Interferon Lambda : A New Sword in Cancer Immunotherapy

The discovery of the interferon-lambda (IFN-λ) family has considerably contributed to our understanding of the role of interferon not only in viral infections but also in cancer. IFN-λ proteins belong to the new type III IFN group. Type III IFN is structurally similar to type II IFN (IFN-γ) but func...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical & developmental immunology 2011-01, Vol.2011 (2011), p.1-11
Main Authors: Lasfar, Ahmed, Abushahba, Walid, Balan, Murugabaskar, Cohen-Solal, Karine A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antineoplastic Agents - metabolism
Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use
Drug Synergism
Humans
Immunotherapy
Interferon-alpha - metabolism
Interferon-alpha - therapeutic use
Interferons - metabolism
Interferons - therapeutic use
Neoplasms - drug therapy
Neoplasms - therapy
Review
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Summary:The discovery of the interferon-lambda (IFN-λ) family has considerably contributed to our understanding of the role of interferon not only in viral infections but also in cancer. IFN-λ proteins belong to the new type III IFN group. Type III IFN is structurally similar to type II IFN (IFN-γ) but functionally identical to type I IFN (IFN-α/β). However, in contrast to type I or type II IFNs, the response to type III IFN is highly cell-type specific. Only epithelial-like cells and to a lesser extent some immune cells respond to IFN-λ. This particular pattern of response is controlled by the differential expression of the IFN-λ receptor, which, in contrast to IFN-α, should result in limited side effects in patients. Recently, we and other groups have shown in several animal models a potent antitumor role of IFN-λ that will open a new challenging era for the current IFN therapy.
ISSN:1740-2522
1740-2530
DOI:10.1155/2011/349575