Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Apr;132(4):466-74.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2011.03412.x. Epub 2011 Feb 14.

Regulation of effector and memory T-cell functions by type I interferon

Jonathan P Huber  1 , J David Farrar
Affiliations
Review

Regulation of effector and memory T-cell functions by type I interferon

Jonathan P Huber et al. Immunology. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

Type I interferon (IFN-α/β) is comprised of a family of highly related molecules that exert potent antiviral activity by interfering with virus replication and spread. IFN-α/β secretion is tightly regulated through pathogen sensing pathways that are operative in most somatic cells. However, specialized antigen-presenting plasmacytoid dendritic cells are uniquely equipped with the capacity to secrete extremely high levels of IFN-α/β, suggesting a key role for this cytokine in priming adaptive T-cell responses. Recent studies in both mice and humans have demonstrated a role for IFN-α/β in directly influencing the fate of both CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during the initial phases of antigen recognition. As such, IFN-α/β, among other innate cytokines, is considered an important 'third signal' that shapes the effector and memory T-cell pool. Moreover, IFN-α/β also serves as a counter-regulator of T helper type 2 and type 17 responses, which may be important in the treatment of atopy and autoimmunity, and in the development of novel vaccine adjuvants.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Type I interferon (IFN) regulates CD4+ T helper cell development. IFN-α/β contributes to various functions of T helper type 1 (Th1) cells, particularly the secretion of interleukin-2 (IL-2) by memory cells. Conversely, IFN-α/β restricts the development of alternative populations such as Th2 and Th17. pDCs, plasmacytoid dendritic cells; TLR, toll-like receptor.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Interferon-α/β (IFN-α/β) supports CD8+ T-cell priming through direct effects on both the antigen-presenting cells and the T cells. IFN-α/β signalling in antigen-presenting cells enhances their ability to activate CD8+ T cells. IFN-α/β also acts directly on CD8+ T cells to support the development of effector and memory populations. DC, dendritic cell; IL-2, interleukin-2; TLR, toll-like receptor.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Isaacs A, Lindenmann J, Valentine RC. Virus interference. II. Some properties of interferon. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1957;147:268–73. - PubMed
    1. Isaacs A, Lindenmann J. Virus interference. I. The interferon. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 1957;147:258–67. - PubMed
    1. Stark GR, Kerr IM, Williams BR, Silverman RH, Schreiber RD. How cells respond to interferons. Annu Rev Biochem. 1998;67:227–64. - PubMed
    1. Hardy MP, Owczarek CM, Jermiin LS, Ejdeback M, Hertzog PJ. Characterization of the type I interferon locus and identification of novel genes. Genomics. 2004;84:331–45. - PubMed
    1. Pestka S, Krause CD, Walter MR. Interferons, interferon-like cytokines, and their receptors. Immunol Rev. 2004;202:8–32. - PubMed

Publication types