Interferon regulatory factors

Interferon regulatory factor transcription factor
interferon regulatory factor-2 dna binding domain, nmr, minimized average structure
Identifiers
SymbolIRF
PfamPF00605
InterProIPR001346
SCOP21if1 / SCOPe / SUPFAM
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary

Interferon regulatory factors (IRF) are proteins which regulate transcription of interferons (see regulation of gene expression).[1] Interferon regulatory factors contain a conserved N-terminal region of about 120 amino acids, which folds into a structure that binds specifically to the IRF-element (IRF-E) motifs, which is located upstream of the interferon genes.[2] Some viruses have evolved defense mechanisms that regulate and interfere with IRF functions to escape the host immune system.[3] For instance, the remaining parts of the interferon regulatory factor sequence vary depending on the precise function of the protein.[2] The Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus, KSHV,[4] is a cancer virus that encodes four different IRF-like genes;[5] including vIRF1,[6] which is a transforming oncoprotein that inhibits type 1 interferon activity.[7] In addition, the expression of IRF genes is under epigenetic regulation by promoter DNA methylation.[8]

  1. ^ Paun A, Pitha PM (2007). "The IRF family, revisited". Biochimie. 89 (6–7): 744–53. doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2007.01.014. PMC 2139905. PMID 17399883.
  2. ^ a b Weisz A, Marx P, Sharf R, Appella E, Driggers PH, Ozato K, Levi BZ (December 1992). "Human interferon consensus sequence binding protein is a negative regulator of enhancer elements common to interferon-inducible genes". The Journal of Biological Chemistry. 267 (35): 25589–96. doi:10.1016/S0021-9258(19)74081-2. PMID 1460054.
  3. ^ Zhao GN, Jiang DS, Li H (February 2015). "Interferon regulatory factors: at the crossroads of immunity, metabolism, and disease". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease. 1852 (2): 365–78. doi:10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.04.030. PMID 24807060.
  4. ^ Chang Y, Cesarman E, Pessin MS, Lee F, Culpepper J, Knowles DM, Moore PS (December 1994). "Identification of herpesvirus-like DNA sequences in AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma". Science. 266 (5192): 1865–9. Bibcode:1994Sci...266.1865C. doi:10.1126/science.7997879. PMID 7997879. S2CID 29977325.
  5. ^ Offermann MK (2007). "Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesvirus-Encoded Interferon Regulator Factors". Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesvirus: New Perspectives. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology. Vol. 312. pp. 185–209. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-34344-8_7. ISBN 978-3-540-34343-1. PMID 17089798.
  6. ^ Moore PS, Boshoff C, Weiss RA, Chang Y (December 1996). "Molecular mimicry of human cytokine and cytokine response pathway genes by KSHV". Science. 274 (5293): 1739–44. Bibcode:1996Sci...274.1739M. doi:10.1126/science.274.5293.1739. PMID 8939871. S2CID 29713179.
  7. ^ Gao SJ, Boshoff C, Jayachandra S, Weiss RA, Chang Y, Moore PS (October 1997). "KSHV ORF K9 (vIRF) is an oncogene which inhibits the interferon signaling pathway". Oncogene. 15 (16): 1979–85. doi:10.1038/sj.onc.1201571. PMID 9365244.
  8. ^ Rotondo JC, Borghi A, Selvatici R, Magri E, Bianchini E, Montinari E, et al. (August 2016). "Hypermethylation-Induced Inactivation of the IRF6 Gene as a Possible Early Event in Progression of Vulvar Squamous Cell Carcinoma Associated With Lichen Sclerosus". JAMA Dermatology. 152 (8): 928–33. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.1336. PMID 27223861.