Identification of a novel splice variant isoform of interferon regulatory factor 10, IRF10, in orange spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides

Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are a family of transcription factors essential to the control of antiviral immune response, cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis. IRF10 was originally found in chicken, which was induced by the v-Rel oncoprotein in lymphoid cell lines and involved in the upregulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and guanylate-binding protein. In fish, IRF10 plays negative roles in regulation of the interferon (IFN) response. Here, we identified a splice variant of IRF10, named as EcIRF10-SF in orange spotted grouper, which shares the first three exons with the long form (EcIRF10-LF) and retains part of intron 3, creating a premature termination codon. Furthermore, we observed that the EcIRF10-SF exhibits similar expression pattern compared to its native counterparts. Functional studies demonstrate that the two EcIRF10 isoforms repress DrIFNϕ1 and DrIFNϕ3 promoter activity and negatively regulate fish antiviral gene expression. Subcellular localization analysis shows that the amino acids from 57 to 86 within DBD are required for IRF10 nuclear import. Overall, our description of transcript diversification of IRF10 in the grouper provides a coherent framework to further dissect its roles in immune response. •Two isoforms of IRF10 were identified in orange spotted grouper.•The short isoform, EcIRF10-SF, shares the first three exons with the long form and retains part of intron 3.•The two isoforms are widely expressed in organs/tissues and EcIRF10-LF is the predominant form.•The amino acids from 57 to 86 within DBD are required for IRF10 nuclear import.•EcIRF10-SF and -LF all repressed the IFN promoter activity and the expression of Poly I:C-induced ISGs.