interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7)

Function

• transcriptional activator
• binds to the interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE) in IFN promoters & in the Q promoter of EBV nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1)
• functions as a molecular switch for antiviral activity
• activated by phosphorylation in response to infection
• activation leads to nuclear retention, DNA binding, & derepression of transactivation ability
• in response to a viral infection, phosphorylated on the C-terminal Ser cluster
• phosphorylation, & subsequent activation is inhibited by vaccinia virus protein E3
• interacts with TICAM1 & TICAM2

Structure

• homodimer; phosphorylation-induced
• belongs to the IRF family
• contains 1 tryptophan pentad repeat DNA-binding domain

Compartment

• nucleus, cytoplasm
• phosphorylated & active form accumulates selectively in nucleus

Alternative splicing

• named isoforms=4
• one or more isoforms may be produced at very low levels due to a premature stop codon in the mRNA, leading to nonsense-mediated mRNA decay

Expression

• expressed predominantly in spleen, thymus & peripheral blood leukocytes
• induced by type 1 interferons

More general terms

• interferon regulatory factor family
• phosphoprotein

Database

• UniProt: http://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/Q92985.html
• Kegg: http://www.genome.jp/dbget-bin/www_bget?hsa:3665
• OMIM: https://mirror.omim.org/entry/605047
• Entrez gene: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?db=gene&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Graphics&list_uids=3665