Interferons lambda – therapeutic application

Interferons are a group of protein molecules with a broad spectrum of effects on the human body. Interferon lambda (type III interferon) was discovered comparatively recently about 20 years ago and its action is still poorly understood. However, the study of its properties and mechanisms of action is of great interest, since it not only has similarity with type I interferons, but has a number of distinctive features that create prerequisites for expanding its clinical use. Particularly, interferon lambda is not produced by all cells of the body, and therefore has a more targeted effect and lower systemic side effects than type I interferons. This review considers the biological activity of exogenous interferon lambda: the mechanisms of its antiviral, antitumor, antifungal and immunomodulatory activity. The possibility of its use in clinical practice for the treatment of such diseases as Sjogren’s syndrome, atopic asthma, autoimmune arthritis, various tumors, as well as against a various of RNA- and DNA-containing viruses that attack the anatomical barrier surface of the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, blood-brain barrier and liver is discussed. This review also considers pegylated recombinant interferon lambda. Recent clinical studies have demonstrated a higher safety profile of pegylated interferon lambda compared with pegylated interferon alpha

Destruction of TMV and PVX caused by sap from the halo zones surrounding homologous virus-induced local lesions in leaves of host plants

When tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and potato virus X (PVX) pre­pa­ra­tions were mixed with the sap from the halo zone (HZ) tissues surround­ing homologous virus-induced local lesions in Datura stramonium and Gomphrena globosa leaves, respectively, and the mixtures were incubated for 18 h at 37 °C, the virus particles underwent destruction. Under the electron microscope abnormal (swollen and “thin”) virions were observed in the incubated virus preparations negatively stained with phospho­tung­stic acid. Sometimes the TMV particles were “cut” across into fragments. Treatment of the virus preparations with the sap from the healthy leaves or HZ surrounding heterologous virus-induced local lesions may cause certain destructive changes of virus particles but to a far lesser extent than treatment with the sap from the homologous virus-induced HZ. Possible mechanisms of destruction of the virus particles are discussed

Observation of Cells Not Showing Hypersensitive Reaction in the Central Part of Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV)-Induced Local Lesions Developing in Detached Leaves of Datura stramonium L.

It is established that the central area of TMV-induced local lesions developed in detached Datura stramonium leaves, along with the completely collapsed cells (types I and II), contains cells (type III) conserving to a certain degree integrity of their structural components. A characteristic of the type III cells was the accumulation of considerable amount of virus and formation of TMV-specific granular and tubular inclusions. The study of lesion development showed that a proportion of the collapsed cells and cells of type III did not essentially change in the period up from 3 to 5 days after infection of the leaves. These data suggest that the disease development in cells of type III does not lead to a hypersensitive response and is very similar to that in the systemically infected cells