Hepatitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Hepatitis, including details on hepatitis a, b, c, causes, symptoms.

Interleukin-29 uses a type 1 interferon-like program to promote antiviral responses in human hepatocytes.

Doyle SE, Schreckhise H, Khuu-Duong K, Henderson K, Rosler R, Storey H, Yao L, Liu H, Barahmand-pour F, Sivakumar P, Chan C, Birks C, Foster D, Clegg CH, Wietzke-Braun P, Mihm S, Klucher KM

ZymoGenetics, Inc., Seattle, WA 98102, USA.

Interleukin-28A (IL-28A), IL-28B and IL-29 are a family of class II cytokines that stimulate antiviral responses through a heterodimeric receptor that is distinct from the type I interferon (IFN) receptor. To better understand how this newly described family of cytokines regulates the antiviral state, we compared various cellular responses elicited by IL-29 and IFN-alpha. Here we show that these cytokines stimulate similar patterns of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT-1), -2, -3, and -5 phosphorylation and nearly identical patterns of gene expression when analyzed in two distinct cell types by microarray analysis. Interestingly, the IL-29 receptor is preferentially expressed on primary hepatocytes within normal liver and pegylated forms of IL-29 and IFN-alpha induced equivalent 2'5' oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS) and MX1 gene expression in this cell type. Pegylated IL-29 also produced a significant reduction in human hepatitis B and hepatitis C viral load in vitro and reduced the cytopathic effect caused by the fully replicating flavivirus, West Nile virus. In conclusion, IL-29 and IFN-alpha stimulate identical antiviral responses despite their utilization of different receptors. This fact, combined with significant receptor expression in hepatitis virus-infected livers, suggests that IL-29 may have therapeutic value against chronic viral hepatitis in human patients.

Published 3 October 2006 in Hepatology, 44(4): 896-906.
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