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Professor David Tarlinton (right) with some
of his group in 2016, shortly after the move
to Monash University
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A study into a transcription factor important in blood cell development and longevity took the Department of Immunology and Pathology's Professor David Tarlinton and collaborators on a circuitous route to findings that revealed that the factor is far more complex than was first thought.
IRF4 (interferon regulatory factor 4) is critical for the development, maintenance, and function of blood cells. It regulates the transcription of genes that specify the production of plasma cells – the body’s antibody-producing cells – and is crucial for the immune system’s B cells to become activated in response to antigens and to ultimately become plasma cells.
