The main difference between interferon beta-1a and 1b is that interferon-beta-1a is produced by mammalian cells, but interferon-beta-1b is produced in modified E. coli . Therefore, interferon-beta-1a is glycosylated while interferon-beta-1b is not glycosylated . Consequently, interferon beta-1a is the most immunogenic while interferon beta-1b is the least immunogenic. In addition, interferon-beta-1a reduces the frequency of relapses in patients with RRMS, while interferon-beta-1b is given alongside RRMS in secondary progressive MS. Therefore, interferon-beta-1a slows the progression of MS, while interferon-beta-1b delays the progression of MS.  

Interferon-beta-1a and 1b are two cytokines in the interferon family that are used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). Although interferons are generally not a cure for MS (no known cure is known); the claim is that if started early and lasts for the duration of the disease, interferons can slow disease progression.   

Key areas covered  

1. What is Interferon Beta 1A - Definition, Structure, Meaning 2. What is Interferon Beta 1B - Definition, Structure, Meaning 3. What are the Similarities Between Interferon Beta 1A and 1B - Overview of the Similarities 4. What is the Difference Between Interferon beta 1A and 1B - comparison of the main differences

key terms  

Cytokines, immunogen, interferon beta 1A, interferon beta 1B, multiple sclerosis (MS), RRMS (relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis)

What is Interferon Beta 1A ?  

Interferon-beta-1a is one of the two types of interferon-beta used in the treatment of MS. MS is a potentially disabling disease of the central nervous system that affects the protective myelin sheath that covers nerve fibers. Hence, it causes communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body. Interferon-beta-1a is particularly useful in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). RRMS is the most common form of relapsing MS in MS patients with periods of remission in between. Interferon-beta-1a reduces the frequency of relapses here.

Figure 1: Human Interferon Beta

In addition, interferon beta-1a is one of the cytokines in the interferon family and shows the progression of disability in MS. It is normally made and glycosylated in mammalian cells from the natural human gene sequence. Hence, it is the most immunogenic form of interferon beta. In addition, Avonex interferon-1a and Rebif- interferon-beta-1a are the most commonly used forms of interferon-beta-1a. The manufacturer of the former is Biogen, France and the latter is Ares-Serono, UK.  

What is Interferon Beta 1B  

Interferon-beta-1b is the second type of interferon-beta that is important in the treatment of MS. It is important for both RRMS and secondary progressive MS. Secondary progressive MS is a stage of MS that occurs after RRMS and steadily worsens disability. However, the use of interferon-beta-1b appears to decrease the frequency and severity of relapses and delay the time to progression of MS.

Figure 2: The illustrated bruise from subcutaneous injection

In addition, interferon-beta-1b is produced by modified E. coli cells. Therefore, it is not subject to glycosylation, a post-translational modification that occurs only in eukaryotic cells by selectively adding saccharides to a specific protein residue. In addition, interferon beta-1b has a cysteine-serine substitution at position 17, a deletion of the N-terminal methionine residue. Significantly, these two differences reduce the immunogenicity of interferon beta-1b.  

Similarities Between Interferon Beta 1A and 1B  

• Interferon-beta-1a and 1b are two cytokines of the interferon family .  
• They are used in the treatment of MS to help slow the progression of the disease.  
• Usually, they reduce the MS relapse rate by about 18–38%.   
• They are therefore an established first-line therapy for relapsing-remitting MS.  
• Sometimes antibodies are produced in response to the administration of interferon-beta.  
• However, the most common side effects of interferon beta include injection site reactions, flu-like symptoms, headache, muscle pain, nausea, diarrhea, etc.  

Difference between Interferon Beta 1A and 1B  

definition  

Interferon-beta-1a refers to the most immunogenic form of interferon-beta produced by mammalian cells, while interferon-beta-1b refers to the least immunogenic form of interferon-beta produced by E. coli .  

Interferon on the market  

Avonex Interferon-1a and Rebif Interferon Beta-1a are the two main forms of Interferon Beta-1a, while Betaferon / Betaseron Interferon-1b ​​is the form of Interferon Beta-1b.  

Production site  

Interferon-beta-1a is produced in Chinese hamster ovary cells, while interferon-beta-1b is produced in E. coli bacterial cells.  

Amino acid sequence  

The amino acid sequence of interferon-beta-1a is identical to human interferon-beta, but the amino acid sequence of interferon-beta-1b contains a cysteine ​​mutation at position 17.  

N-terminal methionine  

Interferon-beta-1a contains an N-terminal methionine, but interferon-beta-1b does not have an N-terminal methionine.  

Glycosylation  

Interferon-beta-1a is glycosylated, but interferon-beta-1b is not glycosylated.  

Molecular weight  

The molecular weight of interferon beta-1a is 22-24 kDa, while the molecular weight of interferon beta-1b is 18.5 kDa.  

Immunogenicity  

Interferon-beta-1a is 10 times more immunogenic, but interferon-beta-1b is the least immunogenic form of interferon-beta.  

Therapeutic use  

Interferon-beta-1a is important in the treatment of RRMS, while interferon-beta-1b is important in both RRMS and secondary progressive MS.  

Therapeutic effect  

Interferon-beta-1a mainly decreases the frequency of relapses, while interferon-beta-1b decreases both the frequency and severity of relapses.  

follow  

Interferon-beta-1a slows the progression of disability, while interferon-beta-1b delays the progression of MS.  

Special activity  

The specific activity of interferon-beta-1a is> 300 million U./mg, while the specific activity of interferon-beta-1b is 32 million U./mg.  

Administrative route  

Avonex Interferon-1a is administered intramuscularly (im) only, while Rebif Interferon beta-1a is only administered subcutaneously ( sc ) . Meanwhile Betaferon / Betaseron- interferon-1b is only subcutaneously (sc) administered.  

Side effects  

Common side effects of interferon beta-1a include headache (67%), flu-like symptoms (61%), myalgia (34%), etc. Common side effects of interferon beta-1b include injections, local reactions (85%), Headache (84%), flu-like symptoms (76%), fever (59%), etc.  

diploma  

Interferon-beta-1a is the type of interferon-beta that is produced in mammalian cells. Therefore it is subject to glycosylation. It is also the most immunogenic form of interferon beta. It is primarily important in the treatment of RRMS as it reduces the frequency of MS flare-ups. Interferon-beta-1b is now the second type of interferon-beta produced by E. coli cells. Therefore it is not subject to glycosylation and is 10 times less immunogenic than interferon-beta-1a. Interferon beta-1b is important in the treatment of RRMS and secondary progressive MS. Usually it delays the time before the MS gets worse. The main difference between interferon beta-1a and 1b is structure, immunogenicity and administration.  

References:

1. Giovannoni, G. “Neutralizing Antibodies Against Interferon Beta During Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.” Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry , vol. 73, no. 5, Jan. 2002, pp. 465-469., Doi: 10.1136 / jnnp.73.5.465 .

Image courtesy:

1. “1AU1 Human Interferon-Beta01” by Nevit Dilmen ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) via Commons Wikimedia 2. “Implant” by Alison Cassidy - Own work ( CC BY-SA 3.0 ) via Commons Wikimedia