Genetic transfer of a functional human interferon α receptor into mouse cells: Cloning and expression of its c-DNA

Abstract A cDNA coding for the human interferon a receptor has been cloned using a gene transfer approach. This consists of transferring human DNA to mouse cells and selecting for cells sensitive to human interferon α. The transfected cells expressed the human interferon α receptor, and a 5 kb human DNA was isolated from a secondary transfectant. This DNA detects an mRNA present in human cells and was used to clone a 2.7 kb cDNA from a library constructed from human Daudi cells. The sequence of this cDNA is presented. It codes for a glycoprotein of 557 amino acids with an N-terminal hydrophobic region and a single transmembrane-spanning segment. Mouse cells expressing the cDNA become sensitive to the antiviral activity of and express binding sites for human interferon a, demonstrating that the cloned cDNA encodes a functional human interferon a receptor.