Hashaam Akhtar
National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan
Title: Expression of IFN-Lambda receptor (IFN-λRa) in mononuclear phagocyte cells (MPC) and its influence by the levels of newly discovered type III interferon lambda 4 (in Vitro study)
Biography
Biography: Hashaam Akhtar
Abstract
IFNλR1 and IL10R2 collectively construct a heterodimer, which is an acknowledged functional receptor for all type III interferons (IFNs). Expression of IFNλR1 is highly tissue specific, which can help in making type III IFNs as drug of choice as compared to its analogous, type I IFNs for treating hepatitis C in the near future. Although, expression of IFNλR1 also varies with the concentration of type I IFNs, but in this study it was shown that the expression of IFNλR1 varies with the protein titers of IFN-α, IFN-λ3 and the newly discovered IFN-λ4. High dosage of IFN-α reduces the expression of IFNλR1 in HepG2 cells, which can affect the antiviral activity of type III IFNs in vivo. We premeditated an experimental strategy to differentiate monocytes into DC, type I and type II macrophages in vitro and quantified the expression of the IFNλR1 by qPCR. The exposure of newly discovered IFN-λ4 to macrophages and DCs also raised the expression of its own receptor, which shows that expression of IFN-λ4 protein in hepatitis C patient may augment type I treatment and help ease off viral titers. The results of this study may help us in contributing some understanding towards the mechanisms involved in the selective expression of IFNLR1 and exceptionalities involved.