Investigations into the molecular immune response of dromedary camel, a key livestock species of the arid, have been limited due to the lack of species-specific reagents. Here we describe for the first time, the identification and characterization of type I IFNs of dromedary camel, which are the most important cytokines in the innate host immune response against viruses. We cloned camel IFN-α coding sequences and identified a total of eleven subtypes. The canonical IFN-α subtype designated as IFN-α1 contained a 555-bp Open Reading Frame encoding a protein of 184 amino acids. Recombinant IFN-α1 protein was produced in E. coli and purified from inclusion bodies. Recombinant camel IFN-α1 induced the mRNA expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in camel kidney cells. The purified protein also showed potent in-vitro antiviral activity against Camelpox Virus in kidney cells. The identified camel IFN-α protein and the subtypes will facilitate a better understanding of the host immune response to viral infections in camel and the development of potential antiviral biologicals for zoonotic diseases for which camel act as a reservoir.

中文翻译：

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Camelid I型干扰素：从单峰骆驼（Camelus dromedarius）中鉴定和鉴定干扰素α。

由于缺乏物种特异性试剂，对骆驼骆驼（干旱的一种主要牲畜物种）的分子免疫反应的研究受到了限制。在这里，我们首次描述了单峰骆驼的I型IFN的鉴定和特征，它们是先天宿主对病毒的免疫应答中最重要的细胞因子。我们克隆了骆驼干扰素-α编码序列，并确定了总共十一个亚型。命名为IFN-α1的典型IFN-α亚型包含一个555 bp的开放阅读框，其编码184个氨基酸的蛋白质。重组IFN-α1蛋白在大肠杆菌中产生并从包涵体中纯化。重组骆驼IFN-α1诱导了骆驼肾细胞中干扰素刺激基因（ISG）的mRNA表达。纯化的蛋白质还显示出针对肾细胞中的骆驼痘病毒的有效体外抗病毒活性。鉴定出的骆驼IFN-α蛋白及其亚型将有助于更好地了解宿主对骆驼中病毒感染的免疫反应，以及开发针对人畜共患病的潜在抗病毒生物，骆驼可作为动物的宿主。