Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518120, China; State Key Laboratory of Freshwater Ecology and Biotechnology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China; College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, and Shenzhen Public Service Platform for Evaluation of Marine Economic Animal Seedings, Shenzhen 518120, China; Shenzhen Dapeng New District Science and Technology Innovation Service Center, Shenzhen 518120, China.
Shenzhen Institute of Guangdong Ocean University, Shenzhen 518120, China; College of Fishery, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524025, China; Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center for Aquatic Animal Health Assessment, and Shenzhen Public Service Platform for Evaluation of Marine Economic Animal Seedings, Shenzhen 518120, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2021 Jan 15;167:719-725. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.11.217. Epub 2020 Dec 3.
Interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) is an important regulator in controlling the transcription of type I interferon genes, and its functions have been well-characterized in mammals, birds and fish. However, little information is available regarding the function of amphibian IRF1. In this study, an IRF1 gene homolog named as Xt-IRF1 was identified in the Western clawed frog (Xenopus tropicalis), an amphibian model specie widely used for comparative immunology research. Xt-IRF1 and IRF1 in other vertebrates possess similar genomic structure and flanking genes, and were grouped together to form a separate clade in phylogenetic tree. In addition, Xt-IRF1 gene was constitutively expressed in all tissues examined, with the highest expression level observed in spleen, and was inducible after poly(I:C) stimulation. Importantly, the expression of Xt-IRF1 was markedly induced by recombinant type I interferon, and Xt-IRF1 induced a strong activation of both IFNβ and ISRE promoters. The present study opens the door to investigate the roles of IRF1 in amphibians, and thus contributes to a better understanding of the functional evolution of IRFs in lower tetrapods.
干扰素调节因子 1（IRF1）是控制 I 型干扰素基因转录的重要调节剂，其功能在哺乳动物、鸟类和鱼类中得到了很好的描述。然而，关于两栖动物 IRF1 的功能知之甚少。在这项研究中，在西方爪蟾（Xenopus tropicalis）中鉴定出一个称为 Xt-IRF1 的 IRF1 基因同源物，西方爪蟾是一种广泛用于比较免疫学研究的两栖动物模型物种。Xt-IRF1 和其他脊椎动物的 IRF1 具有相似的基因组结构和侧翼基因，并在系统发育树中形成一个单独的分支。此外，Xt-IRF1 基因在所有检测到的组织中均持续表达，在脾脏中表达水平最高，在 poly(I:C)刺激后可诱导表达。重要的是，重组 I 型干扰素显著诱导 Xt-IRF1 的表达，Xt-IRF1 强烈激活 IFNβ 和 ISRE 启动子。本研究为研究 IRF1 在两栖动物中的作用开辟了道路，从而有助于更好地理解 IRF 在低等四足动物中的功能进化。
