Table 3.
Spectrum of biological activities of the interferons. See text for details and references.
| Activity | Type I IFN | Type II IFN | Type III IFN |
|---|---|---|---|
| IFN-responsive genesa | 2169 | 2339 | 159 |
| Inducibility by virus infections | ++++ | +++ | ++ |
| Induction of antiviral effectors | ++++ | ++ | ++ |
| Cell growth inhibition | ++ | ++++ | + |
| Induction of autophagy | ++ | ++ | nsb |
| Stimulation/inhibition of cell differentiation | ++ | ++++ | ns |
| Stimulation of MHC class I antigens | ++ | ++++ | ++ |
| Stimulation of MHC class II antigens | ++ | ++++ | ns |
| Stimulation/inhibition of phagocytosis | ++ | ++++ | ns |
| Stimulation/inhibition of antibody production | ++ | ++++ | ns |
| Inhibition of intracellular parasites | +, indirect | ++, direct | ns |
| Induction of IFN, cytokines and chemokines | + | ++ | + |
| Induction of neurologic symptoms | ++ | ++ | − |
| Specific receptor distribution in the body | Ubiquitous | Ubiquitous | Tissue-restricted |
a
Cellular genes with p-value <0.05 and fold change ≥2, according to http://www.interferome.org[60].
b
ns: not studied, so far.