Immune interferon: a pleiotropic lymphokine with multiple effects.

Abstract

Immune (gamma) interferon (IFN-γ) is produced during an immune response by antigen-specific T cells and probably also by natural killer (NK) cells recruited by the T cell-product interleukin 2 (IL-2). IFN-γ was discovered and originally measured on the basis of its anti-viral activity, but its complex anti-cellular activities probably reflect its biological role more clearly. In this review, Giorgio Trinchieri and Bice Perussia discuss some aspects of the biology of IFN-γ, its pleiomorphic anti-cellular effects and its ability to modulate cellular responses to other regulatory factors.