Oncogene database

3660

IRF2

interferon regulatory factor 2;IRF2;interferon regulatory factor 2

-

4q34.1-q35.1

protein-coding

The human histone H4 gene FO108 is regulated during the cell cycle with a peak in transcription during early S phase. The cell-cycle element (CCE) required for H4 histone activation is a sequence of 11 base pairs that binds a protein factor in electrophoretic mobility shift assays that has been designated histone nuclear factor M (HiNF-M). Here we report the purification of HiNF-M, and show it to be a protein of relative molecular mass (M(r)) 48K that is identical to interferon (IFN) regulatory factor 2 (IRF-2), a negative transcriptional regulator of the IFN response. Recombinant IRF-2 (as well as the related protein IRF-1 (ref. 5)) binds the CCE specifically and activates transcription of this H4 histone gene. IRF-2 has been shown to have oncogenic potential, and our results demonstrate a link between IRF-2 and a gene that is functionally coupled to DNA replication and cell-cycle progression at the G1/S phase transition.

IRF-1 and IRF-2 are two structurally related transcription factors originally identified as regulators of the type I interferon (IFN) system. IRF-1 functions as an activator whereas IRF-2 binds to the same cis-elements and can repress IRF-1 action. More recently these two factors have been shown to act in a mutually antagonistic manner to regulate cell growth; overexpression of the repressor IRF-2 leads to cell transformation, whereas concomitant overexpression of IRF-1 leads to reversion. Previous studies have identified DNA-binding domains in IRF-1 and IRF-2 and an activation domain in IRF-1. In the present study we show that IRF-2 also possesses a transcriptional repression domain in its carboxyl terminal region. We further observe that a LexA-IRF2 fusion can inhibit the function of an activator positioned nearby in the promoter. Thus, repression by IRF-2 may involve both competition with IRF-1 for binding to the promoter as well as the silencing of nearby activators. Furthermore, we demonstrate the presence of a latent activation domain in the central region of IRF-2 and speculate that IRF-2 may contribute to gene activation under certain conditions.

IRF2 is a transcription factor, possessing oncogenic potential, responsible for both the repression of growth-inhibiting genes (interferon) and the activation of cell cycle-regulated genes (histone H4). Surprisingly little is known about the post-translational modification of this factor. In this study, we analyze the phosphorylation of IRF2 both in vivo and in vitro. Immunoprecipitation of HA-tagged IRF2 expressed in 32P-phosphate labelled COS-7 cells demonstrates that IRF2 is phosphorylated in vivo. Amino acid sequence analysis reveals that several potential phosphorylation sites exist for a variety of serine/threonine protein kinases, including those of the mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase family. Using a battery of these protein kinases we show that recombinant IRF2 is a substrate for protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and casein kinase II (CK2) in vitro. However, other serine/threonine protein kinases, including the MAP kinases JNK1, p38, and ERK2, do not phosphorylate IRF2. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping of the sites phosphorylated by PKA, PKC, and CKII in vitro demonstrates that these enzymes are capable of phosphorylating IRF2 at multiple distinct sites. Phosphoaminoacid analysis of HA-tagged IRF2 immunoprecipitated from an asynchronous population of proliferating, metabolically phosphate-labelled cells indicates that this protein is phosphorylated exclusively upon serine residues in vivo. These results suggest that the oncogenic protein IRF2 may be regulated via multiple pathways during cellular growth.

Histone genes display a peak in transcription in early S phase and are ideal models for cell cycle-regulated gene expression. We have previously shown that the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 2 (IRF-2) can activate histone H4 gene expression. In this report we establish that a mouse histone H4 gene and its human homolog lose stringent cell cycle control in synchronized embryonic fibroblasts in which IRF-2 has been ablated. We also show that there are reduced mRNA levels of this endogenous mouse histone H4 gene in the IRF-2(-/-) cells. Strikingly, the overall mRNA level and cell cycle regulation of histone H4 transcription are restored when IRF-2 is reintroduced to these cells. IRF-2 is a negative regulator of the interferon response and has oncogenic potential, but little is known of the mechanism of these activities. Our results suggest that IRF-2 is an active player in E2F-independent cell cycle-regulated gene expression at the G1/S phase transition. IRF-2 was previously considered a passive antagonist to the tumor suppressor IRF-1 but can now join other oncogenic factors such as c-Myb and E2F1 that are predicted to mediate their transforming capabilities by actively regulating genes necessary for cell cycle progression.