Interferon regulatory factor-8 (Irf-8), a hematopoietic transcriptional regulator, controls myeloid-cell proliferation and coordinates innate and adaptive host immune responses. Mice from the BXH-2 recombinant inbred strain carry an endogenous R294C mutation in Irf-8. This loss-of-function mutation induces clonal infiltration of undifferentiated Mac-1+/Gr-1 + granulocytic precursors in BXH-2 mice, extramedullary hematopoiesis, and splenomegaly similar to those seen in human chronic myeloid leukemia. It also renders the host permissible to the otherwise avirulent Mycobacterium bovis (BCG), and negatively affects survival or recovery of these mice to other infectious pathogens. Here, we generated a polyc1onal anti-Irf-8 antibody to better characterize the effects of the R294C mutation on Irf-8 protein expression, stability, and inducibility in hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic tissues. We found that mutant Irf-8C294-expressing tissues consistently displayed reduced Irf-8 abundance compared to their wild-type counterparts in both primary splenocytes and following transfection into heterologous cells, presumably due to decreased stability or increased rate of degradation of the mutant isoform. Results also indicate that native Irf-8 is also expressed in the heart, and to a lesser extent, in the kidneys. Since neither of these organs is well-known to be associated with hematopoietic or immune functions, this finding strengthens the possibility that Irf-8 may exert additional regulatory functions in other cellular contexts. Taken together, our study provides a better understanding about the molecular features of the mutant Irf-8 C294 protein and contributes to a growing body of evidence in support of Irf-8 expression in non-hematopoietic tissues.

No description available.