Induction and Evasion of Type-I Interferon Responses during Influenza A Virus Infection
- 1Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- 2Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- 3Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- 4The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York 10029, USA
- Correspondence: adolfo.garcia-sastre{at}mssm.edu
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↵5 These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract
Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are contagious pathogens and one of the leading causes of respiratory tract infections in both humans and animals worldwide. Upon infection, the innate immune system provides the first line of defense to neutralize or limit the replication of invading pathogens, creating a fast and broad response that brings the cells into an alerted state through the secretion of cytokines and the induction of the interferon (IFN) pathway. At the same time, IAVs have developed a plethora of immune evasion mechanisms in order to avoid or circumvent the host antiviral response, promoting viral replication. Herein, we will review and summarize already known and recently described innate immune mechanisms that host cells use to fight IAV viral infections as well as the main strategies developed by IAVs to overcome such powerful defenses during this fascinating virus–host interplay.
