Comprehensive network map of interferon gamma signaling

Interferon gamma (IFN-), is a cytokine, which is an important regulator of host defense system by mediating both innate and adaptive immune responses. IFN- signaling is primarily associated with inflammation and cell-mediated immune responses. IFN- is also represented as antitumor cytokine which facilitates immunosurveillance in tumor cells. In addition, IFN- mediated signaling also elicits pro-tumorigenic transformations and promotes tumor progression. Impact of IFN- signaling in mammalian cells has been widely studied which indicate that IFN- orchestrates distinct cellular functions including immunomodulation, leukocyte trafficking, apoptosis, anti-microbial, and both anti- and pro-tumorigenic role. However, a detailed network of IFN- signaling pathway is currently lacking. Therefore, we systematically curated the literature information pertaining to IFN- signaling and develop a comprehensive signaling network to facilitate better understanding of IFN- mediated signaling. A total of 124 proteins were catalogued that were experimentally proven to be involved in IFN- signaling cascade. These 124 proteins were found to participate in 81 protein-protein interactions, 94 post-translational modifications, 20 translocation events, 54 activation/inhibiton reactions. Further, 236 differential expressed genes were also documented in IFN- mediated signaling. IFN- signaling pathway is made freely available to scientific audience through NetPath at (http://www.netpath.org/pathways?path_id=NetPath_32). We believe that documentation of reactions pertaining to IFN- signaling and development of pathway map will facilitate further research in IFN- associated human diseases including cancer.