Type I and Type III Interferons – Induction, Signaling, Evasion, and Application to Combat COVID-19

• Published in: Cell host & microbe Vol. 27; no. 6; pp. 870 - 878
• Main Authors: Park, Annsea, Iwasaki, Akiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 10.06.2020
• Subjects: Animals; Antiviral Agents - pharmacology; Betacoronavirus - physiology; Coronavirus Infections - drug therapy; Coronavirus Infections - immunology; Coronavirus Infections - pathology; Coronavirus Infections - virology; COVID-19; Humans; Immune Evasion; Interferon Lambda; Interferon Type I - genetics; Interferon Type I - immunology; Interferon Type I - pharmacology; Interferons - genetics; Interferons - immunology; Interferons - pharmacology; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral - drug therapy; Pneumonia, Viral - immunology; Pneumonia, Viral - pathology; Pneumonia, Viral - virology; Recombinant Proteins - pharmacology; SARS-CoV-2; Signal Transduction
• ISSN: 1931-3128; 1934-6069; 1934-6069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.05.008

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Without approved antiviral therapeutics or vaccines to this ongoing global threat, type I and type III interferons (IFNs) are currently being evaluated for their efficacy. Both the role of IFNs and the use of recombinant IFNs in two related, highly pathogenic coronaviruses, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, have been controversial in terms of their protective effects in the host. In this review, we describe the recent progress in our understanding of both type I and type III IFN-mediated innate antiviral responses against human coronaviruses and discuss the potential use of IFNs as a treatment strategy for COVID-19. Type I and type III interferons are potent antiviral cytokines with non-redundant functions. Park and Iwasaki review the protective versus pathogenic roles of type I and type III interferons in highly pathogenic coronavirus infections and discuss the prophylactic and therapeutic potential of these interferons in the current COVID-19 pandemic.