Abstract
Interferon-induced transmembrane proteins (IFITMs), a class of novel discovered viral restriction factors, are widely expressed in human tissue cells, mainly located in plasma membrane and endolysosomal comparments, which are the main targets of the virus entry. By inhibiting membrane fusion between virus and cell membrane, IFITMs restrict the entry of a broad spectrum of viruses, including Ebola virus, influenza A virus, severe acute respiratory syndromes (SARS) coronavirus, dengue virus, West Nile virus and Zika virus. Although IFITM has been shown to be able to suppress the infection of virus of the eight virus families, and it primarily inhibits the fusion process of the virus entry stage, but the mechanism of IFITM antiviral activity remains unknown. In recent years, the antiviral effect of IFITM and its mechanism has become a hotspot in related fields. Here the recent advance of IFITM’s antiviral spectrum and underlying mechanism of how these proteins exert antiviral function were reviewed. Key words: Interferon-induced transmembraneprotein; Viral entry; Membrane fusion
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