Elucidation of antiviral/innate immune response activation mechanism of hepatokine LECT2

Innate immunity is activated when the pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). A research team from Kanazawa University has shown that a liver-derived secretory protein LECT2, a hepatokine, binds to the HGF receptor MET, a proto-oncogene product, to suppress the proliferation signal of MET. LECT2 activates retinoic acid-inducible gene-I, enhancing antiviral and innate immune responses through MET. Thus, LECT2 is an anti-proliferative and immunoregulatory factor that could be a therapeutic target for viral infections and cancer.

source https://medicalxpress.com/news/2022-07-elucidation-antiviralinnate-immune-response-mechanism.html