Induction of type I interferon by RNA viruses: cellular receptors and their substrates

Baum, Alina; García-Sastre, Adolfo

The phenomenon of host directed viral interference has been observed for many years, with some descriptions dating back to observations made by Jenner in 1804 in reference to herpes virus infections interfering with vaccinia virus lesion developments. Supporting these initial reports, more controlled studies with numerous bacteria, plant, and animal viruses followed in the 1930s and 1940s and further confirmed the viral interference phenomena. A thorough and detailed review by Henle describes many pioneering studies and provides numerous examples of initial reports of viral interference (Henle 1950) . These early studies varied widely in their approach with some using live or inactivated virus as an interfering agent and challenging with either the same or different species of virus. Through hindsight, it becomes clear that many of these initial experiments were not relevant to the action of interferon but could be attributed to other phenomena where the end result was inhibition of viral infection. Nevertheless, numerous important and relevant observations were made in those early years of research and placing these initial findings in the context of current molecular biology knowledge provides a deeper understanding of the field and also highlights areas in need of elucidation.