Regulation of interferon-beta gene: structure and function of cis-elements and trans-acting factors.
Commonly viral infections induce expression of type I interferon (IFN) genes. The induction is primarily due to transcriptional activation of the genes. Soon after the isolation of the genes encoding IFN-alpha and IFN-beta, the IFN system became a subject of intensive study in the context of switching on or off the otherwise silent genes by extracellular stimulation signals. Hence, the IFN system serves as a typical model in studying the genetic events occurring in many cytokine systems. The IFN genes contain within their 5'-flanking region positive elements that function efficiently in cells induced by viruses and other stimuli such as double-stranded RNA. At least three transcription factors have been identified and molecularly cloned. Of these, two factors, designated interferon regulatory factors IRF-1 and IRF-2, are unique in their function; they interact with identical DNA sequence elements of IFN and IFN-inducible genes. Results of the functional studies on these factors suggest that transcription of the IFN and IFN-inducible genes is regulated by two similar trans-acting factors that apparently compete for the same cis-acting recognition sequences, but mediate opposite effects.
Taniguchi
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Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, Osaka University, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D005246:Feedback; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000235:genetics*; D051379:Mice; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics
D007370:Interferon Type I; D015534:Trans-Activators; D004247:DNA