IRF5
Interferon regulatory factor 5 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IRF5 gene.Function
IRF5 is a member of the interferon regulatory factor family, a group of transcription factors with diverse roles, including virus-mediated activation of interferon, and modulation of cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and immune system activity. Members of the IRF family are characterized by a conserved N-terminal DNA-binding domain containing tryptophan repeats. Alternative splice variants encoding different isoforms exist.
A 2020 study showed that an adaptor protein named TASL play an important regulatory role in IRF5 activation by being phosphorylated at the pLxIS motif, drawing a similar analogy to the IRF3 activation pathway through the adaptor proteins MAVS, STING and TRIF.Clinical significance
IRF5 acts as a molecular switch that controls whether macrophages will promote or inhibit inflammation. Blocking the production of IRF5 in macrophages may help treat a wide range of autoimmune diseases, and that boosting IRF5 levels might help treat people whose immune systems are weak, compromised, or damaged. IRF5 seems to work "either by interacting with DNA directly, or by interacting with other proteins that themselves control which genes are switched on."
