IFN-α4/IFNA4 Protein, Human

The interferons （IFN） are a family of cytokines with potent antiviral, antiproliferative and immunomodulatory properties, and are classified based on their binding specificity to cell surface receptors. The type I IFNs bind to the interferon alpha receptor （IFNAR）, which consists of two subunits: IFNAR1 （alpha-subunit） and IFNAR2 （beta-subunit）. This binding contributes to TNF-alpha induced signaling. IFN-α/β and related molecules are classified as type I IFNs, as for the other two types of type II IFN （IFN-γ） and type III IFNs （IFN-λ）, respectively. Interferon alpha （IFNa） shows significant biological activity in various cancers, particularly haematological malignancies such as hairy cell leukaemia and chronic myelogenous leukaemia. IFN-alpha 4 is promoted by interferon （IFN） regulatory factors （IRFs）, especially IRF-1 and IRF-7. And it exhibits function by inhibiting virus RNA replication and enhances human natural killer cytotoxicity against virus.