Types of Interferon
Based on the type of receptor through which they signal, human interferons have been classified into three major types.
- Interferon type I: All type I IFNs bind to a specific cell surface receptor complex known as the IFN-α receptor (IFNAR) that consists of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 chains. The type I interferons present in humans are IFN-α, IFN-β and IFN-ω.
- Interferon type II: Binds to IFNGR that consists of IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 chains. In humans this is IFN-γ.
- Interferon type III: Signal through a receptor complex consisting of IL10R2 (also called CRF2-4) and IFNLR1 (also called CRF2-12). Acceptance of this classification is less universal than that of type I and type II, and unlike the other two, it is not currently included in Medical Subject Headings.
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