In the absence of an intact interferon (IFN) response, mammals may be susceptible to lethal viral infection. IFNs are secreted cytokines that activate a signal transduction cascade leading to the induction of hundreds of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Remarkably, approximately 10% of the genes in the human genome have the potential to be regulated by IFNs. What do all of these genes do? It is a complex question without a simple answer. From decades of research, we know that many of the protein products encoded by these ISGs work alone or in concert to achieve one or more cellular outcomes, including antiviral defense, antiproliferative activities, and stimulation of adaptive immunity. The focus of this review is the antiviral activities of the IFN/ISG system. This includes general paradigms of ISG function, supported by specific examples in the literature, as well as methodologies to identify and characterize ISG function.

中文翻译：

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干扰素刺激的基因：它们都做什么？

在没有完整的干扰素（IFN）反应的情况下，哺乳动物可能易受致命的病毒感染。IFN是分泌的细胞因子，可激活信号转导级联反应，从而诱导数百种干扰素刺激基因（ISG）。值得注意的是，人类基因组中大约10％的基因具有被IFN调节的潜力。所有这些基因做什么？这是一个复杂的问题，没有简单的答案。通过数十年的研究，我们知道，这些ISG编码的许多蛋白质产品单独或协同工作以实现一种或多种细胞结果，包括抗病毒防御，抗增殖活性和刺激适应性免疫。这篇综述的重点是IFN / ISG系统的抗病毒活性。这包括ISG功能的一般范例，