Description
IFNA2 (Interferon Alpha 2) is a Protein Coding gene. This gene is a member of the alpha interferon gene cluster on chromosome 9. The encoded protein is a cytokine produced in response to viral infection. Type I Interferons (IFNs) are well-known cytokines that exert antiviral activity, antitumor activity, and immunomodulatory effects. Interferon tau (IFNT), a type I IFN similar to alpha IFNs (IFNA), is the pregnancy recognition signal produced by the ruminant conceptus. Among the IFN-α genes, a total of 28 different sequence variants have been described. The three principal subtypes of IFNα-2 are designated α-2a, α-2b, and α-2c. IFNα-2b is being the predominant allele while IFNα-2a is less predominant and IFNα-2c only a minor allelic variant.