The 5'-flanking region of a human IFN-alpha gene mediates viral induction of transcription.
Usually only cells exposed to virus, double-stranded RNA or other inducers synthesize interferon (IFN). Interferon mRNA appears 1-2 h after induction, peaks at 1.5-20 h and decays with a half life of about 30 min. So far, it has not been determined whether induction of interferon is due to transient stabilization of a rapidly turning-over mRNA or to activation of transcription. To clarify this issue we transformed mouse L cells with a hybrid gene in which the 5'-flanking region of the human IFN-alpha 1 gene was followed by the rabbit beta-globin transcription unit. Correctly initiated beta-globin RNA appeared only after viral induction, with the kinetics described for interferon mRNA. Cells transformed with the converse construction, or with the complete rabbit beta-globin gene, constitutively produced correctly initiated transcripts; viral infection decreased the level of transcripts. We conclude that induction acts by activating transcription rather than by reducing turnover, and that the regulatory elements are contained in the 5'-flanking region of the interferon gene.
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D005796:Genes; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000235:genetics*; D007739:L Cells / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000235:genetics*; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011061:Poly A / Q000235:genetics; D012313:RNA / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D011817:Rabbits; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000235:genetics*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D007370:Interferon Type I; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011061:Poly A; D012313:RNA; D005914:Globins; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes