The Interferon regulatory factors (IRFs) are a family of transcription factors that play pivotal roles in many aspects of the immune response, including immune cell development and differentiation ...and regulating responses to pathogens. Three family members, IRF3, IRF5, and IRF7, are critical to production of type I interferons downstream of pathogen recognition receptors that detect viral RNA and DNA. A fourth family member, IRF9, regulates interferon-driven gene expression. In addition, IRF4, IRF8, and IRF5 regulate myeloid cell development and phenotype, thus playing important roles in regulating inflammatory responses. Thus, understanding how their levels and activity is regulated is of critical importance given that perturbations in either can result in dysregulated immune responses and potential autoimmune disease. This review will focus the role of IRF family members in regulating type I IFN production and responses and myeloid cell development or differentiation, with particular emphasis on how regulation of their levels and activity by ubiquitination and microRNAs may impact autoimmune disease.
Innate immune sensors that detect nucleic acids are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention because of their diverse roles in many disease processes. In detecting RNA and DNA from either self ...or non-self, nucleic acid sensors mediate the pathogenesis of many autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Despite promising pre-clinical data and investigational use in the clinic, relatively few drugs targeting nucleic acid sensors are approved for therapeutic use. Nevertheless, there is growing appreciation for the untapped potential of nucleic acid sensors as therapeutic targets, driven by the need for better therapies for cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmune disorders. This review highlights the diverse mechanisms by which nucleic acid sensors are activated and exert their biological effects in the context of various disease settings. We discuss current therapeutic strategies utilizing agonists and antagonists targeting nucleic acid sensors to treat infectious disease, cancer, and autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.
McWhirter and Jefferies review the mechanisms that link nucleic acid sensors, including TLR, RLR, and cGAS/STING, to infectious disease, cancer, and autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. The authors describe agonists and antagonists targeting nucleic acid sensors and emerging therapeutic strategies currently under investigation.
IRF5 is a member of the Interferon Regulatory Factor (IRF) family of transcription factors activated downstream of the Toll-Like receptors (TLRs). Polymorphisms in IRF5 have been shown to be ...associated with the autoimmune disease Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune conditions, suggesting a central role for IRF5 in the regulation of the immune response. Four different IRF5 isoforms originate due to alternative splicing and to the presence or absence of a 30 nucleotide insertion in IRF5 exon 6. Since the polymorphic region disturbs a PEST domain, a region associated with protein degradation, we hypothesized that the isoforms bearing the insertion might have increased stability, thus explaining the association of individual IRF5 isoforms with SLE. As the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRIpartite Motif 21 (TRIM21) has been shown to regulate the stability and hence activity of members of the IRF family, we investigated whether IRF5 is subjected to regulation by TRIM21 and whether dysregulation of this mechanism could explain the association of IRF5 with SLE. Our results show that IRF5 is degraded following TLR7 activation and that TRIM21 is involved in this process. Comparison of the individual IRF5 variants demonstrates that isoforms generated by alternative splicing are resistant to TRIM21-mediated degradation following TLR7 stimulation, thus providing a functional link between isoforms expression and stability/activity which contributes to explain the association of IRF5 with SLE.
Ursodeoxycholic acid and lithocholic acid exert anti-inflammatory actions in the colon.
312: G550-G558, 2017. First published March 30, 2017; doi:10.1152/ajpgi.00256.2016.-Inflammatory bowel diseases ...(IBD) comprise a group of common and debilitating chronic intestinal disorders for which currently available therapies are often unsatisfactory. The naturally occurring secondary bile acid, ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), has well-established anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective actions and may therefore be effective in treating IBD. We aimed to investigate regulation of colonic inflammatory responses by UDCA and to determine the potential impact of bacterial metabolism on its therapeutic actions. The anti-inflammatory efficacy of UDCA, a nonmetabolizable analog, 6α-methyl-UDCA (6-MUDCA), and its primary colonic metabolite lithocholic acid (LCA) was assessed in the murine dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) model of mucosal injury. The effects of bile acids on cytokine (TNF-α, IL-6, Il-1β, and IFN-γ) release from cultured colonic epithelial cells and mouse colonic tissue in vivo were investigated. Luminal bile acids were measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. UDCA attenuated release of proinflammatory cytokines from colonic epithelial cells in vitro and was protective against the development of colonic inflammation in vivo. In contrast, although 6-MUDCA mimicked the effects of UDCA on epithelial cytokine release in vitro, it was ineffective in preventing inflammation in the DSS model. In UDCA-treated mice, LCA became the most common colonic bile acid. Finally, LCA treatment more potently inhibited epithelial cytokine release and protected against DSS-induced mucosal inflammation than did UDCA. These studies identify a new role for the primary metabolite of UDCA, LCA, in preventing colonic inflammation and suggest that microbial metabolism of UDCA is necessary for the full expression of its protective actions.
On the basis of its cytoprotective and anti-inflammatory actions, the secondary bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has well-established uses in both traditional and Western medicine. We identify a new role for the primary metabolite of UDCA, lithocholic acid, as a potent inhibitor of intestinal inflammatory responses, and we present data to suggest that microbial metabolism of UDCA is necessary for the full expression of its protective effects against colonic inflammation.
Ro52 is a member of the TRIM family of single-protein E3 ligases and is also a target for autoantibody production in systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome. We previously demonstrated a ...novel function of Ro52 in the ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of IRF3 following TLR3/4 stimulation. We now present evidence that Ro52 has a similar role in regulating the stability and activity of IRF7. Endogenous immunoprecipitation of Ro52-bound proteins revealed that IRF7 associates with Ro52, an effect which increases following TLR7 and TLR9 stimulation, suggesting that Ro52 interacts with IRF7 post-pathogen recognition. Furthermore, we show that Ro52 ubiquitinates IRF7 in a dose-dependent manner, resulting in a decrease in total IRF7 expression and a subsequent decrease in IFN-alpha production. IRF7 stability was increased in bone marrow-derived macrophages from Ro52-deficient mice stimulated with imiquimod or CpG-B, consistent with a role for Ro52 in the negative regulation of IRF7 signalling. Taken together, these results suggest that Ro52-mediated ubiquitination promotes the degradation of IRF7 following TLR7 and TLR9 stimulation. As Ro52 is known to be IFN-inducible, this system constitutes a negative-feedback loop that acts to protect the host from the prolonged activation of the immune response.
Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a strong inducer of inflammation and does so by inducing polarization of macrophages to the classic inflammatory M1 population. Given the role of Btk as a ...critical signal transducer downstream of TLR4, we investigated its role in M1/M2 induction. In Btk deficient (Btk (-\-)) mice we observed markedly reduced recruitment of M1 macrophages following intraperitoneal administration of LPS. Ex vivo analysis demonstrated an impaired ability of Btk(-/-) macrophages to polarize into M1 macrophages, instead showing enhanced induction of immunosuppressive M2-associated markers in response to M1 polarizing stimuli, a finding accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of STAT1 and enhanced STAT6 phosphorylation. In addition to STAT activation, M1 and M2 polarizing signals modulate the expression of inflammatory genes via differential activation of transcription factors and regulatory proteins, including NF-κB and SHIP1. In keeping with a critical role for Btk in macrophage polarization, we observed reduced levels of NF-κB p65 and Akt phosphorylation, as well as reduced induction of the M1 associated marker iNOS in Btk(-/-) macrophages in response to M1 polarizing stimuli. Additionally enhanced expression of SHIP1, a key negative regulator of macrophage polarisation, was observed in Btk(-/-) macrophages in response to M2 polarizing stimuli. Employing classic models of allergic M2 inflammation, treatment of Btk (-/-) mice with either Schistosoma mansoni eggs or chitin resulted in increased recruitment of M2 macrophages and induction of M2-associated genes. This demonstrates an enhanced M2 skew in the absence of Btk, thus promoting the development of allergic inflammation.
Abstract Transcription of the type I IFN genes is regulated by members of the Interferon Regulatory Factor (IRF) family of transcription factors, composed in humans of 9 distinct proteins. In ...addition to IRF3 and IRF7, the transcription factor IRF5 has been shown to be involved in type I IFN production and interestingly, polymorphisms of the IRF5 gene in humans can result in risk or protective haplotypes with regard to SLE susceptibility. In addition to regulation of type I IFN expression, IRF5 is involved in other signaling pathways, including IgG switching in B cells, macrophage polarization and apoptosis, and its role in SLE pathogenesis may therefore not be limited to dysregulated control of IFN expression. In this review we will comprehensively discuss the role of IRF5 in immune-mediated responses and its potential multifaceted role in conferring SLE susceptibility.
Patients suffering from Systemic Lupus Erythematous (SLE) have elevated type I interferon (IFN) levels which correlate with disease activity and severity. TRIM21, an autoantigen associated with SLE, ...has been identified as an ubiquitin E3 ligase that targets the transcription factor IRF3 in order to turn off and limit type I IFN production following detection of viral and bacterial infection by Toll Like Receptors (TLRs). However, how the activity of TRIM21 is regulated downstream of TLRs is unknown. In this study we demonstrate that TRIM21 is tyrosine phosphorylated following TLR3 and TLR4 stimulation, suggesting that its activity is potentially regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Using Netphos, we have identified three key tyrosines that are strongly predicted to be phosphorylated, two of which are conserved between the human and murine forms of TRIM21, at residues 343, 388, and 393, all of which have been mutated from tyrosine to phenylalanine (Y343F, Y388F, and Y393F). We have observed that tyrosine phosphorylation of TRIM21 only occurs in the substrate binding PRY/SPRY domain, and that Y393, and to a lesser extent, Y388 are required for TRIM21 to function as a negative regulator of IFN-β promoter activity. Further studies revealed that mutating Y393 to phenylalanine inhibits the ability of TRIM21 to interact with its substrate, IRF3, thus providing a molecular explanation for the lack of activity of Y393 on the IFN-β promoter. Our data demonstrates a novel role for tyrosine phosphorylation in regulating the activity of TRIM21 downstream of TLR3 and TLR4. Given the pathogenic role of TRIM21 in systemic autoimmunity, these findings have important implications for the development of novel therapeutics.
Herpes simplex keratitis (HSK), caused by herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) infection, is the commonest cause of infectious blindness in the developed world. Following infection the virus is ...initially suspended in the tear film, where it encounters a multi-pronged immune response comprising enzymes, complement, immunoglobulins and crucially, a range of anti-viral and pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, given that HSV-1 can overcome innate immune responses to establish lifelong latency throughout a susceptible individual's lifetime, there is significant interest in understanding the mechanisms employed by HSV-1 to downregulate the anti-viral type I interferon (IFN) mediated immune responses. This study aimed to investigate the interactions between infected cell protein (ICP)0 and key elements of the IFN pathway to identify possible novel targets that contribute to viral immune evasion. Reporter gene assays demonstrated the ability of ICP0 to inhibit type I IFN activity downstream of pathogen recognition receptors (PRRs) which are known to be involved in host antiviral defences. Further experiments identified interferon regulatory factor (IRF)7, a driver of type I IFN, as a potential target for ICP0. These findings increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of HSK and suggest IRF7 as a potential therapeutic target.
Ro52/Trim21 is targeted as an autoantigen in systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren's syndrome. Polymorphisms in the Ro52 gene have been linked to these autoimmune conditions, but the molecular ...mechanism by which Ro52 may promote development of systemic autoimmune diseases has not been explored. To address this issue, we generated Ro52-null mice (Ro52(-/-)), which appear phenotypically normal if left unmanipulated. However, Ro52(-/-) mice develop severe dermatitis extending from the site of tissue injury induced by ear tags. The affected mice further develop several signs of systemic lupus with hypergammaglobulinemia, autoantibodies to DNA, proteinuria, and kidney pathology. Ro52, which was recently identified as an E3 ligase, mediates ubiquitination of several members of the interferon regulatory factor (IRF) family, and the Ro52-deficient mice have an enhanced production of proinflammatory cytokines that are regulated by the IRF transcription factors, including cytokines involved in the Th17 pathway (interleukin IL 6, IL-12/IL-23p40, and IL-17). Loss of IL-23/IL-17 by genetic deletion of IL-23/p19 in the Ro52(-/-) mice conferred protection from skin disease and systemic autoimmunity. These data reveal that the lupus-associated Ro52 protein is an important negative regulator of proinflammatory cytokine production, and they provide a mechanism by which a defective Ro52 function can lead to tissue inflammation and systemic autoimmunity through the IL-23-Th17 pathway.
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