Many studies have been conducted over the last few decades to understand better the functions of IRF3 and IRF7 in antiviral immune responses. However, the precise underlying molecular mechanism of IRF1-mediated immune response remains largely unknown. Recent studies indicate that IRF1 exerts strong antiviral activities against several viral infections through diverse mechanisms, both in IFN-dependent and IFN-independent manners. Nevertheless, the efficacy and kinetics of inducing IFNs and ISGs remain unknown. Here we summarize the recent advances in IRF1 research and highlight its potential roles in initiating IFN immune responses and subsequent IRF1-triggering antiviral responses. Challenges regarding the IFN positive feedback mediated by IRF7 during infection will be discussed; this classical loop may also be mediated in part by IRF1. Therefore, we propose a revised model that may help decipher the functional roles of IRF1 in antiviral immunity.

在过去的几十年中进行了许多研究，以更好地了解 IRF3 和 IRF7 在抗病毒免疫反应中的功能。然而，IRF1介导的免疫反应的确切潜在分子机制仍然很大程度上未知。最近的研究表明，IRF1 通过多种机制（以 IFN 依赖性和 IFN 非依赖性方式）对多种病毒感染发挥强大的抗病毒活性。然而，诱导 IFN 和 ISG 的功效和动力学仍然未知。在这里，我们总结了 IRF1 研究的最新进展，并强调了它在启动 IFN 免疫反应和随后的 IRF1 触发抗病毒反应中的潜在作用。将讨论在感染期间由 IRF7 介导的 IFN 正反馈的挑战；这个经典循环也可能部分由 IRF1 介导。所以，