IRF2 explained

Interferon regulatory factor 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IRF2 gene.^[1]

Function

IRF2 encodes interferon regulatory factor 2, a member of the interferon regulatory transcription factor (IRF) family. IRF2 competitively inhibits the IRF1-mediated transcriptional activation of interferons alpha and beta, and presumably other genes that employ IRF1 for transcription activation. However, IRF2 also functions as a transcriptional activator of histone H4.^[2]

See also

• IRF1
• Interferon regulatory factors

Interactions

IRF2 has been shown to interact with BRD7,^[3] EP300^[4] and PCAF.^{[4] [5]}

Further reading

• Harada H, Taniguchi T, Tanaka N . The role of interferon regulatory factors in the interferon system and cell growth control . Biochimie . 80 . 8–9 . 641–50 . 1999 . 9865486 . 10.1016/S0300-9084(99)80017-0 .
• Pitha PM, Au WC, Lowther W, Juang YT, Schafer SL, Burysek L, Hiscott J, Moore PA . Role of the interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) in virus-mediated signaling and regulation of cell growth . Biochimie . 80 . 8–9 . 651–8 . 1999 . 9865487 . 10.1016/S0300-9084(99)80018-2 . free .
• Itoh S, Harada H, Fujita T, Mimura T, Taniguchi T . Sequence of a cDNA coding for human IRF-2 . Nucleic Acids Res. . 17 . 20 . 8372 . 1989 . 2813069 . 334978 . 10.1093/nar/17.20.8372 .
• Harada H, Takahashi E, Itoh S, Harada K, Hori TA, Taniguchi T . Structure and regulation of the human interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) and IRF-2 genes: implications for a gene network in the interferon system . Mol. Cell. Biol. . 14 . 2 . 1500–9 . 1994 . 7507207 . 358505 . 10.1128/MCB.14.2.1500.
• Adams MD, Kerlavage AR, Fleischmann RD, Fuldner RA, Bult CJ, Lee NH, Kirkness EF, Weinstock KG, Gocayne JD, White O . Initial assessment of human gene diversity and expression patterns based upon 83 million nucleotides of cDNA sequence . Nature . 377 . 6547 Suppl . 3–174 . 1995 . 7566098 . .
• Sharf R, Azriel A, Lejbkowicz F, Winograd SS, Ehrlich R, Levi BZ . Functional domain analysis of interferon consensus sequence binding protein (ICSBP) and its association with interferon regulatory factors . J. Biol. Chem. . 270 . 22 . 13063–9 . 1995 . 7768900 . 10.1074/jbc.270.22.13063 . free .
• Cha Y, Deisseroth AB . Human interferon regulatory factor 2 gene. Intron-exon organization and functional analysis of 5'-flanking region . J. Biol. Chem. . 269 . 7 . 5279–87 . 1994 . 10.1016/S0021-9258(17)37685-8 . 8106512 . free .
• Harada H, Kitagawa M, Tanaka N, Yamamoto H, Harada K, Ishihara M, Taniguchi T . Anti-oncogenic and oncogenic potentials of interferon regulatory factors-1 and -2 . Science . 259 . 5097 . 971–4 . 1993 . 8438157 . 10.1126/science.8438157 . 1993Sci...259..971H . 41036818 .
• Drew PD, Franzoso G, Carlson LM, Biddison WE, Siebenlist U, Ozato K . Interferon regulatory factor-2 physically interacts with NF-kappa B in vitro and inhibits NF-kappa B induction of major histocompatibility class I and beta 2-microglobulin gene expression in transfected human neuroblastoma cells . J. Neuroimmunol. . 63 . 2 . 157–62 . 1996 . 8550813 . 10.1016/0165-5728(95)00140-9 . 53166594 .
• Birnbaum MJ, van Zundert B, Vaughan PS, Whitmarsh AJ, van Wijnen AJ, Davis RJ, Stein GS, Stein JL . Phosphorylation of the oncogenic transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 2 (IRF2) in vitro and in vivo . J. Cell. Biochem. . 66 . 2 . 175–83 . 1997 . 9213219 . 10.1002/(SICI)1097-4644(19970801)66:2<175::AID-JCB5>3.0.CO;2-N . 34485265 .
• Masumi A, Wang IM, Lefebvre B, Yang XJ, Nakatani Y, Ozato K . The Histone Acetylase PCAF Is a Phorbol-Ester-Inducible Coactivator of the IRF Family That Confers Enhanced Interferon Responsiveness . Mol. Cell. Biol. . 19 . 3 . 1810–20 . 1999 . 10022868 . 83974 . 10.1128/MCB.19.3.1810.
• Li W, Nagineni CN, Hooks JJ, Chepelinsky AB, Egwuagu CE . Interferon-gamma signaling in human retinal pigment epithelial cells mediated by STAT1, ICSBP, and IRF-1 transcription factors . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. . 40 . 5 . 976–82 . 1999 . 10102295 .
• Whitney LW, Becker KG, Tresser NJ, Caballero-Ramos CI, Munson PJ, Prabhu VV, Trent JM, McFarland HF, Biddison WE . Analysis of gene expression in multiple sclerosis lesions using cDNA microarrays . Ann. Neurol. . 46 . 3 . 425–8 . 1999 . 10482277 . 10.1002/1531-8249(199909)46:3<425::AID-ANA22>3.0.CO;2-O . 85574347 .
• Mild GC, Schmahl GE, Shayan P, Niemeyer CM . Expression of interferon regulatory factor 1 and 2 in hematopoietic cells of children with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia . Leuk. Lymphoma . 35 . 5–6 . 507–11 . 2000 . 10609788 . 10.1080/10428199909169615 .
• Staal A, Enserink JM, Stein JL, Stein GS, van Wijnen AJ . Molecular characterization of celtix-1, a bromodomain protein interacting with the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 2 . J. Cell. Physiol. . 185 . 2 . 269–79 . 2000 . 11025449 . 10.1002/1097-4652(200011)185:2<269::AID-JCP12>3.0.CO;2-L . 22932901 .
• Larrea E, Alberdi A, Castelruiz Y, Boya P, Civeira MP, Prieto J . Expression of interferon-alpha subtypes in peripheral mononuclear cells from patients with chronic hepatitis C: a role for interferon-alpha5 . J. Viral Hepat. . 8 . 2 . 103–10 . 2001 . 11264730 . 10.1046/j.1365-2893.2001.00273.x . 55595193 .
• Masumi A, Ozato K . Coactivator p300 acetylates the interferon regulatory factor-2 in U937 cells following phorbol ester treatment . J. Biol. Chem. . 276 . 24 . 20973–80 . 2001 . 11304541 . 10.1074/jbc.M101707200 . free .

Notes and References

1. Harada H, Fujita T, Miyamoto M, Kimura Y, Maruyama M, Furia A, Miyata T, Taniguchi T . Structurally similar but functionally distinct factors, IRF-1 and IRF-2, bind to the same regulatory elements of IFN and IFN-inducible genes . Cell . 58 . 4 . 729–39 . September 1989 . 2475256 . 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90107-4 . 2033941 .
2. Web site: Entrez Gene: IRF2 interferon regulatory factor 2.
3. Staal A, Enserink JM, Stein JL, Stein GS, van Wijnen AJ . Molecular characterization of celtix-1, a bromodomain protein interacting with the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 2 . J. Cell. Physiol. . 185 . 2 . 269–79 . November 2000 . 11025449 . 10.1002/1097-4652(200011)185:2<269::AID-JCP12>3.0.CO;2-L . 22932901 .
4. Masumi A, Ozato K . Coactivator p300 acetylates the interferon regulatory factor-2 in U937 cells following phorbol ester treatment . J. Biol. Chem. . 276 . 24 . 20973–80 . June 2001 . 11304541 . 10.1074/jbc.M101707200 . free .
5. Masumi A, Wang IM, Lefebvre B, Yang XJ, Nakatani Y, Ozato K . The Histone Acetylase PCAF Is a Phorbol-Ester-Inducible Coactivator of the IRF Family That Confers Enhanced Interferon Responsiveness . Mol. Cell. Biol. . 19 . 3 . 1810–20 . March 1999 . 10022868 . 83974 . 10.1128/MCB.19.3.1810 .