Induction of IFN-α Subtypes and Their Antiviral Activity in Mumps Virus Infection

• Published in: Viral immunology Vol. 27; no. 10; pp. 497 - 505
• Main Authors: Markušić, Maja, Šantak, Maja, Košutić-Gulija, Tanja, Jergović, Mladen, Jug, Renata, Forčić, Dubravko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Mary Ann Liebert, Inc 01.12.2014
• Subjects: Animals; Antiviral Agents - metabolism; Blotting, Western; Cell Line; Gene Expression Profiling; Humans; Interferon-alpha - genetics; Interferon-alpha - immunology; Interferon-alpha - metabolism; Mumps - immunology; Mumps virus; Mumps virus - immunology; Mumps virus - physiology; Original Research Articles; Original s; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Virus Replication - drug effects
• ISSN: 0882-8245; 1557-8976
• DOI: 10.1089/vim.2014.0028

Human type I interferons (IFNs) comprise one IFN- β , - ω , - κ , and - ɛ and 12 different IFN- α subtypes, which play an important role in early host antiviral response. Despite their high structural homology and signaling through the same receptor, IFN- α subtypes exhibit different antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory activities. Differences in the production of IFN- α subtypes therefore determine the quality of an antiviral response. In this study, we investigated the pattern of IFN- α subtypes induced in infection with different mumps virus (MuV) strains and examined the MuV sensitivity to the action of IFN- α subtypes. We found that all IFN- α subtypes are being expressed in response to MuV infection with a highly similar IFN- α subtype pattern between the virus strains. We assessed an antiviral activity of several IFN- α subtypes: IFN- α 1, IFN- α 2, IFN- α 4, IFN- α 6, IFN- α 8, IFN- α 14, IFN- α 17, and IFN- α 21. Although they were all effective in suppressing MuV replication, the intensity and pattern of their action varied between MuV strains. Our results indicate that the overall IFN antiviral activity as well as the activity of specific IFN- α subtypes against MuV depend on a virus strain.