Back to discover

Protein / target

Interferon gamma

Encoded byIFNGP01579Homo sapiensSwiss-Prot
Clinically validated
Therapeutic maturity
1
Approved medicines
Open Targets target-level
Small-molecule tractable
Druggability
Structure with Ligand
44
Research papers

Protein at a glance

Biological role

Type II interferon receptor binding

Strongest disease association

Hypothyroidism

Via encoding gene IFNG · Genetic evidence · score 0.62

Therapeutic position

Established drug target

Antibodies

Research activity

Actively researched

44 papers · latest 2024

Derived from structured UniProt, Open Targets and literature data on this page.

Protein profile

UniProt 2026_02

Canonical identity and biological annotation from UniProt.

Function overview

Type II interferon produced by immune cells such as T-cells and NK cells that plays crucial roles in antimicrobial, antiviral, and antitumor responses by activating effector immune cells and enhancing antigen presentation.

View complete UniProt function annotation

Type II interferon produced by immune cells such as T-cells and NK cells that plays crucial roles in antimicrobial, antiviral, and antitumor responses by activating effector immune cells and enhancing antigen presentation (PubMed:16914093, PubMed:8666937). Primarily signals through the JAK-STAT pathway after interaction with its receptor IFNGR1 to affect gene regulation (PubMed:8349687). Upon IFNG binding, IFNGR1 intracellular domain opens out to allow association of downstream signaling components JAK2, JAK1 and STAT1, leading to STAT1 activation, nuclear translocation and transcription of IFNG-regulated genes. Many of the induced genes are transcription factors such as IRF1 that are able to further drive regulation of a next wave of transcription (PubMed:16914093). Plays a role in class I antigen presentation pathway by inducing a replacement of catalytic proteasome subunits with immunoproteasome subunits (PubMed:8666937). In turn, increases the quantity, quality, and repertoire of peptides for class I MHC loading (PubMed:8163024). Increases the efficiency of peptide generation also by inducing the expression of activator PA28 that associates with the proteasome and alters its proteolytic cleavage preference (PubMed:11112687). Up-regulates as well MHC II complexes on the cell surface by promoting expression of several key molecules such as cathepsins B/CTSB, H/CTSH, and L/CTSL (PubMed:7729559). Participates in the regulation of hematopoietic stem cells during development and under homeostatic conditions by affecting their development, quiescence, and differentiation (By similarity)

Subcellular location

Secreted
Domains and Gene Ontology detail (63)

Gene Ontology

  • Cextracellular region
  • Cextracellular space
  • Fcytokine activity
  • Ftype II interferon receptor binding
  • Padaptive immune response
  • Papoptotic process
  • Pastrocyte activation
  • Pcell surface receptor signaling pathway
  • Pcell surface receptor signaling pathway via JAK-STAT
  • Pcell surface receptor signaling pathway via STAT
  • Pcellular response to virus
  • Pdefense response to virus

166 aa · 19 kDa

Biological roles

What this protein does, drawn together from its UniProt function, Gene Ontology terms and Reactome pathways.

Cell proliferation & survivalGOCell migrationGOImmune signallingUniProt · GOTranscriptional regulationUniProt · GOApoptosis & cell deathGO
View supporting evidence

Cell proliferation & survival

  • ·positive regulation of cell population proliferation

Cell migration

  • ·positive regulation of epithelial cell migration

Immune signalling

  • ·Type II interferon produced by immune cells such as T-cells and NK cells that plays cruc…
  • ·cytokine activity
  • ·adaptive immune response
  • ·humoral immune response

Transcriptional regulation

  • ·Type II interferon produced by immune cells such as T-cells and NK cells that plays cruc…
  • ·negative regulation of DNA-templated transcription
  • ·negative regulation of gene expression
  • ·negative regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II

Apoptosis & cell death

  • ·apoptotic process
  • ·positive regulation of smooth muscle cell apoptotic process

Concepts derived from UniProt GO Reactome — each badge above shows which sources supported that role.

Translational evidence

Open Targets 26

Why this target matters therapeutically, strongest evidence first. Disease associations are gene-level (via the gene that encodes this protein) and open into the full confidence synthesis; the development universe, tractability and safety annotations are target-level, from Open Targets.

Strongest disease associations · via encoding gene IFNG

Gene-level evidence surfaced through the gene IFNGthat encodes this protein — not a direct protein–disease relationship. Ranked by Forefront's causal-directness weighting, so genetically- and clinically-evidenced diseases lead over ones that merely share the literature.

Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic
0.63Moderately supported

Clinical evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.46

Hypothyroidism
0.63Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.38

Tuberous Sclerosis
0.63Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.38

Myxedema
0.58Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.35

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
0.57Moderately supported

Genetic evidence dominant · Open Targets 0.31

View evidence synthesis (5)
Lymphohistiocytosis, HemophagocyticModerately supported
0.63
agreement 0.480.79
Clinical80%Literature20%

Open Targets aggregate 0.46 · 2 independent evidence families

HypothyroidismModerately supported
0.63
agreement 0.490.77
Genetic96%Literature4%

Open Targets aggregate 0.38 · 2 independent evidence families

Tuberous SclerosisModerately supported
0.63
agreement 0.490.76
Genetic93%Literature7%

Open Targets aggregate 0.38 · 2 independent evidence families

MyxedemaModerately supported
0.58
agreement 0.460.70
Genetic100%

Open Targets aggregate 0.35 · 1 independent evidence family

Inflammatory Bowel DiseasesModerately supported
0.57
agreement 0.460.68
Genetic67%Literature20%Clinical13%

Open Targets aggregate 0.31 · 3 independent evidence families

The evidence agreement range shows how closely the independent evidence families agree — it is not a statistical confidence interval, and nothing here is fitted to outcome data. Derived from Open Targets evidence types under Forefront weighting; the per-type scores above show the calculation.

Show all associations
Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic0.46
Hypothyroidism0.38
Tuberous Sclerosis0.38
Myxedema0.35
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases0.31
Colitis, Ulcerative0.26

Drug development

3 compounds recorded · 1 approved · 2 in clinical development

Open Targets' development universe — every compound recorded against the target at any stage, not all approved medicines.

View all recorded compounds (3)
AMG-811Phase 1
FONTOLIZUMABPhase 2
EMAPALUMABApproval

Open Targets known-drugs universe. Drug name and highest clinical stage only — the disease relationship is NOT read from this slice (it carries trial-context noise); approved indications come from the canonical graph above.

Tractability

Small moleculesEmerging

Feasibility evidence (structure with ligand and med-quality pocket) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

AntibodiesStrong

Approved Drug and GO CC high conf support this modality.

Protein degradersEmerging

Feasibility evidence (small molecule binder) — no clinical-stage drug of this modality recorded.

View underlying tractability evidence (7)
SM · Structure with LigandSM · Med-Quality PocketAB · Approved DrugAB · GO CC high confAB · UniProt loc med confAB · UniProt SigP or TMHMMPR · Small Molecule Binder

Raw Open Targets tractability assessment buckets, by modality.

Research activity

44 papers · to 2024

Papers linked directly to this protein. This is the protein's own literature — descriptor-derived papers are kept separate below.

Most cited

Ayers M · The Journal of clinical investigation · 2017

Zaretsky JM · The New England journal of medicine · 2016

Dewan MZ · Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2009

Recent

Europe PMC papers linked directly to this protein.

Related family literature

20

Papers about “Interferons” — a broader family this protein belongs to. Shown as context; not counted as papers specifically about this protein.

Disrupted RNA editing in beta cells mimics early-stage type 1 diabetes.

Knebel UE · Cell metabolism · 2024

via Interferons

HCV-induced autophagy and innate immunity.

Lee J · Frontiers in immunology · 2024

via Interferons

Roles and functions of IAV proteins in host immune evasion.

Rashid F · Frontiers in immunology · 2023

via Interferons

Traumatic Brain Injury Causes Chronic Cortical Inflammation and Neuronal Dysfunction Mediated by Microglia.

Witcher KG · The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience · 2021

via Interferons

Europe PMC literature, reached through curated HGNC family membership. Membership is a taxonomic relationship — it does not imply this protein participates in every mechanism these papers discuss.