| Abstrakt: |
Interferons (IFN) provide a critical first line of defense against viral infection in vertebrates. Moreover, IFN-λ, a recently identified group of mammalian IFN, has demonstrated antiviral potential in the treatment of mammalian viruses. With the growing concern over such diseases as avian influenza (AI), there is a pressing need for new antiviral strategies to manage problem viruses in poultry. Furthermore, the use of immune molecules, such as IFN-λ, provides an attractive option for treating poultry by augmenting the host response to virus. With this in mind, we report here the first cloning, expression, and analysis of biologic activity of chicken IFN-λ (ChIFN-λ). We compared the similarity of ChIFN-λ to those identified in other species and demonstrate that ChIFN-λ has antiviral properties similar to those of human IFN-λ (HuIFN-λ). Our results demonstrate that in the chicken, as in human, the antiviral activity demonstrated by ChIFN-λ supports its inclusion in therapeutic strategies directed against viral infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
