title: Transcriptional activity of interferon regulatory factor (IRF)-3 depends on multiple protein-protein interactions.
abstract: Virus infection results in the activation of a set of cellular genes involved in host antiviral defense. IRF-3 has been identified as a critical transcription factor in this process. The activation mechanism of IRF-3 is not fully elucidated, yet it involves a conformational change triggered by the virus-dependent phosphorylation of its C-terminus. This conformational change leads to nuclear accumulation, DNA binding and transcriptional transactivation. Here we show that two distinct sets of Ser/Thr residues of IRF-3, on phosphorylation, synergize functionally to achieve maximal activation. Remarkably, we find that activated IRF-3 lacks transcriptional activity, but activates transcription entirely through the recruitment of the p300/CBP coactivators. Moreover, we show that two separate domains of IRF-3 interact with several distinct regions of p300/CBP. Interference with any of these interactions leads to a complete loss of transcriptional activity, suggesting that a bivalent interaction is essential for coactivator recruitment by IRF-3.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA.
authors.forename: Hongmei
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Charles H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orr
authors.forename: Michael O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Baffi
authors.forename: Marc G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Wathelet
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019281:Dimerization; D050881:E1A-Associated p300 Protein; D005982:Glutathione Transferase / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D050838:Interferon Regulatory Factor-3; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010957:Plasmids / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D013912:Threonine / Q000378:metabolism; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D015533:Transcriptional Activation; D014162:Transfection; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C494232:IRF3 protein, human; D050838:Interferon Regulatory Factor-3; C494233:Irf3 protein, mouse; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D013912:Threonine; D012694:Serine; D004247:DNA; D050881:E1A-Associated p300 Protein; C494361:Ep300 protein, mouse; D005982:Glutathione Transferase