The Increase in Levels of Interferon-Inducible Proteins p202a and p202b and RNA-Dependent Protein Kinase (PKR) During Myoblast Differentiation Is Due to Transactivation by MyoD: Their Tissue Distribution in Uninfected Mice Does Not Depend on Interferons

Abstract

The murine 200 family proteins p202a, p202b, and p204, and also RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR) are inducible by interferons (IFNs). p202a, p202b, and p204 modulate the activity of a large variety of transcription factors and also are involved in muscle differentiation. PKR is a multifunctional serine/threonine kinase, which is involved in antiviral defense and cell growth control and in the response to various stress signals. We reported earlier that the level of p204 increases during cultured C2C12 myoblast differentiation to myotubes in consequence of transactivation by the skeletal muscle-specific MyoD protein. The levels of p202a, p202b, and PKR also increase during the differentiation. We report here that these increased protein levels also are due to the transactivation of their genes by MyoD. This is made possible by the occurrence in each of these genes of at least six E boxes, which are recognition sites for MyoD. We also show that the distribution of the p204, p202a, p202b, and PKR proteins in five tissues of adult C129 mice is the same in wild-type mice and mice lacking the IFN-α, IFN-β, and IFN-γ receptors. This indicates that the synthesis and distribution of these proteins in uninfected adult mice are not affected by endogenous IFNs.