Inflammatory cytokines promote interferon regulatory factor (IRF) transcriptional activity in human pulmonary epithelial cells through the induction of IRF1 by nuclear factor-κB.

ABSTRACT: Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) play key roles during viral and bacterial infections. However, their regulation by inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α, remains underexplored. As airway epithelial cells (AECs) modulate lung inflammation, IRF expression was characterized in pulmonary A549 and bronchial BEAS-2B epithelial cells along with primary AECs grown in submersion, or air-liquid interface, culture. While, IRF6 mRNA was only highly expressed in primary cells, IRF4 and IRF8 mRNAs were consistently low across the models. All the other IRF mRNAs were expressed in each model. IRF3 and IRF9 mRNAs were highly expressed, but their proteins remained primarily cytoplasmic post-IL-1β treatment in A549 cells. IRF2 showed moderate/high mRNA e

SUBMITTER: Necker-Brown A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12685198 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature