IFNA4
Interferon Alpha 4: A Key Cytokine in Antiviral and Immune Regulation
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | IFNA4 |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Interferon Alpha 4 |
| Gene Type | protein-coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 9p21.3 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 3441 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3441 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000137076 |
| UniProt ID | P05014 |
| OMIM ID | 147564 |
| HGNC ID | 5418 |
| Aliases | IFNA4B, IFN-alpha4, interferon alpha-4 |
Description
IFNA4 (Interferon Alpha 4) is a protein-coding gene that belongs to the type I interferon family. It encodes a cytokine with potent antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory activities. IFNA4 is produced primarily by leukocytes in response to viral infections and other stimuli, playing a critical role in innate immunity by inducing an antiviral state in cells and modulating adaptive immune responses.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Hepatitis C Virus Infection | IFNA4 variants influence interferon signaling and viral clearance | ClinVar, NCBI |
| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus | Dysregulated interferon alpha production contributes to autoimmunity | OMIM, NCBI |
| Viral Infections (general) | IFNA4 mediates antiviral defense through JAK-STAT signaling | UniProt, NCBI |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Spleen | 0.6 | Low |
| Lung | 0.3 | Low |
| Whole Blood | 0.1 | Not detected |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HEK 293 | 0.2 | Low expression |
| K-562 | 0.1 | Not detected |
| HeLa | 0.1 | Not detected |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| rs368234815 (TT/-G) | Insertion/Deletion | Variable | Associated with altered interferon response in HCV |
| rs12979860 | SNP | Common | Linked to spontaneous clearance of HCV |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Not well characterized; reduced interferon signaling may impair antiviral response
Gain of Function (GOF)
Not reported
Dominant Negative (DN)
Not reported
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • cytokine activity (GO:0005125) | • extracellular space (GO:0005615) |
| • type I interferon signaling pathway (GO:0060337) | • negative regulation of viral genome replication (GO:0045071) |
Pathways
• Interferon alpha/beta signaling (Reactome: R-HSA-909733)
• Cytokine signaling in immune system (Reactome: R-HSA-1280215)
• JAK-STAT signaling pathway (KEGG: hsa04630)
Protein Summary
Interferon alpha-4 (IFNA4) is a 189-amino acid protein (signal peptide: 1-23; mature chain: 24-189) with a molecular weight of approximately 21.7 kDa. It belongs to the type I interferon family and binds to the IFNAR1/IFNAR2 receptor complex, activating the JAK-STAT pathway to induce expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). IFNA4 exhibits antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory functions, and its expression is tightly regulated in response to viral infections.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFNA4 Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ4184 | Human | 3441 | Details Get a Quote |
| IFNA4 Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ53608 | Human | 3441 | Details Get a Quote |
| IFNA4 Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ62078 | Human | 3441 | Details Get a Quote |
| IFNA4 Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ70562 | Human | 3441 | Details Get a Quote |
