Interferon regulatory factor 2 binding protein 2: a new player of the innate immune response for stroke recovery

Ischemic brain injury triggers an inflammatory response. This response is necessary to clear damaged brain tissue but can also exacerbate brain injury. Microglia are the innate immune cells of the brain that execute this critical function. In healthy brain, microglia perform a housekeeping function, pruning unused synapses between neurons. However, microglia become activated to an inflammatory phenotype upon brain injury. Interferon regulatory factors modulate microglial activation and their production of inflammatory cytokines. This review briefly discusses recent findings pertaining to these regulatory mechanisms in the context of stroke recovery.