Transcripts induced by recombinant IFNa in healthy blood monocytes at different time points

To explore the full extent of IFN-regulated transcriptional changes, we exposed monocytes from two healthy donors to recombinant type I IFN (IFN-α2b) in vitro. RNA was extracted at different incubation times (1, 6, 24, 48 and 72 hrs) and the expression data was normalized to that of monocytes cultured with medium. Blood monocytes isolated from healthy volunteers were incubated with 20% autologous serum alone or in the presence of 1000 U/ml of IFNα2b (Schering Plough, Kenilworth, NJ) in 6-well plates at a concentration of 106 monocytes per well in 3 ml of media. After incubation for one hour at 37 ⁰C, cells were harvested and RNA was extracted. Identical experiments were done after the following incubation time points: six hours, twenty four hours, two days, and three days.