Type I Interferons: Ancient Peptides with Still Under-Discovered Anti-Cancer Properties

Title:Type I Interferons: Ancient Peptides with Still Under-Discovered Anti-Cancer Properties

Volume: 20 Issue: 4

Author(s): Michele Caraglia, Alessandra Dicitore, Monica Marra, Sara Castiglioni, Luca Persani, Pasquale Sperlongano, Pierosandro Tagliaferri, Alberto Abbruzzese and Giovanni Vitale

Affiliation:

Keywords: Type I interferons, interferon-alpha, interferon-beta, STATs, mTOR, pegylated interferons, farnesyltransferase inhibitors, EGF-R, cytokine, antitumor activity

Abstract: Type I interferons (IFNs) represent a group of cytokines that act through a common receptor composed by two chains (IFNAR-1 and IFNAR-2). Several in vitro and in vivo studies showed a potent antitumor activity induced by these cytokines. IFN-, the first cytokine to be produced by recombinant DNA technology, has emerged as an important regulator of cancer cell growth and differentiation, affecting cellular communication and signal transduction pathways. IFN-, is currently the most used cytokine in the treatment of cancer. However, the potential anti-tumour activity of IFN- is limited by the activation of tumour resistance mechanisms. This article reviews the current knowledge about the antitumor activity of type I IFNs, focusing on new potential strategies able to strengthen the antitumor activity of these cytokines.

Cite this article as:

Caraglia Michele, Dicitore Alessandra, Marra Monica, Castiglioni Sara, Persani Luca, Sperlongano Pasquale, Tagliaferri Pierosandro, Abbruzzese Alberto and Vitale Giovanni, Type I Interferons: Ancient Peptides with Still Under-Discovered Anti-Cancer Properties, Protein & Peptide Letters 2013; 20(4) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929866511320040005