon in rabbits. Neomycin did not render the single-stranded RNA's, poly I and poly C, capable of inducing interferon in rabbits and poly C was not made resistant to RNase by neomycin. Neomycin suppressed rather than increased the uptake of poly I:C by primary rabbit kidney cells. The implications of the findings are discussed.
The authors are indebted to J. N. Armstrong, Jr., C. Bonoma, M. Davies, C. Saydah, and K. Young for valuable technical assistance.
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