title: Contribution of Ser386 and Ser396 to activation of interferon regulatory factor 3.
abstract: IRF-3, a member of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family of transcription factors, functions in innate immune defense against viral infection. Upon infection, host cell IRF-3 is activated by phosphorylation at its seven C-terminal Ser/Thr residues: (385)SSLENTVDLHISNSHPLSLTS(405). This phosphoactivation triggers IRF-3 to react with the coactivators, CREB-binding protein (CBP)/p300, to form a complex that activates target genes in the nucleus. However, the role of each phosphorylation site for IRF-3 phosphoactivation remains unresolved. To address this issue, all seven Ser/Thr potential phosphorylation sites were screened by mutational studies, size-exclusion chromatography, and isothermal titration calorimetry. Using purified proteins, we show that CBP (amino acid residues 2067-2112) interacts directly with IRF-3 (173-427) and six of its single-site mutants to form heterodimers, but when CBP interacts with IRF-3 S396D, oligomerization is evident. CBP also interacts in vitro with IRF-3 double-site mutants to form different levels of oligomerization. Among all the single-site mutants, IRF-3 S396D showed the strongest binding to CBP. Although IRF-3 S386D alone did not interact as strongly with CBP as did other mutants, it strengthened the interaction and oligomerization of IRF-3 S396D with CBP. In contrast, IRF-3 S385D weakened the interaction and oligomerization of IRF-3 S396D and S386/396D with CBP. Thus, it appears that Ser385 and Ser386 serve antagonistic functions in regulating IRF-3 phosphoactivation. These results indicate that Ser386 and Ser396 are critical for IRF-3 activation, and support a phosphorylation-oligomerization model for IRF-3 activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 364 Plantation Street, Worcester, MA 01605, USA. Weijun.Chen@umassmed.edu
authors.forename: Weijun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Hema
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Srinath
authors.forename: Suvana S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: Celia A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Schiffer
authors.forename: William E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Royer
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D006801:Humans; D050838:Interferon Regulatory Factor-3 / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008958:Models, Molecular; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism*; D050880:p300-CBP Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D050838:Interferon Regulatory Factor-3; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012694:Serine; D050880:p300-CBP Transcription Factors