IFN-α2 (human, recombinant)

Interferon α2 (IFN-α2) is a member of the type I interferon family of cytokines.¹ It is composed of an N-terminal region and five α helices. Following cleavage of the N-terminal region, the α helices are secreted and activate IFN-α/β receptor 1 (IFNAR1) and IFNAR2 receptors to induce JAK and STAT signaling in immune cells.^2,1 IFN-α2 and other IFN-α subtypes are transiently expressed and necessary for innate and adaptive immune responses to bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection or tumor development and progression.^1,3 IFN-α2 induces apoptosis in OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells.⁴ The levels of mRNA encoding IFN-α2 are increased in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from patients with chronic HIV infection.⁵ Cayman's IFN-α2 (human, recombinant) consists of 165 amino acids and has a calculated molecular weight of 19.3 kDa.

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1. Paul, F., Pellegrini, S., and Uzé, G. IFNA2: The prototypic human alpha interferon. Gene 567(2), 132-137 (2015).

2. Radhakrishnan, R., Walter, L.J., Hruza, A., et al. Zinc mediated dimer of human interferon-α2b revealed by X-ray crystallography. Structure 4(12), 1453-1463 (1996).

3. Borden, E.C., Sen, G.C., Uze, G., et al. Interferons at age 50: Past, current and future impact on biomedicine. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 6(12), 975-990 (2007).

4. Miyake, K., Bekisz, J., Zhao, T., et al. Apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) is targeted in IFN-α2a-induced Bid-mediated apoptosis through Bak activation in ovarian cancer cells. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1823(8), 1378-1388 (2012).

5. Li, Y., Sun, B., Esser, S., et al. Expression pattern of individual IFNA subtypes in chronic HIV infection. J. Interferon Cytokine Res. 37(12), 541-549 (2017).