Alternatively spliced isoforms of IRF7 differentially regulate interferon expression to tune response to viral infection.

Interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) is a master transcriptional regulator of innate immunity. IRF7 binds as a homodimer, or heterodimer with IRF3, to promoters of type I interferons (IFN-Is) to drive their expression, which activates expression of antiviral genes. Here, we demonstrate that alternative splicing of the first intron within the coding region of human IRF7 is regulated across immune tissues and in response to immunologic stimuli.

Alternate isoforms of IRF7 Differentially Regulate Interferon Expression to Tune Response to Viral Infection.

Unlabelled: Interferon Regulatory Factor 7 (IRF7), and its homologue IRF3, are master transcriptional regulators of the innate immune response. IRF7 binds to promoters of interferon β (IFNβ) and several IFNαs as a homodimer or as a heterodimer with IRF3 to drive expression of these type I IFNs, which in turn activate downstream signaling pathways to promote expression of antiviral genes. Here we demonstrate that alternative splicing of the first intron within the coding region of IRF7 is highly regulated across immune tissues and in response to immunologic signals including viral infection.