人干扰素调节因子3基因启动子的初步鉴定

子活性分析表明,IRF3启动子区域定位于主要转录起始位点区域前111-167 bp的区域内.采用转录因子结合位点预测分析软件分析表明,该区域内存在E2F转录因子结合位点.结论 -167～-111 bp区存在IRF3启动子的核心调控元件,转录因子E2F可能参与IRF3的转录调控.     

干扰素调节因子3 rs2304204野生型及突变型重组质粒的构建及活性分析

目的构建干扰素调节因子3（IRF-3）rs2304204野生型及突变型重组质粒并比较二者启动子活性。为进一步研究IRF-3对HBV感染的影响打下基础。方法以人全血DNA为模板,扩增含rs2304204位点的IRF-3启动子区1355bp目的序列,插入pGL3-Basic载体中,构建rs2304204野生型的重组质粒（wIRF-3）。以wIRF-3为模板,利用基因定点突变试剂盒构建rs2304204突变型重组质粒（mIRF-3）。wIRF．3、mIRF-3和pGL3-Basic质粒分别转染HEK293细胞,采用双荧光素酶报告基因检测试剂盒检测荧光素酶活性,并计算荧光素酶相对活性单位（RLU）。结果成功构建IRF-3rs2304204野生型及突变型重组质粒,且wIRF-3质粒转染组RLU明显高于mIRF-3质粒转染组（P〈0．005）。结论野生型重组质粒的启动子活性明显高于突变型重组质粒,启动子活性的不同可能进而影响机体抗HBV感染的临床结局。     

Identification and functional characterization of an interferon regulatory factor 7-like (IRF7-like) gene from orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides

Interferon regulatory factor (IRF) 7 plays a crucial role in modulating cellular responses to viral infection and cytokines, including interferons (IFNs). In the present study, a novel IRF7 gene (designated as EcIRF7) was cloned and characterized from orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides. The full-length EcIRF7 cDNA is composed of 2089 bp and encodes a polypeptide of 433 amino acids with 81% identity to IRF7 of Siniperca chuatsi, and the genomic DNA of EcIRF7 consists of 9 exons and 8 introns, with a length of approximately 5629 bp. EcIRF7 contains three conserved domains including a DNA-binding domain (DBD), an IRF associated domain (IAD) and a serine-rich domain, all of which are highly conserved across species. Recombinant EcIRF7 was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and purified for mouse anti-EcIRF7 serum preparation. Realtime quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) analysis revealed a broad expression of EcIRF7, with a relative strong expression in spleen, kidney, skin and intestine. The expression of EcIRF7 was differentially up-regulated after stimulation with Vibrio vulnificus, Staphylococcus aureus and Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV). EcIRF7 showed similar intracellular localization pattern to those of mammalian and chicken, and translocated into nucleus after SGIV infection. Further more, EcIRF7 was proved to be capable of activating zebrafish type I IFN promoter and inhibiting the replication of SGIV in grouper spleen (GS) cells. These results suggest that EcIRF7 is potentially involved in grouper immune responses to invasion of viral and bacterial pathogens.     

Expression regulation and functional characterization of a novel interferon inducible gene Gig2 and its promoter

Grass carp hemorrhagic virus (GCHV)-induced gene 2 (Gig2) is a novel gene previously identified from UV-inactivated GCHV-treated Carassius auratus blastulae embryonic (CAB) cells, suggesting that it should play a pivotal role in the interferon (IFN) antiviral response. In this study, a polyclonal anti-Gig2 antiserum was generated and used to study the inductive expression pattern by Western blot analysis, showing no basal expression in normal CAB cells but a significant up-regulation upon UV-inactivated GCHV, polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) and recombinant IFN (rIFN). However, constitutive expression of Gig2 is observed in all tested tissues from grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus), and Poly I:C injection increases the relative amount of Gig2 protein in skin, spleen, trunk kidney, gill, hindgut and thymus. Moreover, the genomic sequence covering the whole Gig2 ORF and the upstream promoter region were amplified by genomic walking. Significantly, the Gig2 promoter contains three IFN-stimulated response elements (ISREs), nine GAAA/TTTC motifs and five γ-IFN activating sites (GAS), which are the characteristics of genes responsive to both type I IFN and type II IFN. Subsequently, the complete Gig2 promoter sequence was cloned into pGL3-Basic vector, and its activity was measured by luciferase assays in the transfected CAB cells. The Gig2 promoter-driven construct is highly induced in CAB cells after treatment with Poly I:C or rIFN, and the functional capability is dependent on IFN regulatory factor 7 (IRF7), because its activity can be stimulated by IRF7. Collectively, the data provide strong evidence that Gig2 is indeed a novel IFN inducible gene and its expression is likely dependent on IRF7 upon Poly I:C or IFN.     

一种新的干扰素调节因子拼接异构体IRF-3b的结构及功能

目的　干扰素调节因子 (interferonregulatoryfactors ,IRF) 3是病毒感染后调节干扰素基因转录重要的转录因子 ,寻找IRF 3新的基因拼接异构体 ,研究其结构及功能。方法　抽提人类细胞RNA ,用IRF 3已发表序列设计引物 ,作cDNA末端快速放大 (RACE)及RT PCR ,生物信息学方法比较新序列 ,亚克隆IRF 3b至 pcDNA3.1 flag ,转染人胚胎肾上皮 2 93细胞 ,用抗flag抗体作Westernblot分析 ,用荧光素酶功能分析的方法观测IRF 3b对病毒诱导的干扰素 β启动子荧光素酶活性的影响。结果　发现了一种新的IRF 3拼接异构体IRF 3b ,IRF 3b用了紧接第七外显子前的 1 6个第六内含子的碱基 ,导致阅读框架移位 ,相应蛋白质的C端第 32 8～ 4 52位为不同于IRF 3的新C末端。Westernblot出现预期的相对分子质量 (Mr)为 57.75× 1 0 3的IRF 3b蛋白强阳性条带。新的外显子序列可在小鼠的表达序列标签 (EST)表达库中找到同源序列 ,提示这种新的异构体在生物演进中有其保守功能 ,IRF 3b荧光素酶功能分析显示 ,该同分异构体能抑制病毒诱导的干扰素 β启动子活性至对照组的 4 0 %～ 50 %。结论　新的异构体的发现为IRF 3这一重要分子的功能调节提供了新的线索 ,它可能是病毒感染通路中干扰素的显性负性抑制剂 ,提示其功能为干扰素产生的     

HIV-1 accessory proteins VPR and Vif modulate antiviral response by targeting IRF-3 for degradation

The activation of IRF-3 during the early stages of viral infection is critical for the initiation of the antiviral response; however the activation of IRF-3 in HIV-1 infected cells has not yet been characterized. We demonstrate that the early steps of HIV-1 infection do not lead to the activation and nuclear translocation of IRF-3; instead, the relative levels of IRF-3 protein are decreased due to the ubiquitin-associated proteosome degradation. Addressing the molecular mechanism of this effect we show that the degradation is independent of HIV-1 replication and that virion-associated accessory proteins Vif and Vpr can independently degrade IRF-3. The null mutation of these two genes reduced the capacity of the HIV-1 virus to down modulate IRF-3 levels. The degradation was associated with Vif- and Vpr-mediated ubiquitination of IRF-3 and was independent of the activation of IRF-3. N-terminal lysine residues were shown to play a critical role in the Vif- and Vpr-mediated degradation of IRF-3. These data implicate Vif and Vpr in the disruption of the initial antiviral response and point to the need of HIV-1 to circumvent the antiviral response during the very early phase of replication.     

干扰素调节因子5基因rs2004640多态性与系统性红斑狼疮遗传易感性的荟萃分析

目的:系统评价干扰素调节因子5基因(IRF5)rs2004640单核苷酸多态性与系统性红斑狼疮的遗传易感性在不同种族的相关关系。方法:检索Pubmed数据库、万方数据库、CNKI数据库发表的有关IRF5 rs2004640单核苷酸多态性与SLE病例对照研究的文献,应用review manager5软件,采用Mantel-Haenszel-Peto法荟萃分析IRF5 rs2004640单核苷酸多态性在不同种族中的研究。结果:荟萃分析包括亚洲、欧洲-美洲高加索人群、墨西哥印欧混血、美国黑人等不同人群的IRF5 rs2004640单核苷酸多态性14个研究,共11 725例样本。亚洲人群IRF5 rs2004640 T等位基因频率26.3%~45.5%,高加索人群IRF5rs2004640 T等位基因频率44%~56%。分别荟萃分析亚洲和高加索人群与该多态性位点关联,均提示这两种人群IRF5rs2004640 T等位基因与狼疮发病密切相关(亚洲人群OR值1.35,95%CI 1.22~1.50;高加索人群OR值1.42,95%CI 1.32~1.54;P<10-6)。荟萃分析总的结果表明IRF5 rs2004640 T等位基因与狼疮发病密切相关(OR=1.42,P<10-6)。结论:IRF5rs2004640基因多态性在不同种族人群中的荟萃分析肯定了IRF5 rs2004640 T等位基因和系统性红斑狼疮发病相关。     

Poly (I:C) induced immune response in lymphoid tissues involves three sequential waves of type I IFN expression

An IFN-α heteroduplex-tracking assay (IFN-HTA) was developed to quantify the frequency of expression of the 16 genes coding for related interferon-α (IFN-α) subtypes in mice. In mLN of mice treated with Poly (I:C), we observed the induction of three sequential waves of type I IFN production, instead of two as is commonly described: early IFNs after 1 h (IFN-β), late IFNs after 3 h (mostly IFN-α1, -α2, -α4 and -α5) and “secondary late IFNs” after 6 h (IFN-α6T and -α8/6). The late IFN wave was associated with the upregulation of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-7 mRNA and proteins, whereas the secondary late IFN wave was associated with a slight upregulation of IRF-8 mRNA. Type I IFNs produced in the thymus were associated with a distinct IRF mRNA expression pattern. This IFN-HTA strategy can serve as a useful tool to qualify and quantify the expression of various IFN-α subtypes under distinct immune responses and thus provides a first step in evaluating their function.     

Interferon regulatory factor 3 as key element of the interferon signature in plasmacytoid dendritic cells from systemic lupus erythematosus patients: novel genetic associations in the Mexican mestizo population

Many genetic studies have found an association between interferon regulatory factors (IRF) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); however, specific dendritic cell (DC) alterations have not been assessed. The aim of the present study was to address the expression of IRF3 and IRF5 on different DC subsets from SLE patients, as well as their association with interferon (IFN)-α production and novel SNPs. For the genetic association analyses, 156 SLE patients and 272 healthy controls from the Mexican mestizo population were included. From these, 36 patients and 36 controls were included for functional analysis. Two IRF3 SNPs − rs2304206 and rs2304204 – were determined. We found an increased percentage of circulating pDC in SLE patients in comparison to controls (8·04 ± 1·48 versus 3·35 ± 0·8, P = 0·032). We also observed enhanced expression of IRF3 (64 ± 6·36 versus 36·1 ± 5·57, P = 0·004) and IRF5 (40 ± 5·25 versus 22·5 ± 2·6%, P = 0·010) restricted to this circulating pDC subset from SLE patients versus healthy controls. This finding was associated with higher IFN-α serum levels in SLE (160·2 ± 21 versus 106·1 ± 14 pg/ml, P = 0·036). Moreover, the IRF3 rs2304206 polymorphism was associated with increased susceptibility to SLE [odds ratio (OR), 95% confidence interval (CI) = 2·401 (1·187–4·858), P = 0·021] as well as enhanced levels of serum type I IFN in SLE patients who were positive for dsDNA autoantibodies. The IRF3 rs2304204 GG and AG genotypes conferred decreased risk for SLE. Our findings suggest that the predominant IRF3 expression on circulating pDC is a key element for the increased IFN-α activation based on the interplay between the rs2304206 gene variant and the presence of dsDNA autoantibodies in Mexican mestizo SLE patients.     

流感病毒非结构蛋白对TBK-1的抑制作用

目的流感病毒非结构蛋白1(nonstructural protein 1，NS1)抑制干扰素调节因子(interferon regulatory factors，IRF)3的机制未明，TANK结合激酶1(TANK-binding kinase 1，TBK-1)能使IRF-3活化，研究NS1是否对TBK-1有抑制作用。方法亚克隆IRF-3、NS1和TBK-1至pcDNA3．1-flag构建flag-IRF-3、flag-NS1和flag-TBK-1质粒；用TBK-1对TBK-1 NS1以及IRF-3 TBK-1对IRF-3 TBK-1 NS1两组实验，分别共转染人胚胎肾上皮293细胞，用抗flag抗体作Western blot分析，鉴定IRF-3、NS1和TBK-1的表达，观测NS1对TBK-1活化IRF-3的抑制作用；荧光素酶功能分析方法观测NS1对TBK-1诱导的干扰素p(IFN-β)启动子-pGL-2B荧光素酶活性的影响。结果IRF-3、NS1和TBK-1均有高表达。TBK-1能使IRF-3活化，Western blot分析显示：TBK-1转染的细胞出现迁移较慢的IRF-3Ⅲ和Ⅳ型，NS1共转染可使IRF-3Ⅲ和Ⅳ型几乎消失；荧光素酶功能分析显示，NS1能抑制TBK-1活化内源性IRF-3所诱导的IFN-β启动子活性，约为对照组的1，4，TBK-1 IRF-3共转染可使IFN-β启动子活性增高近1000倍，NS1可使TBK-1活化外源性IRF-3所诱导的IFN-β启动子的活性降至对照组的约1／2至1／3。结论流感病毒NS1可抑制TBK-1所致的IRF-3活化，功能分析提供了NS1显著抑制TBK-1诱导的IFN-β启动子活性的证据，首次阐明了流感病毒NS1抑制IRF-3因而抑制干扰素β产生的机制之一是通过TBK-1信号通路所取得，为新的抗病毒治疗及新药开发战略提供了基础。     

Double-stranded RNA mediates interferon regulatory factor 3 activation and interleukin-6 production by engaging Toll-like receptor 3 in human brain astrocytes

Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) participates in the innate immune response by recognizing viral pathogens. In this study, human brain astrocytes were found to constitutively express TLR3, and this expression was increased by interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) or double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). Treatment employing dsRNA in astrocytes induced IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) phosphorylation, dimer formation and nuclear translocation followed by STAT1 activation. This treatment also activated nuclear factor-kappaB, p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase significantly, while activating extracellular signal-regulated kinase to a lesser extent. Treatment with anti-TLR3 antibody inhibited dsRNA-mediated interleukin-6 (IL-6) production. In the presence of mitogen-activated protein kinase inhibitors, astrocytes failed to secrete IL-6 in response to dsRNA treatment. Therefore, dsRNA-induced IL-6 production is dependent on mitogen-activated protein kinases and type I IFN production is dependent on IRF3 in brain astrocytes. These results suggest that brain inflammation, which produces inflammatory cytokines and type I IFNs, may enhance TLR3 expression in astrocytes. Additionally, upregulated TLR3 might modulate inflammatory processes by producing proinflammatory cytokines.     

Association of interferon-γ and interferon regulatory factor 1 polymorphisms with asthma in a family-based association study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a multi-factorial disorder caused by complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. IFN-gamma and IFN regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) affect Th1/Th2 cytokine balance, and influence the differentiation of Th2 cells, which influence the development of asthma. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated CA repeats polymorphism of the IFN-gamma gene and GT repeats polymorphism of the IRF-1 gene, which may predispose individuals to asthma pathogenesis. METHODS: In the present study, we used the transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT) to investigate the relationship between asthma and the IFN-gamma and IRF-1 polymorphisms by studying 348 subjects composed of 232 parents and 116 asthmatic children. RESULTS: For global TDT test, IFN-gamma CA repeats and IRF-1 GT repeat polymorphisms showed a significant association with asthma in children (P=0.009 and 0.017, respectively). We demonstrated that 13 CA repeats (138 bp) of IFN-gamma gene and 11 GT repeats (306 bp) of IRF-1 gene are significantly preferentially transmitted to asthmatic children (T/NT=89/61, chi2=8.43, P<0.005 and T/NT=75/49, chi2=8.18, P<0.005, respectively). The offspring will have an increased risk of asthma when their parents transmit IFN-gamma 13 CA repeats (OR=1.83, P=0.009) and IRF1 11 GT repeats (OR=1.88, P=0.007) to them. But we observed that the IFN-gamma and IRF-1 polymorphisms are not associated with IgE concentrations. CONCLUSION: These findings provide strong evidence of which IFN-gamma CA repeat and IRF-1 GT repeat polymorphisms influence the risk of asthma for children in Taiwan.