IRF7 encodes interferon regulatory factor 7, a member of the interferon regulatory transcription factor (IRF) family. IRF7 has been shown to play a role in the transcriptional activation of virus-inducible cellular genes, including the type I interferon genes. In particular, IRF7 regulates many interferon-alpha genes.[1] Constitutive expression of IRF7 is largely restricted to lymphoid tissue, largely plasmacytoid dendritic cells, whereas IRF7 is inducible in many tissues. Multiple IRF7 transcript variants have been identified, although the functional consequences of these have not yet been established.[2]
The IRF7 pathway was shown to be silenced in some metastatic breast cancer cell lines, which may help the cells avoid the host immune response.[3] Restoring IRF7 to these cell lines reduced metastases and increased host survival time in animal models.
The IRF7 gene and product were shown to be defective in a patient with severe susceptibility to H1N1 influenza, while susceptibility to other viral diseases such as CMV, RSV, and parainfluenza was unaffected.[4]
↑Au WC, Yeow WS, Pitha PM (Feb 2001). "Analysis of functional domains of interferon regulatory factor 7 and its association with IRF-3". Virology. 280 (2): 273–82. doi:10.1006/viro.2000.0782. PMID11162841.
Further reading
Ning S, Pagano JS, Barber GN (2011). "IRF7: activation, regulation, modification and function". Genes Immun. 12 (6): 399–414. doi:10.1038/gene.2011.21. PMID21490621.
Pitha PM, Au WC, Lowther W, Juang YT, Schafer SL, Burysek L, Hiscott J, Moore PA (1999). "Role of the interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) in virus-mediated signaling and regulation of cell growth". Biochimie. 80 (8–9): 651–8. doi:10.1016/S0300-9084(99)80018-2. PMID9865487.
Wathelet MG, Lin CH, Parekh BS, Ronco LV, Howley PM, Maniatis T (1998). "Virus infection induces the assembly of coordinately activated transcription factors on the IFN-beta enhancer in vivo". Mol. Cell. 1 (4): 507–18. doi:10.1016/S1097-2765(00)80051-9. PMID9660935.
Au WC, Moore PA, LaFleur DW, Tombal B, Pitha PM (1998). "Characterization of the interferon regulatory factor-7 and its potential role in the transcription activation of interferon A genes". J. Biol. Chem. 273 (44): 29210–7. doi:10.1074/jbc.273.44.29210. PMID9786932.
Lu R, Au WC, Yeow WS, Hageman N, Pitha PM (2000). "Regulation of the promoter activity of interferon regulatory factor-7 gene. Activation by interferon and silencing by hypermethylation". J. Biol. Chem. 275 (41): 31805–12. doi:10.1074/jbc.M005288200. PMID10924517.
Paris MJ, Williams BR (2001). "Characterization of a 500-kb contig spanning the region between c-Ha-Ras and MUC2 on chromosome 11p15.5". Genomics. 69 (2): 196–202. doi:10.1006/geno.2000.6339. PMID11031102.
Smith EJ, Marié I, Prakash A, García-Sastre A, Levy DE (2001). "IRF3 and IRF7 phosphorylation in virus-infected cells does not require double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase R or Ikappa B kinase but is blocked by Vaccinia virus E3L protein". J. Biol. Chem. 276 (12): 8951–7. doi:10.1074/jbc.M008717200. PMID11124948.
Au WC, Yeow WS, Pitha PM (2001). "Analysis of functional domains of interferon regulatory factor 7 and its association with IRF-3". Virology. 280 (2): 273–82. doi:10.1006/viro.2000.0782. PMID11162841.
Lu R, Moore PA, Pitha PM (2002). "Stimulation of IRF-7 gene expression by tumor necrosis factor alpha: requirement for NFkappa B transcription factor and gene accessibility". J. Biol. Chem. 277 (19): 16592–8. doi:10.1074/jbc.M111440200. PMID11877397.
Morin P, Bragança J, Bandu MT, Lin R, Hiscott J, Doly J, Civas A (2002). "Preferential binding sites for interferon regulatory factors 3 and 7 involved in interferon-A gene transcription". J. Mol. Biol. 316 (5): 1009–22. doi:10.1006/jmbi.2001.5401. PMID11884139.
Caillaud A, Prakash A, Smith E, Masumi A, Hovanessian AG, Levy DE, Marié I (2003). "Acetylation of interferon regulatory factor-7 by p300/CREB-binding protein (CBP)-associated factor (PCAF) impairs its DNA binding". J. Biol. Chem. 277 (51): 49417–21. doi:10.1074/jbc.M207484200. PMID12374802.
Izmailova E, Bertley FM, Huang Q, Makori N, Miller CJ, Young RA, Aldovini A (2003). "HIV-1 Tat reprograms immature dendritic cells to express chemoattractants for activated T cells and macrophages". Nat. Med. 9 (2): 191–7. doi:10.1038/nm822. PMID12539042.
Yang H, Lin CH, Ma G, Baffi MO, Wathelet MG (2003). "Interferon regulatory factor-7 synergizes with other transcription factors through multiple interactions with p300/CBP coactivators". J. Biol. Chem. 278 (18): 15495–504. doi:10.1074/jbc.M212940200. PMID12604599.