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Interferons (IFNs, / ˌ ɪ n t ər ˈ f ɪər ɒ n / IN-tər-FEER-on [1]) are a group of signaling proteins [2] made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten their anti-viral defenses.
Interferon-alpha, an interferon type I, was identified in 1957 as a protein that interfered with viral replication. [5] The activity of interferon-gamma (the sole member of the interferon type II class) was described in 1965; this was the first identified lymphocyte-derived mediator. [6]
The type-I interferons (IFN) are cytokines which play essential roles in inflammation, immunoregulation, tumor cells recognition, and T-cell responses. In the human genome, a cluster of thirteen functional IFN genes is located at the 9p21.3 cytoband over approximately 400 kb including coding genes for IFNα (IFNA1, IFNA2, IFNA4, IFNA5, IFNA6, IFNA7, IFNA8, IFNA10, IFNA13, IFNA14, IFNA16 ...
Interferons are a type of protein called a cytokine, which is produced in response to infection. [9] When released, they signal to infected cells and other nearby cells that a pathogen is present. [9] This signal is passed from one cell to another by binding of the interferon to a cell surface receptor on a naïve cell. [10]
Human interferon alpha-2 (IFNα2) is a cytokine belonging to the family of type I IFNs. IFNα2 is a protein secreted by cells infected by a virus and acting on other cells to inhibit viral infection. The first description of IFNs as a cellular agent interfering with viral replication was made by Alick Isaacs and Jean Lindenmann in 1957.
Upon infection, STING from infected cells can sense the presence of nucleic acids from intracellular pathogens, and then induce interferon β and more than 10 forms of interferon α production. Type I interferon produced by infected cells can find and bind to Interferon-alpha/beta receptor of nearby cells to protect cells from local infection.
Interferon gamma (IFNG or IFN-γ) is a dimerized soluble cytokine that is the only member of the type II class of interferons. [5] The existence of this interferon, which early in its history was known as immune interferon, was described by E. F. Wheelock as a product of human leukocytes stimulated with phytohemagglutinin, and by others as a product of antigen-stimulated lymphocytes. [6]
Illustration of a eukaryotic cell membrane Comparison of a eukaryotic vs. a prokaryotic cell membrane. The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space).