Dual utilization of an acceptor/donor splice site governs the alternative splicing of the IRF-3 gene

Interferon regulatory factors constitute a family of transcriptional activators and repressors involved in a large number of vital cellular processes. Interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF-3) has been implicated in virus and double-stranded RNA mediated induction of IFN beta and RANTES, in DNA damage signaling, and in virus-induced apoptosis. With its critical role in these pathways, the activity of IRF-3 is tightly regulated in myriad ways. Here we describe novel regulation of IRF-3 at the level of RNA splicing. We show that an unprecedented dual utilization of a splice acceptor/donor site within the IRF-3 mRNA governs the production of two alternative splice isoforms.