Interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7)

Key transcriptional regulator of type I interferon (IFN)-dependent immune responses and plays a critical role in the innate immune response against DNA and RNA viruses. Regulates the transcription of type I IFN genes (IFN-alpha and IFN-beta) and IFN-stimulated genes (ISG) by binding to an interferon-stimulated response element (ISRE) in their promoters.

Can effectively activate both the IFN-beta (IFNB) and the IFN-alpha (IFNA) genes and mediate their induction via both the virus-activated, MyD88- independent pathway and the TLR-activated, MyD88-dependent pathway. Required during both the early and late phases of the IFN gene induction but is more critical for the late compared to the early phase.