Type I Interferons: Key Players in Normal Skin and Select Cutaneous Malignancies

Table 1

Effect of type I Interferon on normal keratinocytes and melanocytes.

Type of effect	Description of effect	References
Antiproliferative	IFNs-𝛼,𝛽 inhibit the growth of human keratinocytes in vitro and promote keratinocyte terminal differentiation.; IFNs-𝛼,𝛽 inhibit the growth of human melanocytes in vitro, with IFN-𝛽 having a greater effect than IFN-𝛼.	[17–20]
Antiangiogenesis	IFN sensitivity of surrounding tissue is necessary for inhibition of angiogenesis around gelfoam sponges implanted in mice.	[21, 22]
Immunomodulatory	IFN-𝛼 upregulates class I, but not class II, MHC antigen expression in cultured human keratinocytes.; IFNs-𝛼,𝛽 induce increased expression of class I MHC antigens in cultured human melanocytes, with IFN-𝛽 having a greater effect than IFN-𝛼.	[20, 23]