Nam Sorim, Lim Jong-Seok
Department of Biological Science, Sookmyung Women's University, Chungpa-Dong, Yongsan-Gu, Seoul, 04310, Republic of Korea.
Arch Pharm Res. 2016 Nov;39(11):1548-1555. doi: 10.1007/s12272-016-0854-1. Epub 2016 Nov 9.
The family of interferon regulatory factors, which includes nine mammalian members (IRF1-IRF9), acts as transcription factors for interferons and thus exerts regulatory functions in the immune system and in oncogenesis. Among these members, IRF4 expression is restricted to immune cells such as T and B lymphocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells where it is a key factor in the regulation of differentiation and is required during the immune response for lymphocyte activation and the generation of immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells. Consequently, dysregulation of IRF4 is associated with many lymphoid malignancies. Recent studies have demonstrated that depending on the context and stage of hematopoietic cell differentiation in which its expression is dysregulated, IRF4 may act as either an oncogene or a tumor-suppressor-like factor. In addition, it has been shown that IRF4 plays a pivotal role in the development and function of several autoimmune-associated cells. Various genetic and functional studies have also pointed to IRF4 as a master regulator for autoimmunity. In this review, the roles of IRF4 in the immune response are briefly summarized and discussed, with particular focus on its essential and distinct functions in immune cell development.
干扰素调节因子家族包括九个哺乳动物成员（IRF1 - IRF9），作为干扰素的转录因子，在免疫系统和肿瘤发生过程中发挥调节功能。在这些成员中，IRF4的表达仅限于免疫细胞，如T和B淋巴细胞、巨噬细胞和树突状细胞，在这些细胞中它是分化调节的关键因子，并且在免疫反应期间淋巴细胞活化和分泌免疫球蛋白的浆细胞生成过程中是必需的。因此，IRF4的失调与许多淋巴系统恶性肿瘤相关。最近的研究表明，根据其表达失调时造血细胞分化的背景和阶段，IRF4可能作为癌基因或肿瘤抑制样因子发挥作用。此外，已表明IRF4在几种自身免疫相关细胞的发育和功能中起关键作用。各种遗传和功能研究也指出IRF4是自身免疫的主要调节因子。在本综述中，简要总结和讨论了IRF4在免疫反应中的作用，特别关注其在免疫细胞发育中的重要和独特功能。
