key: cord-0073766-mpmw4274
authors: Morrison, Dr. Juliet
title: Introduction to the Special Issue on Interferon Responses: From Cells to Systems
date: 2022-01-19
journal: Curr Res Virol Sci
DOI: 10.1016/j.crviro.2022.100020
sha: ada2855ff1a969678e1852e00bccebf0eda17bd7
doc_id: 73766
cord_uid: mpmw4274

nan

It is fitting that the inaugural special issue of Current Research in Virological Science (CRVIRO) is focused on interferons since they are responsible for the earliest host responses to viral infection, and we are currently living through the catastrophic coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Interferons are important for viral clearance, tumor destruction, and promoting adaptive immunity. Despite being the subject of hundreds of thousands of research articles and reviews for more than six decades, interferons continue to fascinate biologists. This Special Issue contains one original study and four review articles that contribute to our knowledge of interferon function or antagonism.

Manuscripts in this special issue cover topics as varied as the impact of interferons on cancer and COVID-19. Kumar et al. describe the striking parallels between viral infections and cancers, and explore using type I interferon (IFN-I) to safely treat cancers and viral infections in the clinic in "Type I interferons: One stone to concurrently kill two birds, viral infections and cancers" [1] . In "Translational regulation of viral RNA in the type I interferon response", Hsu and colleagues discuss the mechanisms by which ISGencoded proteins restrict viral translation [2] .

In "Association between the interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 gene (IFITM3) rs34481144 / rs12252 haplotypes and COVID-19", we learn from Cuesta-Llavona et al. that a common IFITM3 haplotype, rs34481144 C -rs12252 A, is associated with increased protection from severe COVID-19 [3] . This special issue also contains two reviews that focus on how SARS-CoV-2 antagonizes the IFN-I response. In "Devil's tools: SARS-CoV-2 antagonists against innate immunity", Xu and colleagues describe the myriad ways in which various severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins inhibit IFN-I production and signaling [4] . Serato and Gaglia discuss the importance of IFN-I and IFN-III levels in determining COVID-19 severity in patients, and the mechanisms used by viral proteins ORF6 and nsp1 to antagonize interferons in "All hands on deck: SARS-CoV-2 proteins that block early anti-viral interferon responses" [5] .

We would like to thank all the authors who have contributed to this special issue. Their contributions are both educational and timely. The information in this special issue adds to the current framework and will inform future research efforts aimed at understanding the mechanisms of action of interferon to safely harness its therapeutic potential for viral diseases and malignancies.

Type I interferons: One stone to concurrently kill two birds, viral infections and cancers

Translational regulation of viral RNA in the type I interferon response

Association between the interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 gene (IFITM3) rs34481144 / rs12252 haplotypes and COVID-19

Review Devil's tools: SARS-CoV-2 antagonists against innate immunity

All hands on deck: SARS-CoV-2 proteins that block early anti-viral interferon responses