IFNA1 and viral infectious disease: Upon viral infection, MAVS forms prion-like aggregates by receiving the signal from the cytosolic RNA sensor RIG-I and subsequently activates downstream NF-κB and IRF3/7-related signal pathways, switching on the type I IFN signaling to produce type I IFNs (e.g., IFN-α and IFN-β) and other cytokines (e.g., TNF-α and interleukins) through a series of cascade reactions (Castanier et al., 2012; Liu et al., 2017a).