IFNA1 and viral infectious disease: In particular, the mitochondrial compartment appears important in this respect and responds in various ways, including by acting as scaffold on which several key antiviral molecular machineries are converged.4 Mitochondria antiviral‐signaling protein (MAVS) acts as an adaptor for transcription and production of interferons (IFN), the most potent antiviral cytokines, in response to viral infection.