IFNA2 and influenza: One crucial component is the innate immune response, whereby influenza viral RNA is detected by the pattern recognition receptor RIG-I, sequentially enacting MAVS oligomerization, transcriptional activation of IRF and NF-κB, and finally type I (e.g. IFNα, IFNβ) and type III interferon (IFNλ) production (6, 7).