[Mechanism for synergistic effect of IRF4 and MITF on tyrosinase promoter]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 9, 2026

High-throughput Identification of Synergistic Drug Combinations by the Overlap2 Method
Published on: May 21, 2018
Jian Song1, Xueming Liu2, Jiada Li3
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008; Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology Major Disease Research of Hunan Province, Changsha 410008, China.
Objective:
To investigate the mechanism for the synergistic effect of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) on tyrosinase (TYR) promoter. Methods: The synergistic transcriptional effect, subcellular localization, and protein-protein interaction for IRF4 and MITF were observed by luciferase assay, immunofluorescence, GST-pull down, and co-immunoprecipitation, respectively. Results: IRF4 and MITF proteins were co-expressed in the cell nucleus. IRF4 augmented the transcriptional function of MITF (but not the mutant MITF) to activate the expression of the TYR promoter, but with no effect on other MITF-specific target promoters. IRF4 alone did not affect TYR promoter significantly. No direct interaction between the two proteins was noted. Conclusion: IRF4 and MITF exert a specifically synergistic effect on activation of TYR promoter through IRF4-mediated upregulation of transcriptional function of MITF. This synergistic effect is mainly regulated by MITF; DNA might be involved in the interaction between the two proteins.
Related Concept Videos
The Eukaryotic Promoter Region
The Eukaryotic Promoter Region
Anaphase Promoting Complex
Models of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention II
The agent-host-environment model states that disease results...
Reaction Mechanisms
For instance, the decomposition of ozone appears to follow a mechanism with two steps:
Mechanical Protein Functions

