A novel class of human type I interferons

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Abstract
The screening of a cDNA library prepared from mRNA of Senda1 virus induced Namalwa (human Burkitt's lymphoma) cells, using a human IFN-α2 DNA probe under conditions of low stringency, identified two weakly hybridizing clones containing sequences related to, but discernably different from those of the IFN-α class. Sequence and hybridization analysis of these cDNAs as well as expression in E.coli provided evidence that they encode proteins which have the characteristics of IFN type I but which are sufficiently diverged in sequence from both IEN-αs and IFN-β to suggest that they are representatives of a new and distinct class of interferons named interferonomega. Hybridization of these sequences to genomic DNA reveals that this class contains at least four members.