The high-dose IFNA therapy is accompanied by side effects with largely undefined mechanisms of IFNA neurotoxicity. Our previous genome-wide search in rat and mouse genomes for genes containing in their promoters interferon stimulated response elements revealed new putative target genes of IFNA – Pick1, Grin3a and Gabra2, that encode correspondingly the protein kinase C binding protein which regulates the intracellular trafficking of glutamate AMPA receptor, and subunits of NMDA and GABA receptors.

The goal of the study was to evaluate Pick1, Grin3a, Gabra2 mRNAs abundances and NMDA and glutamate receptors activity in mouse brain after administration of IFNA.