Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has caused a global pandemic since its outbreak in 2019, presenting serious threats to public health and the health of the people. As one of the main components of the host innate immune system, type-Ⅰ interferon (IFN) plays a critical role in the defense against viral infections. The battle between the virus and the host innate immune system determines the disease progression. It has been reported that SARS-CoV-2 inhibits IFN production and suppresses the activation of IFN signaling pathway through its interactions with the host innate immune system. Then, the weakened or delayed response of type-Ⅰ interferon causes the disturbance of host immune responses, which is one of the important reasons why SARS-CoV-2 causes such high morbidity and mortality. Herein, we reviewed and discussed the interaction between SARS-CoV-2 viral proteins and the host innate immune system, especially the interaction with type-Ⅰ IFN pathway, to provide new insights into the mechanisms of viral evasion of host immune response and new perspectives and strategies for treating COVID-19 with IFN.
2019冠状病毒病（coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19，我国通称新型冠状病毒肺炎，简称新冠肺炎）是由严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2）引起的一种以肺部病变为主的呼吸道传染病，自2019年暴发后引起全球性大流行，对公共卫生及民众健康造成严重威胁。Ⅰ型干扰素（interferon, IFN）是宿主固有免疫系统的重要组成部分，在抵御病毒感染过程中发挥着非常重要的作用。病毒和固有免疫系统的博弈，往往决定感染后的疾病进程。研究显示，SARS-CoV-2病毒能通过与宿主免疫系统之间相互作用，抑制IFN的产生及IFN通路的激活；而Ⅰ型IFN反应减弱或延迟，引起宿主免疫应答的紊乱，是造成SARS-CoV-2高发病率和高死亡率的重要原因之一。本文讨论了SARS-CoV-2编码的病毒蛋白与宿主固有免疫系统之间，特别是Ⅰ型IFN通路之间的相互作用，以期为病毒逃逸宿主免疫应答机制及临床上IFN治疗COVID-19提供新思路和新策略。
Keywords: IFN pathway; SARS-CoV-2; Viral proteins; Virus-host interaction.
Copyright© by Editorial Board of Journal of Sichuan University (Medical Sciences).