ABOVE: Illustration of interferon-alpha
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The paper
E.N. Judd et al., “Positive natural selection in primate genes of the type I interferon response,” BMC Ecol Evol, 21:65, 2021.
In humans, one of the host cell’s first lines of defense against viral infection is the interferon system, a set of molecular cascades that can ultimately lead to the activation of hundreds of genes that thwart different aspects of a viral assault. Viruses, in turn, have evolved their own arsenal of proteins that inhibit or otherwise disrupt the interferon system, leading to an evolutionary arms race between the virus and the host. Knowing which antiviral weapons are evolving fastest can provide clues to researchers about how to help hosts win, but given the sheer volume of genes involved in interferon pathways, pinpointing the most promising gene candidates can be difficult.
One approach is to look for strong positive selection, says Alison Gilchrist, ...
