This gene encodes a member of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family, a group of transcription factors with diverse roles, including virus-mediated activation of interferon, and modulation of cell growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and immune system activity. Members of the IRF family are characterized by a conserved N-terminal DNA-binding domain containing tryptophan (W) repeats. Alternative promoter use and alternative splicing result in multiple transcript variants, and a 30-nt indel polymorphism (SNP rs60344245) can result in loss of a 10-aa segment. [provided by RefSeq, Dec 2016]
Forensic Context
A study in mice demonstrated that the IRF5 was upregulated in meningeal macrophages one week after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in young animals and was also found to be upregulated in the meninges of aged mice [Bolte et al. DOI:10.7554/eLife.81154].