PBL offers recombinant interferons from five non-human, non-mouse mammalian species: two macaque IFN-alpha 2 preparations, feline IFN-alpha, porcine IFN-alpha, and bovine IFN-tau. Four of these are conventional Type I antiviral interferons; the fifth, bovine IFN-tau, has a reproductive signaling role unique to ruminants.
Cynomolgus IFN-Alpha 2 (Ile 16), Mammalian
This is a mammalian-cell-expressed cynomolgus macaque IFN-alpha 2 carrying a natural isoleucine variant at residue 16, one of several documented cynomolgus and rhesus IFN-alpha 2 sequence variants. It is used as an antigen and reference reagent in non-human primate interferon assays, including PBL's own cynomolgus IFN-beta ELISA work, supporting virology and immunology studies conducted in macaque models.
This E. coli-expressed protein is a single reagent for both macaque species: its sequence, cloned from the rhesus cell line LLC-MK2, is identical to an IFN-alpha 2 sequence independently cloned from cynomolgus primary hepatocytes. It differs from human IFN-alpha A (2a) by 14 amino acids and from human IFN-alpha 2 (2b) by 13 amino acids in the mature protein, and serves as the calibrated standard in PBL's own Cynomolgus/Rhesus IFN-Alpha ELISA kit, referenced against the International Standard for human IFN-alpha 2a.
Feline IFN-Alpha is an E. coli-expressed Type I interferon used as a research reagent in feline virology, including studies of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). It is a distinct molecule from feline IFN-omega, the interferon subtype marketed as Virbagen Omega and licensed in several countries for treating FeLV and FIV in cats; the two should not be treated as interchangeable despite both being feline Type I interferons studied in the same disease contexts.
Porcine IFN-Alpha is a mammalian-cell-expressed Type I interferon used in swine virology research, including studies of classical swine fever virus, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and African swine fever virus, where type I interferon signaling and interferon-stimulated gene induction are active areas of investigation for disease control in pigs.
Bovine IFN-Tau 2, Mammalian
Unlike the four interferons above, IFN-tau is not primarily an infection-response molecule. Cattle carry three known functional IFN-tau genes (IFNT1, IFNT2, and IFNT3); "IFN-Tau 2" refers to the distinct IFNT2 gene product, not an arbitrary product variant. It is secreted by the trophectoderm of the early ruminant conceptus and, like other Type I interferons, signals through the Type I IFN receptor and the JAK-STAT pathway; in the uterine endometrium this activates STAT1, STAT2, and STAT3 to suppress oxytocin receptor expression, which blocks the pulsatile release of prostaglandin F2-alpha that would otherwise end the corpus luteum's progesterone production. This antiluteolytic effect makes IFN-tau the primary signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy in cattle, sheep, and goats, a reproductive role with no counterpart among the other interferons on this page. PBL's mammalian-expressed version is reported active on cow, sheep, human, and mouse cells.