ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the data concerning chemical composition of interferon with special consideration given to the possibility of interferon containing carbohydrate. It deals with some molecular properties of interferon that seem to be the least understood, namely, the charge heterogeneity and the polymorphism in size. One of the remarkable features of interferon appears to be the absence of reliable data on its chemical composition. This situation is due to the fact that, despite substantial efforts on purification, no interferon preparation has reached a state of purity that would permit direct chemical analysis. The chapter concludes that interferons are proteins or contain protein as an essential part, and sensitivity toward proteases is now generally regarded as a criterion for characterizing interferon-like substances. It comments about the gaps in the knowledge of interferon structure and proposes some novel experimental approaches that may facilitate structural studies of this elusive macro molecules.
