- Title
- Interferon-ε protects the female reproductive tract from viral and bacterial infection
- Creator
- Fung, Ka Yee; Mangan, Niamh E.; Schjenken, John E.; Parker, Belinda; Gargett, Caroline E.; Nguyen, Hong P. T.; Carr, Daniel J.; Hansbro, Philip M.; Hertzog, Paul J.; Cumming, Helen; Horvat, Jay C.; Mayall, Jemma R.; Stifter, Sebastian A.; De Weerd, Nicole; Roisman, Laila C.; Rossjohn, Jamie; Robertson, Sarah A.
- Relation
- NHMRC and ARC
- Relation
- Science Vol. 339, Issue 6123, p. 1088-1092
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1233321
- Publisher
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2013
- Description
- The innate immune system senses pathogens through pattern-recognition receptors (PRRs) that signal to induce effector cytokines, such as type I interferons (IFNs). We characterized IFN-ε as a type I IFN because it signaled via the Ifnar1 and Ifnar2 receptors to induce IFN-regulated genes. In contrast to other type I IFNs, IFN-ε was not induced by known PRR pathways; instead, IFN-ε was constitutively expressed by epithelial cells of the female reproductive tract (FRT) and was hormonally regulated. Ifn-ε–deficient mice had increased susceptibility to infection of the FRT by the common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) herpes simplex virus 2 and Chlamydia muridarum. Thus, IFN-ε is a potent antipathogen and immunoregulatory cytokine that may be important in combating STIs that represent a major global health and socioeconomic burden.
- Subject
- interferon-ε; bacterial infections; viral infections; female reproductive tract; innate immune system
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1310897
- Identifier
- uon:22111
- Identifier
- ISSN:0036-8075
- Language
- eng
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