Description
Interferon beta (IFN-beta ), also known as fibroblast IFN, is a secreted, approximately 22 kDa member of the type I interferon family of molecules . Mature mouse IFN-beta shares 75% and 47% amino acid sequence identity with the rat and human proteins, respectively. Fibroblasts are the major producers of IFN-beta, but it can also be produced by dendritic cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells in response to pathogens . It is transcriptionally regulated by TRAF3, IRF3, IRF7, and NF-kappa B . IFN-beta -deficient mice show increased susceptibility to experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a disease model of human multiple sclerosis (MS) . Furthermore, IFN-beta has been shown to suppress the Th17 cell response in both MS and EAE and has commonly been used as a treatment for MS . IFN-beta can additionally induce the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 .