The Key Roles of Interferon Lambda in Human Molecular Defense against Respiratory Viral Infections

Interferons (IFN) are crucial for the innate immune response. Slightly more than two decades ago, a new type of IFN was discovered: the lambda IFN (type III IFN). Like other IFN, the type III IFN display antiviral activity against a wide variety of infections, they induce expression of antiviral, in...

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Published in:Pathogens (Basel) Vol. 9; no. 12; p. 989
Main Authors: Lozhkov, Alexey A., Klotchenko, Sergey A., Ramsay, Edward S., Moshkoff, Herman D., Moshkoff, Dmitry A., Vasin, Andrey V., Salvato, Maria S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26.11.2020
MDPI
Subjects:
Adaptive immunity
Antiviral activity
Antiviral agents
antiviral properties
Bacterial diseases
bacterial infections
Epithelial cells
epithelium
Gene expression
genes
humans
Immune response
Immune system
infection
Influenza
Innate immunity
Interferon
interferon stimulated genes
interferons
interferons-α/β
interferons-λ
Kinases
Mucosa
Myxovirus resistance proteins
nose
Orthomyxoviridae
pandemic
Pandemics
Pathogenesis
pathogens
Public health
receptors
respiratory viruses
Review
risk
Sensors
shape
therapeutics
Viral infections
Viruses
influenza
innate immunity
interferons-α/β
respiratory viruses
interferon stimulated genes
interferons-λ
ISSN:2076-0817, 2076-0817
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Summary:Interferons (IFN) are crucial for the innate immune response. Slightly more than two decades ago, a new type of IFN was discovered: the lambda IFN (type III IFN). Like other IFN, the type III IFN display antiviral activity against a wide variety of infections, they induce expression of antiviral, interferon-stimulated genes (MX1, OAS, IFITM1), and they have immuno-modulatory activities that shape adaptive immune responses. Unlike other IFN, the type III IFN signal through distinct receptors is limited to a few cell types, primarily mucosal epithelial cells. As a consequence of their greater and more durable production in nasal and respiratory tissues, they can determine the outcome of respiratory infections. This review is focused on the role of IFN-λ in the pathogenesis of respiratory viral infections, with influenza as a prime example. The influenza virus is a major public health problem, causing up to half a million lethal infections annually. Moreover, the virus has been the cause of four pandemics over the last century. Although IFN-λ are increasingly being tested in antiviral therapy, they can have a negative influence on epithelial tissue recovery and increase the risk of secondary bacterial infections. Therefore, IFN-λ expression deserves increased scrutiny as a key factor in the host immune response to infection.
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ISSN:2076-0817
2076-0817
DOI:10.3390/pathogens9120989