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Updated: Jun 7, 2026

A High Resolution Method to Monitor Phosphorylation-dependent Activation of IRF3
Published on: January 24, 2016
Combining theoretical analysis and experimental data generation reveals IRF9 as a crucial factor for accelerating
Tim Maiwald1, Annette Schneider, Hauke Busch
1Heidelberg University, Department Modeling of Biological Processes, BIOQUANT/Institute of Zoology, Germany.
Abstract:
Type I interferons (IFN) are important components of the innate antiviral response. A key signalling pathway activated by IFNα is the Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway. Major components of the pathway have been identified. However, critical kinetic properties that facilitate accelerated initiation of intracellular antiviral signalling and thereby promote virus elimination remain to be determined. By combining mathematical modelling with experimental analysis, we show that control of dynamic behaviour is not distributed among several pathway components but can be primarily attributed to interferon regulatory factor 9 (IRF9), constituting a positive feedback loop. Model simulations revealed that increasing the initial IRF9 concentration reduced the time to peak, increased the amplitude and enhanced termination of pathway activation. These model predictions were experimentally verified by IRF9 over-expression studies. Furthermore, acceleration of signal processing was linked to more rapid and enhanced expression of IFNα target genes. Thus, the amount of cellular IRF9 is a crucial determinant for amplification of early dynamics of IFNα-mediated signal transduction.
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