Interferon

Name:
Interferon
Detailed information:
An antiviral protein produced by vertebrate cells in response to virus infection. Discovered in 1957, it is a product of the infected cell, rather than of the disease-inducing virus. It can be formed by any type of infected cell and is effective against many viruses, but only in the cells of the organism that produced it. It is quite different from an antibody which is produced only by specialized cells and acts by combining directly with a specific virus. Interferon does not inactivate viruses directly, but reacts with susceptible cells which then resist virus multiplication. Prostaglandins are believed to be effective in maintaining normal interferon production in the body. Four types of interferon are presently known. As a result of advanced recombinant DNA techniques, a biologically active protein almost identical with interferon has been made outside the body by exposing to virus action bacteria into which the genetic code controlling interferon formation in the body has been introduced. The “synthetic” interferon is available in quantities large enough to permit its use in treatment of various virus diseases. The interferon molecule itself has not yet been synthesized.See recombinant DNA.