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

Table 3

Effect of type I interferon on basal cell carcinoma.

Type of effect	Description of effect	References
Antiproliferative	IFN-𝛼 upregulates opioid growth factor receptor expression in BCC cell lines.	[29, 30]
Proapoptotic	IFN-𝛼 leads to coexpression of CD95L and CD95 in nodular BCCs, leading to cell death by suicide and fratricide.	[31]
Immunomodulatory	IFN-α leads to decreased mRNA levels of the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10 in BCCs.; Treatment with IFN-α led to increased proportion of CD3^+ cells within peri- and intratumoral infiltrates of BCCs as well as an increase in the CD4/CD8 ratio in both peri- and intratumoral infiltrates.	[32–35]