When two strands are better than one: the mediators and modulators of the cellular responses to double-stranded RNA.

Double-stranded RNA is a potent inducer of interferon, a modulator of the expression of a number of other genes involved in the response of cells to virus infection, an activator of the interferon-induced antiviral state, and may be involved in differentiation, induction of apoptosis, and control of oncogenic transformation. This review will attempt to summarize what is known about the cellular proteins that act to mediate the response of cells to double-stranded RNA and the viral and cellular macromolecules that may be able to modulate these responses.