The Roles of Type I Interferon in Bacterial Infection

• Published in: Cell host & microbe Vol. 19; no. 6; pp. 760 - 769
• Main Authors: Boxx, Gayle M., Cheng, Genhong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 08.06.2016
• Subjects: Adaptive Immunity; Animals; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - immunology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides - immunology; Bacterial Infections - immunology; Cytokines - immunology; Humans; Immunity, Innate; Interferon Type I - immunology; Interferon Type I - pharmacology; Interferon-gamma - immunology; Signal Transduction - immunology
• ISSN: 1931-3128; 1934-6069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2016.05.016

Type I interferons (IFNs) are pleiotropic cytokines well recognized for their role in the induction of a potent antiviral gene program essential for host defense against viruses. They also modulate innate and adaptive immune responses. However, the role of type I IFNs in host defense against bacterial infections is enigmatic. Depending on the bacterium, they exert seemingly opposite and capricious functions. In this review, we summarize the effect of type I IFNs on specific bacterial infections and highlight the effector mechanisms regulated by type I IFNs in an attempt to elucidate new avenues to understanding their role. The role of type I interferons (IFNs) in host defense against bacterial infections is varied and enigmatic. Boxx and Chen review the effects of type I IFNs on specific bacterial infections and highlight the immune effector mechanisms regulated by these inducible cytokines.