Clash of the titans: interferons and SARS-CoV-2

Nolwenn Jouvenet; Caroline Goujon; Arinjay Banerjee

doi:10.1016/j.it.2021.10.009

Clash of the titans: interferons and SARS-CoV-2

Trends Immunol. 2021 Dec;42(12):1069-1072. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2021.10.009. Epub 2021 Oct 16.

Authors

Nolwenn Jouvenet¹, Caroline Goujon², Arinjay Banerjee³

Affiliations

¹ Institut Pasteur, Université de Paris, CNRS UMR3569, Virus Sensing and Signaling Unit, Paris, France. Electronic address: nolwenn.jouvenet@pasteur.fr.
² IRIM, CNRS, Montpellier University, Montpellier 34090, France. Electronic address: caroline.goujon@irim.cnrs.fr.
³ Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3, Canada; Department of Veterinary Microbiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B4, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada. Electronic address: arinjay.banerjee@usask.ca.

Abstract

Interferons are our first line of defense against invading viruses. However, viruses encode effector proteins that can modulate human interferon responses. In this forum article, we highlight important discoveries and discuss outstanding questions that will enable us to better understand the nuances of this evolutionary battle between interferons and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; innate immunity; interferon; interferon-stimulated genes; virus–host interaction.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Antiviral Agents
COVID-19*
Humans
Immunity, Innate
Interferons
SARS-CoV-2*

Substances

Antiviral Agents
Interferons