CELLULAR RESPONSES TO INTERFERON-γ

Abstract

The phytohemagglutinin-induced virus-inhibitor may, however, be produced in white cells in response to a stimulation of cellular RNA synthesis and may be a feedback mechanism for control of RNA synthesis. E. Frederick Wheelock (1965) ▪ Abstract Interferons are cytokines that play a complex and central role in the resistance of mammalian hosts to pathogens. Type I interferon (IFN-α and IFN-β) is secreted by virus-infected cells. Immune, type II, or γ-interferon (IFN-γ) is secreted by thymus-derived (T) cells under certain conditions of activation and by natural killer (NK) cells. Although originally defined as an agent with direct antiviral activity, the properties of IFN-γ include regulation of several aspects of the immune response, stimulation of bactericidal activity of phagocytes, stimulation of antigen presentation through class I and class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, orchestration of leukocyte-endothelium interactions, effects on cell proliferation and apoptosis, as well as ...