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

Cell Host Microbe. 2020 Jun 10;27(6):870-878. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.05.008. Epub 2020 May 27.

Abstract

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.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology
  • Betacoronavirus / physiology*
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / drug therapy
  • Coronavirus Infections / immunology*
  • Coronavirus Infections / pathology
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • 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

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Interferon Type I
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Interferons
  • Interferon Lambda