PROMOTER STRUCTURE OF THE MXA GENE THAT CONFERS RESISTANCE TO INFLUENZA-VIRUS

The human MxA protein is one of the interferon-inducible proteins that inhibits multiplication of influenza virus and other viruses. To clar ify the control mechanism of its expression, we prepared a series of m utant MxA promoters and identified a 30 nucleotides long cis-acting in terferon-responsive element by transient transfection assay. Its nucle otide sequence if somewhat similar to that of ISRE (interferon-stimula ted response element), suggesting that the regulation of MxA mRNA synt hesis is under the control of some ISRE binding factor such as ISGF-3 (interferon-stimulated gene factor-3).