A study team, led by CAO Xuetao, a Chinese Academy of Sciences academician working at Second Military Medical University Institute of Immunology, reported their findings on LRRFIP1, a cytosolic nucleic acid sensor that can detect microbial RNA and DNA, and trigger the production of type I interferon. A commentary accompanying the paper said the finding pointed out a new direction for people to understand how human immune systems work on pathogenic organisms, and for designing new anti-infection immune drugs as well.  

Researchers showed that LRRFIP1 bound exogenous nucleic acids and increased the expression of IFN-β induced by both double-stranded RNA and double-stranded DNA. LRRFIP1 interacted with β-catenin and promoted the activation of β-catenin, which increased IFN-β expression by binding to the C-terminal domain of the transcription factor IRF3 and recruiting the acetyltransferase p300 to the IFN-β enhanceosome via IRF3. Therefore, LRRFIP1 and its downstream partner β-catenin constitute another coactivator pathway for IRF3-mediated production of type I interferon. The finding makes a new target for designing anti-infection drugs.