J Interferon Cytokine Res 2001 Oct;21(10):785-92
Tennakoon DK, Smith R, Stewart MD,
Spencer TE, Nayak M, Welsh CJ.
Department of Veterinary Anatomy
and Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843.
Interferon-beta (IFN-beta) has been used successfully to treat patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).
IFN-tau is a new class of type I IFN that is secreted by the trophoblast and is the signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy in sheep.
IFN-tau has potent immunosuppressive and antiviral activities similar to other type I IFN but is less cytotoxic than IFN-alpha/beta.
The current investigation concerns the effect of recombinant ovine IFN-tau (rOvIFN-tau) on the modulation of MHC class I and II expression on cloned mouse cerebrovascular endothelial (CVE) cells.
IFN-tau induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat1 and upregulated the expression of MHC class I on CVE.
One proposed action by which type I IFN reduce the relapse rate in MS is via interference with IFN-gamma-induced MHC class II expression.
IFN-tau was shown to downregulate IFN-gamma-induced MHC class II expression on CVE and, hence, may be of potential therapeutic value in downregulating inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS).
IFN-tau did not upregulate the expression of MHC class II on CVE.
IFN-tau also inhibited the replication of Theiler's virus in CVE.
These in vitro results suggest that IFN-tau may be of therapeutic value in the treatment of virus-induced demyelinating disease.
PMID: 11710989 [PubMed - in process]