Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

High-throughput Quantitative Real-time RT-PCR Assay for Determining Expression Profiles of Types I and III Interferon Subtypes
Published on: March 24, 2015
Interferon-beta-1a treatment increases CD56bright natural killer cells and CD4+CD25+ Foxp3 expression in subjects
Arthur A Vandenbark1, Jianya Huan, Marisa Agotsch
1Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland, OR, USA. vandenba@ohsu.edu
Abstract:
Disease modifying effects of interferon (IFN)-beta therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) may be mediated in part through enhanced immunoregulation by the CD56(bright) subpopulation of natural killer (NK) cells and by Foxp3+ (not italicized) CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg). We found that IFN-beta-1a(IM) treatment of relapsing-remitting (RR)MS subjects over 12 months significantly increased both percentage of CD56(bright) NK cells and Foxp3 mRNA expression compared to baseline values, untreated RRMS subjects and healthy controls (HC). This striking enhancement of two prominent immunoregulatory pathways lends support to the idea that beneficial effects of IFN-beta-1a in MS include control of pernicious autoimmunity.
Related Concept Videos
Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
T Cell Types and Functions
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Tumor Immunotherapy
