Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 8, 2026
11:44
A High Resolution Method to Monitor Phosphorylation-dependent Activation of IRF3
Published on: January 24, 2016
The interferon signaling network and transcription factor C/EBP-beta
Hui Li1, Padmaja Gade, Weihua Xiao
1Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 660 W. Redwood Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA.
Cellular & Molecular Immunology
|January 1, 2008
Summary
Interferons (IFNs) activate immune responses through JAK-STAT and other pathways. This study highlights the role of transcription factor C/EBP-beta in non-STAT pathways mediating IFN-induced cellular responses against pathogens and cancer.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Molecular Biology
- Cellular Signaling
Background:
- Cytokines, including interferons (IFNs), are crucial for innate and adaptive immunity.
- IFNs orchestrate cellular responses via multiple intracellular signaling cascades.
- The Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) pathway is a well-established IFN signaling mechanism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate non-STAT signaling pathways involved in interferon-induced cellular responses.
- To investigate the specific role of transcription factor CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein beta (C/EBP-beta) in IFN signaling.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of cellular signaling pathways activated by interferons.
- Focus on transcription factor activity and downstream effects.
- Investigating the contribution of C/EBP-beta to IFN-mediated responses.
Main Results:
- Identified non-STAT pathways that contribute to interferon-induced cellular functions.
- Demonstrated the involvement of C/EBP-beta in mediating these non-STAT IFN responses.
- Characterized the role of C/EBP-beta in regulating cellular immunity against pathogens and neoplastic cells.
Conclusions:
- Interferon signaling involves both JAK-STAT dependent and independent pathways.
- Transcription factor C/EBP-beta plays a significant role in non-STAT mediated interferon responses.
- Understanding these pathways offers new insights into immune regulation and potential therapeutic targets.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30General Transcription Factors
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
02:16Transcription Factors
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
02:16Transcription Factors
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
02:26NF-κB-dependent Signaling Pathway
The transcription factor NF-κB was discovered in 1986 in the lab of Nobel laureate Professor David Baltimore, for its interaction with the immunoglobulin light chain enhancer in B-cells. After more than three decades of study, it is now evident that NF-κB regulates the expression of over 100 genes. Most of these genes play an essential role in the innate and adaptive immune responses as well as the inflammatory responses of animals.
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
NF-κB-dependent Signaling Mechanism
The heterodimer of NF-κB...
02:36RNA Polymerase II Accessory Proteins
Proteins that regulate transcription can do so either via direct contact with RNA Polymerase or through indirect interactions facilitated by adaptors, mediators, histone-modifying proteins, and nucleosome remodelers. Direct interactions to activate transcription is seen in bacteria as well as in some eukaryotic genes. In these cases, upstream activation sequences are adjacent to the promoters, and the activator proteins interact directly with the transcriptional machinery. For example, in...
01:30Inhibitors of Viral Protein Synthesis
Protein synthesis is indispensable for viral replication, as viruses lack the cellular machinery required for this process and must hijack the host's translational apparatus. In response, host cells deploy a critical innate immune defense involving interferons, specialized cytokines that play a central role in inhibiting viral propagation.Upon viral detection, infected cells release interferons that bind to receptors on adjacent uninfected cells, activating the JAK-STAT signaling pathway and...