The role of interferon in the thymus.

Curr Opin Immunol

Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota Medical School,  University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. Electronic address:

Published: October 2023

Interferons (IFNs) are a family of proteins that are generated in response to viral infection and induce an antiviral response in many cell types. The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that patients with inborn errors of type-I IFN immunity were more prone to severe infections, but also found that many patients with severe COVID-19 had anti-IFN autoantibodies that led to acquired defects in type-I IFN immunity. These findings revealed the previously unappreciated finding that central immune tolerance to IFN is essential to immune health. Further evidence has also highlighted the importance of IFN within the thymus and its impact on T-cell development. This review will highlight what is known of IFN's role in T-cell development, T-cell central tolerance, and the impact of IFN on the thymus.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10543640PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.coi.2023.102389DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

type-i ifn
8
ifn immunity
8
ifn thymus
8
t-cell development
8
ifn
5
role interferon
4
interferon thymus
4
thymus interferons
4
interferons ifns
4
ifns family
4

Similar Publications

Mutations disrupting the kinase domain of IKKα lead to immunodeficiency and immune dysregulation in humans.

J Exp Med

February 2025

Laboratory of Immunogenetics of Pediatric Autoimmune Diseases, INSERM UMR 1163, Imagine Institute, University Paris Cité, Paris, France.

IKKα, encoded by CHUK, is crucial in the non-canonical NF-κB pathway and part of the IKK complex activating the canonical pathway alongside IKKβ. The absence of IKKα causes fetal encasement syndrome in humans, fatal in utero, while an impaired IKKα-NIK interaction was reported in a single patient and causes combined immunodeficiency. Here, we describe compound heterozygous variants in the kinase domain of IKKα in a female patient with hypogammaglobulinemia, recurrent lung infections, and Hay-Wells syndrome-like features.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Interferon types-I/II (IFN-αβ/γ) secretions are well-established antiviral host defenses. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) particles are known to prevail following targeted cellular interferon secretion. CD4 T-lymphocytes are the primary receptor targets for HIV entry, but the virus has been observed to hide (be latent) successfully in these cells through an alternate entry route via interactions with LFA1.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Targeting the Type I Interferon Pathway in Glomerular Kidney Disease: Rationale and Therapeutic Opportunities.

Kidney Int Rep

January 2025

Translational Science and Experimental Medicine, Early R&I, BioPharmaceuticals R&D, AstraZeneca, Cambridge, UK.

Type I interferons (IFNs) are immunostimulatory molecules that can activate the innate and adaptive immune systems. In cases of immune dysfunction, prolonged activation of the type I IFN pathway has been correlated with kidney tissue damage in a wide range of kidney disorders, such as lupus nephritis (LN) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Genetic mutations, such as risk variants in conjunction with elevated type I IFN expression, are also associated with higher rates of chronic kidney disease in patients with LN and collapsing FSGS.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The study employed network Meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Chinese patent medicines combined with recombinant human interferon α-2b(interferon) in the treatment of cervical human papillomavirus(HPV) infections. The relevant randomized controlled trial(RCT) published from inception to May 8, 2024 were retrieved from CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, SinoMed, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMbase, and Web of Science. The modified Jadad scale and the Cochrane risk of bias tool were used to evaluate the quality of the included studies, and RevMan 5.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Dermatomyositis is a chronic autoimmune disease with distinctive cutaneous eruptions and muscle weakness, and the pathophysiology is characterised by type I interferon (IFN) dysregulation. This study aims to assess the efficacy, safety, and target engagement of dazukibart, a potent, selective, humanised IgG1 neutralising monoclonal antibody directed against IFNβ, in adults with moderate-to-severe dermatomyositis.

Methods: This multicentre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, phase 2 trial was conducted at 25 university-based hospitals and outpatient sites in Germany, Hungary, Poland, Spain, and the USA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!