Viral Interferon Antagonism: Making the Leap from the Bench to the Clinic

Viral Interferon Antagonism: Making the Leap from the Bench to the Clinic

Since the discovery of the type-I interferon (IFN) antiviral cytokines more than 55 years ago, and the subsequent identification of viral products able to inhibit IFN-mediated antiviral responses during the 1960s, it has become increasingly clear that viral interactions with the IFN system form a central host-pathogen interface in determining the outcome of infection. Recent years have seen an explosion in data regarding the mechanisms employed by viruses to subvert the IFNdependent innate immune response, including the identification and detailed molecular characterisation of the mediators of viral immune evasion, collectively termed IFN antagonist proteins.