Question

Interferons are
A. Protein products of macrophages which destroy microbes
B. Allergens
C. Antibody molecule
D. Proteins secreted by virus infected cells which protect uninfected cells from further viral infection.

Answer 1

Interferons are compounds which are very important for the immune system and are mainly known to provide an acquired immune response to the body. The interferons are not the part of immune cells originally present in the body.

Complete answer:
We all know that the human body has a specific set of cells which are responsible for providing immunity to the body against foreign particles present outside which may cause problems to the body. Let us discuss all the options and then we can conclude with our answer.
First is about the macrophages. The macrophages are the cells which are first cells to come in contact with the pathogens. Most of the cells are killed by the macrophages only but there are some pathogens which pass the macrophages easily. The macrophages produce protein in response to those cells which help the immune system to fight against them when they try to infect the body again. Those proteins are known as cytokines. So, we can rule out option A from our choice.
Second in the list we have allergens, since we know that the interferons play an important role in providing immune response so they can not be the ones which can cause problems. Allergens are responsible for causing allergies.
Third in the list we have is antibody molecule, Now the antibody molecule is a cell from the immune system which is specifically designed to work against any pathogen or microbe and they are released by the immune system only. The antibody molecule is formed after the interaction between the immune system and the pathogen cells.
Now if we discuss the last point, we can say that this might be the correct answer as all the above options were wrong. But if we discuss, then interferons are the proteins which are released from the cells infected by the virus particles, these proteins go to the immune system and help build a specific immunity and cells against the particular virus and stop the further infection.

Therefore, the correct answer is Option D.

Note:
The allergens generally do cause much problem inside the body and they are easily killed or removed by the body with quick responses and receptors present in the body. The antibody molecule and interferons work in a different way as one provides the immunity and the other helps in building the immunity.