Interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) is a transcription factor that regulates interferon-induced genes and type I interferons. Recently, studies of IRF-l-deficient mice have revealed that IRF-I regulates the induction of molecules that play important roles in inflammation, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and interleukin-l beta-converting enzyme (ICE). To study the role of IRF-1...

Dendritic cells (DCs) are bone marrow (BM)-derived APCs central to both innate and adaptive immunity. DCs are a heterogeneous cell population composed of multiple subsets with diverse functions. The mechanism governing the generation of multiple DC subsets is, however, poorly understood. In this study we investigated the roles of closely related transcription factors, IFN regulatory factor (IRF...

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) is a pleiotropic cytokine with potent antitumor effects, both in vitro and in vivo. The antitumor activity of IFN-gamma is mediated in part through IFN regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) and may be blocked by IRF-2. To test our hypothesis that some tumors escape the antitumor effects of IFN-gamma by cellular changes reflected in IRF-1 and IRF-2 expression, we examined IRF-...

Interferon regulatory factor-1 (IRF-1) is a tumor-suppressor gene induced by interferon-γ (IFNγ) and plays an important role in the cell death of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). HCC tumors evade death in part by downregulating IRF-1 expression, yet the molecular mechanisms accounting for IRF-1 suppression in HCC have not yet been characterized. Previous studies have shown that microRNA-23a (miR...

PURPOSE IRF-5 is a direct transducer of virus-mediated and TLR-mediated signaling pathways for the expression of cytokines and chemokines which form homodimers or heterodimers with IRF-7. However, direct IRF-5-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are not available at present. These could be used to further evaluate the functions of IRF-5. In this study, we produced and characterized three mous...

Type I interferons (IFNs) are produced by most cells in response to virus infection and stimulate a program of anti-viral gene expression neighboring suppress replication. III IFNs have similar properties, however their effects limited epithelial at mucosal surfaces due restricted the type IFN receptor. Rotavirus (RV) replicates intestinal that respond predominantly IFNs, it has been shown rath...

Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF-4) plays important functions in Band T-cell development and immune response regulation and was originally identified as the product of a proto-oncogene involved in chromosomal translocations in multiple myeloma. Although IRF-4 is expressed in myeloid cells, its function in that lineage is not known. The closely related family member IRF-8 is a critical regula...

IFN regulatory factor-4 (IRF-4) is a transcription factor that is involved in the development and the functions of lymphocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. Despite their critical roles in immune system regulation, the target genes controlled by IRF-4 are poorly understood. In this study, we determined the consensus DNA-binding sequences preferred for IRF-4 by in vitro binding site selectio...

Although the bcr-abl translocation has been shown to be the causative genetic aberration in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), there is mounting evidence that the deregulation of other genes, such as the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF-4), is also implicated in the pathogenesis of CML. Promoter methylation of CpG target sites or direct deletions/insertions of genes are mec...

BACKGROUND Interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family members have been implicated as critical transcription factors that function in immune response, hematopoietic differentiation and cell growth regulation. Activation of IRF-5 results in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFalpha, IL6 and IL12p40, as well as type I interferons. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS In this study,...