Interferon beta increases c-Myc proteolysis in mouse monocyte/macrophage leukemia cells

Growth inhibitory activity of interferons (IFNs) has been attributed to several events. These include rapid induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, such as those in the Cip/Kip and Ink4 families and down-regulation of c-myc mRNA and c-Myc transcriptional activity. Here, we report an additional mechanism, involving regulation of Myc protein levels, through which type 1 IFN may halt proliferation of cells. This was discovered using a cell line which constitutively expresses c-myc from a retrovirus vector and which was reported to have undergone deletion of genes encoding the Ink4 tumor suppressors p15 and p16. IFNβ caused a reduction in the steady state level of c-Myc protein by increasing degradation through the 26S proteasome. Our data, as well as that of others, indicate that multiple levels of c-Myc expression can be affected by IFN treatment and this contributes to rapid growth arrest in the G1 phase of the cell cycle.