IFNK Gene - Interferon Kappa
Type I Interferon with Antiviral and Immunomodulatory Functions
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | IFNK |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Interferon Kappa |
| Gene Type | Protein coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 9p21.2 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 56832 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/56832 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000147889 |
| UniProt ID | Q9P0W0 |
| OMIM ID | 607571 |
| HGNC ID | 5430 |
| Aliases | IFNK, interferon kappa |
Description
IFNK (interferon kappa) is a protein-coding gene that belongs to the type I interferon family. It encodes a cytokine with antiviral, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory activities. IFNK is primarily expressed in keratinocytes and plays a role in the innate immune response against viral infections, particularly in the skin. The protein is secreted and binds to the type I interferon receptor (IFNAR), activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) | Dysregulation of type I interferon signaling; IFNK expression may contribute to the interferon signature in SLE | PMID: 23449724 |
| Viral Infections (e.g., HSV-1) | IFNK inhibits viral replication in keratinocytes; reduced expression may increase susceptibility | PMID: 15709000 |
| Psoriasis | Altered interferon expression in skin lesions; IFNK may modulate inflammatory responses | PMID: 21576590 |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Skin | 12.5 | Medium |
| Lung | 1.2 | Low |
| Spleen | 0.8 | Low |
| Whole Blood | 0.1 | Not detected |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HaCaT (keratinocyte) | 15.3 | High expression |
| A549 (lung carcinoma) | 2.1 | Low expression |
| HEK293 (embryonic kidney) | 0.5 | Not detected |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.1A>G (p.Met1?) | Missense | <0.01% | Likely loss of start codon; predicted loss of function |
| c.256C>T (p.Arg86Trp) | Missense | <0.01% | Unknown significance; may affect protein stability |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Mutations affecting the start codon or critical residues in the interferon domain are predicted to impair antiviral activity.
Gain of Function (GOF)
No gain-of-function mutations reported.
Dominant Negative (DN)
No dominant-negative mutations reported.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
Pathways
• Type I interferon signaling pathway (Reactome: R-HSA-909733)
• Interferon alpha/beta signaling (KEGG: hsa04621)
Protein Summary
Interferon kappa is a 207-amino acid protein with a signal peptide (residues 1-21) and a type I interferon domain. It shares structural homology with other type I interferons but has a unique expression pattern restricted mainly to keratinocytes. The protein is glycosylated and secreted, binding to IFNAR1/IFNAR2 receptor complex to activate STAT1/STAT2 and induce interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs).
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IFNK Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ13801 | Human | 56832 | Details Get a Quote |
| IFNK Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ56754 | Human | 56832 | Details Get a Quote |
| IFNK Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ65258 | Human | 56832 | Details Get a Quote |
| IFNK Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ73699 | Human | 56832 | Details Get a Quote |
