Description
Type I interferon is naturally produced in response to pathogens to generate an anti-viral state within the cell. There are 13 naturally occurring genetic isoforms of IFN alpha (IFN) in humans that result in 12 IFN subtypes (IFN1 and 13 are identical but are coded by different genes). They all bind the same ubiquitously expressed receptor, interferon alpha receptor (IFNAR), but have been shown to differ in their biological and anti-viral activities (reviewed in Gibbert et al, Br J Pharmacol 2013). We investigated the ability of natural and recombinant IFN to regulate mRNA expression.