Interferon regulatory factors
Interferon regulatory factors are proteins which regulate transcription of interferons. They are used in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway. Interferon regulatory factors contain a conserved N-terminal region of about 120 amino acids, which folds into a structure that binds specifically to the interferon consensus sequence, which is located upstream of the interferon genes. The remaining parts of the interferon regulatory factor sequence vary depending on the precise function of the protein. The Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus, KSHV, is a cancer virus that encodes four different IRF-like genes; including vIRF1, which is a transforming oncoprotein that inhibits type 1 interferon activity. In addition, the expression of IRF genes is under epigenetic regulation by promoter DNA methylation.Genes
