title: DNA binding and transcription activation by chicken interferon regulatory factor-3 (chIRF-3).
abstract: Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are a family of transcription factors involved in the cellular response to interferons and viral infection. Previously we isolated an IRF from a chicken embryonic liver cDNA library. Using a PCR-based binding site selection assay, we have characterised the binding specificity of chIRF-3. The optimal binding site (OBS) fits within the consensus interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE) but the specificity of chIRF-3 binding allows less variation in nucleotides outside the core IRF-binding sequence. A comparison of IRF-1 and chIRF-3 binding to ISREs in electrophoretic mobility shift assays confirmed that the binding specificity of chIRF-3 was clearly distinguishable from IRF-1. The selection assay also showed that chIRF-3 is capable of binding an inverted repeat of two half OBSs separated by 10-13 nt. ChIRF-3 appears to bind both the OBS and inverted repeat sites as a dimer with the protein-protein interaction requiring a domain between amino acids 117 and 311. In transfection experiments expression of chIRF-3 strongly activated a promoter containing the OBS. The activation domain was mapped to between amino acids 138 and 221 and a domain inhibitory to activation was also mapped to the C-terminal portion of chIRF-3.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Research Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Deeley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002645:Chickens; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D050838:Interferon Regulatory Factor-3; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D011485:Protein Binding; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050838:Interferon Regulatory Factor-3; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D004247:DNA; D008156:Luciferases