INTERFERON

INTERFERON

All interferons share several common effects; they are antiviral agents and can fight tumors.

As an infected cell dies from a cytolytic virus, viral particles are released that can infect nearby cells. However, the infected cell can warn neighboring cells of a viral presence by releasing interferon. The neighboring cells, in response to interferon, produce large amounts of an enzyme known as protein kinase R (PKR). This enzyme phosphorylates a protein known as eIF-2 in response to new viral infections; eIF-2 is a eukaryotic translation initiation factor that forms an inactive complex with another protein, called eIF2B, to reduce protein synthesis within the cell. Another cellular enzyme, RNAse L — also induced following PKR activation — destroys RNA within the cells to further reduce protein synthesis of both viral and host genes. Inhibited protein synthesis destroys both the virus and infected host cells. In addition, interferons induce production of hundreds of other proteins — known collectively as interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) — that have roles in combating viruses.[3][4] They also limit viral spread by increasing p53 activity, which kills virus-infected cells by promoting apoptosis.[
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Patients with recurrent melanomas receive recombinant IFN-α2b""