Interferon Regulatory Factor
Interferon Regulatory Factor - Related Videos
03:11
Quantification of Bioactive Type-I Interferons using a Secreted Embryonic Alkaline Phosphatase Reporter Assay
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2025
This video demonstrates secreted embryonic alkaline phosphatase assay using HEK-Blue interferon-α/β reporter cells to quantify the type-I interferons (IFNs) released following stimulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells by HIV-1 Infected CD4+ T cells.
02:02
Cis-regulatory Sequences
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2020
Cis-regulatory sequences are short fragments of non-coding DNA that are present on the same chromosomes as the genes that they regulate. These fragments serve as binding sites for transcriptional regulators, proteins that are responsible for controlling gene transcription and differential gene expression across cell types in eukaryotes. Cis-regulatory sequences can be close to the gene of interest or thousands of bases away in the DNA sequence; however, those sequences that are further away are...
02:16
Transcription Factors
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2019
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
02:17
An In Vitro Assay for Screening Interferons as Potent Inhibitors of Zika Virus Growth
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2025
The video demonstrates an in vitro assay for screening interferons with antiviral activity against the Zika virus, a human pathogen. Within the host cell, the Zika virus undergoes multiplication upon internalization, infecting neighboring cells and creating distinct zones or viral plaques. Type I interferon, acting as an antiviral agent, hinders virus multiplication, thereby preventing the formation of viral plaques in the host cell monolayer.
10:10
Experimental Infection with Listeria monocytogenes as a Model for Studying Host Interferon-γ Responses
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2016
This protocol describes how to inoculate C57BL/6J mice with the EGD strain of Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) and to measure interferon-γ (IFN-γ) responses by natural killer (NK) cells, natural killer T (NKT) cells, and adaptive T lymphocytes post-infection. This protocol also describes how to conduct survival studies in mice after infection with a modified LD50 dose of the pathogen.
FAQs
An Interferon Regulatory Factor pathway proceeds through an ordered activation sequence: pathogen-sensing signals stimulate cellular kinases, which phosphorylate particular IRF proteins. That modification promotes IRF dimerization and movement into the nucleus. Once there, the dimers bind regulatory DNA elements, linking an upstream detection event to selective immune-gene control.
Phosphorylation changes the state of an IRF protein so it can participate in the next signaling steps. In the pathway described, kinases add this regulatory modification after pathogen sensing; the modified factor can then dimerize and relocate to the nucleus. This makes phosphorylation a key connection between detection and transcriptional control.
Once IRF dimers reach the nucleus, their binding to regulatory DNA elements determines which target genes respond. The resulting control can activate or repress gene expression rather than produce a uniform output. This distinction helps explain how one signaling system can coordinate antiviral and inflammatory programs while allowing different cellular responses.
IRF activity contributes to more than an immediate antiviral response. These factors help coordinate innate and adaptive immunity, and they also influence immune-cell development. Consequently, an IRF response can be relevant both to rapid reactions against infectious threats and to the longer-term organization of immune defenses, providing a framework for studying immune regulation.
To compare IRF responses, researchers can follow the pathway from pathogen-sensing signals through phosphorylation, dimerization, nuclear movement, and target-gene regulation. Applying this framework to viruses, bacteria, and other threats can reveal whether responses differ in their downstream activation or repression patterns. The comparison connects signaling events with distinct infection-related immune outcomes.
Interferon Regulatory Factor pathways provide a research framework for linking altered immune signaling with disease. Studies can examine how pathway behavior relates to infectious disease, autoimmune disorders, or immunodeficiency, while also considering therapies designed to modify immune activity. The value lies in connecting signaling changes with broader immune dysfunction or therapeutic objectives.