Division of Clinical Immunology, Tongji Hospital of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
Cytokine. 2012 Oct;60(1):179-85. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2012.05.013. Epub 2012 Jun 15.
Type I interferons (IFN-α/β) serve as the first line of defense against viral infection and share the same type I IFN receptor (IFNAR) complex, which is composed of IFNAR1 and -2. The Eastern woodchuck (Marmota monax) and Chinese woodchuck (Marmota himalayana) are suitable for studying hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Here, the complete or partial sequences of the IFNARs of both species were obtained and analyzed. Small interference RNAs targeting wIFNAR1 and -2 specifically down-regulated the expression of wIFNAR1 and -2 and the IFN-stimulated gene MxA in a woodchuck cell line, respectively. IFNAR2 was significantly up-regulated in primary woodchuck hepatocytes stimulated with IFN-α or -γ. The expression of woodchuck IFNAR1 and -2 was decreased in woodchucks chronically infected with woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV). These results are essential for studying type I IFN-related innate immunity and therapy in hepadnaviral infection in the woodchuck model.
I 型干扰素（IFN-α/β）作为抗病毒感染的第一道防线，它们共享相同的 I 型干扰素受体（IFNAR）复合物，由 IFNAR1 和 -2 组成。东部土拨鼠（Marmota monax）和喜马拉雅旱獭（Marmota himalayana）适合研究乙型肝炎病毒（HBV）感染。本研究获得了这两个物种的 IFNAR 全长或部分序列，并进行了分析。针对 wIFNAR1 和 -2 的小干扰 RNA 特异性地下调了土拨鼠细胞系中 wIFNAR1 和 -2 以及 IFN 刺激基因 MxA 的表达。IFNAR2 在受 IFN-α 或 -γ 刺激的原代土拨鼠肝细胞中显著上调。慢性感染土拨鼠肝炎病毒（WHV）的土拨鼠中，IFNAR1 和 -2 的表达减少。这些结果对于研究土拨鼠模型中与 I 型干扰素相关的先天免疫和治疗肝 DNA 病毒感染至关重要。
