Cracking the interferon code

(Medical Xpress) -- Interferons, protective chemicals produced by most cells in the body, live up to their name, hampering cancer and viral infections. It takes many different kinds of interferon molecules to get the job done, with each one activating a particular component of the body’s defense systems. Researchers have long been puzzled by how interferons could call in such a wide range of cellular attacks if they all transmitted their messages to cells through the same molecular antenna, or receptor. A new study suggests that key may be in how tightly the interferons grip that receptor at each of their attachment points.

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