The design and recombinant protein expression of a consensus porcine interferon: CoPoIFN-α

► CoPoIFN-α is a recombinant non-naturally occurring porcine IFN-α. ► The antiviral activity of CoPoIFN-α was higher than wild-type PoIFN-α for VSV, PRV and PRRSV. ► The antiproliferative activity of CoPoIFN-α was higher than that of PoIFN-α. The mRNA levels of two ISGs were also enhanced. ► The high activity of CoPoIFN-α was probably due to the enhanced interactions between the IFN-α and the receptor.