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Updated: Jun 12, 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
lambda-Interferons and the single nucleotide polymorphisms: A milestone to tailor-made therapy for chronic hepatitis
Yasuhito Tanaka1, Nao Nishida, Masaya Sugiyama
1Department of Virology and Liver Unit, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya.
Type III interferons (IFN) (IFN-lambda1, -lambda2, -lambda3/interleukin [IL]-29, -28A, -28B) are cytokines with type I IFN-like antiviral activities. Most cells have expressed both type I and III IFN following Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation or viral infection, whereas the ability of cells to respond to IFN-lambda was restricted to a specific subset of cells. It was reported that signal transduction pathway of IFN-lambda was similar to that of IFN-alpha/beta although a receptor adapted by IFN-lambda were distinct from that of IFN-alpha/beta. However, the clinical significance and the role of each IFN-lambda were unclear. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the human whole genome revealed several single nucleotide polymorphism sites (SNP) strongly associated with the response to pegylated IFN-alpha (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) treatment in chronic hepatitis C patients. The SNP, which are located near the IL-28B gene of chromosome 19, were discovered simultaneously by three independent studies opening a new prospective in hepatitis C research. The present review highlights significant insights that can be derived from the GWAS approach, and summarizes current knowledge of in vitro and in vivo study on the role of IFN-lambda in antiviral effect.
Type III interferons (IFN) (IFN-lambda1, -lambda2, -lambda3/interleukin [IL]-29, -28A, -28B) are cytokines with type I IFN-like antiviral activities. Most cells have expressed both type I and III IFN following Toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation or viral infection, whereas the ability of cells to respond to IFN-lambda was restricted to a specific subset of cells. It was reported that signal transduction pathway of IFN-lambda was similar to that of IFN-alpha/beta although a receptor adapted by IFN-lambda were distinct from that of IFN-alpha/beta. However, the clinical significance and the role of each IFN-lambda were unclear. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the human whole genome revealed several single nucleotide polymorphism sites (SNP) strongly associated with the response to pegylated IFN-alpha (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) treatment in chronic hepatitis C patients. The SNP, which are located near the IL-28B gene of chromosome 19, were discovered simultaneously by three independent studies opening a new prospective in hepatitis C research. The present review highlights significant insights that can be derived from the GWAS approach, and summarizes current knowledge of in vitro and in vivo study on the role of IFN-lambda in antiviral effect.
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