Listen to a narrated abstract by Mary K. Crow, MD, on the latest installment in the A&R Immunology for the Rheumatologist review series, "Interferon Research, from Viral Interference to Lupus Pathogenesis and Treatment".
Read the complete review article in Arthritis & Rheumatology at loom.ly/sHjoAjQ
Abstract:
The discovery of interferon in the 1950s represents much more than the identification of the first cytokine and the key mediator of anti-viral host defense. Defining the molecular nature and complexity of the type I interferon family, as well as its inducers and molecular mechanisms of action, was the work of investigators working at the highest level and producing insights of great consequence. Current knowledge of receptor-ligand interactions, cell signaling, and transcriptional regulation derive from studies of type I interferon. It is on the shoulders of the giants who produced that knowledge that others stand and have revealed critical mechanisms of the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus and other autoimmune diseases. The design of novel therapeutics is informed by the advances in investigation of type I interferon, with the potential for important impact on patient management.