IFNA1 and infection: IFN-α is a member of the type I IFN family of cytokines, which are synthesized and secreted in mammals upon pathogen infection and initiate innate immune responses to limit pathogen spread via reducing protein production, upregulating antiproliferative and antiviral genes, and programmed cell death (Schneider et al., 2014; Barber and defense, 2001).