Camelid type I interferons: Identification and functional characterization of interferon alpha from the dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius).

"1 has been submitted to the ncbi genbank (accession number mn883354 )."

"Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no competing interests."

"The authors wish to acknowledge the vision and support of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the honorable president of UAE for establishing the Camel Biotechnology Center under the auspices of the Department of President’s Affairs. His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan Al Nahyan, Private advisor to the President is gratefully acknowledged for the motivation and providing all resources for this research. We also acknowledge Ms Sreelakshmi Puthirikattil Raveendranathan and Ms. Shamma Juma Al Ketbi, for the excellent technical assistance provided for the research support."