Methotrexate suppresses psoriatic skin inflammation by inhibiting muropeptide transporter SLC46A2 activity.

Cytosolic innate immune sensing is critical for protecting barrier tissues. NOD1 and NOD2 are cytosolic sensors of small peptidoglycan fragments (muropeptides) derived from the bacterial cell wall. These muropeptides enter cells, especially epithelial cells, through unclear mechanisms. We previously implicated SLC46 transporters in muropeptide transport in Drosophila immunity. Here, we focused on Slc46a2, which was highly expressed in mammalian epidermal keratinocytes, and showed that it was critical for the delivery of diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-muropeptides and activation of NOD1 in keratinocytes, whereas the related transporter Slc46a3 was critical for delivering the NOD2 ligand MDP to keratinocytes. In a mouse model, Slc46a2 and Nod1 deficiency strongly suppressed psoriatic inflammation, whereas methotrexate, a commonly used psoriasis therapeutic, inhibited Slc46a2-dependent transport of DAP-muropeptides. Collectively, these studies define SLC46A2 as a transporter of NOD1-activating muropeptides, with critical roles in the skin barrier, and identify this transporter as an important target for anti-inflammatory intervention.

The IL-10 receptor inhibits cell extrinsic signals necessary for STAT1-dependent macrophage accumulation during colitis.

The loss of IL-10R function leads to severe early onset colitis and, in murine models, is associated with the accumulation of immature inflammatory colonic macrophages. We have shown that IL-10R-deficient colonic macrophages exhibit increased STAT1-dependent gene expression, suggesting that IL-10R-mediated inhibition of STAT1 signaling in newly recruited colonic macrophages might interfere with the development of an inflammatory phenotype. Indeed, STAT1-/- mice exhibit defects in colonic macrophage accumulation after Helicobacter hepaticus infection and IL-10R blockade, and this was phenocopied in mice lacking IFNγR, an inducer of STAT1 activation. Radiation chimeras demonstrated that reduced accumulation of STAT1-deficient macrophages was based on a cell-intrinsic defect. Unexpectedly, mixed radiation chimeras generated with both wild-type and IL-10R-deficient bone marrow indicated that rather than directly interfering with STAT1 function, IL-10R inhibits the generation of cell extrinsic signals that promote the accumulation of immature macrophages. These results define the essential mechanisms controlling the inflammatory macrophage accumulation in inflammatory bowel diseases.

The NF-κB Factor Relish Regulates Atg1 Expression and Controls Autophagy.

Macroautophagy and cell death both contribute to innate immunity, but little is known about how these processes integrate. Drosophila larval salivary glands require autophagy for developmentally programmed cell death, and innate immune signaling factors increase in these dying cells. Here, we show that the nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) factor Relish, a component of the immune deficiency (Imd) pathway, is required for salivary gland degradation. Surprisingly, of the classic Imd pathway components, only Relish and the PGRP receptors were involved in salivary gland degradation. Significantly, Relish controls salivary gland degradation by regulating autophagy but not caspases. In addition, expression of either Relish or PGRP-LC causes premature autophagy induction and subsequent gland degradation. Relish controls autophagy by regulating the expression of Atg1, a core component and activator of the autophagy pathway. Together these findings demonstrate that a NF-κB pathway regulates autophagy during developmentally programmed cell death.

Innate immune signaling in Drosophila is regulated by transforming growth factor ß (TGFß)-activated kinase (Tak1)-triggered ubiquitin editing.

Coordinated regulation of innate immune responses is necessary in all metazoans. In Drosophila the Imd pathway detects Gram-negative bacterial infections through recognition of diaminopimelic acid (DAP)-type peptidoglycan and activation of the NF-κB precursor Relish, which drives robust antimicrobial peptide gene expression. Imd is a receptor-proximal adaptor protein homologous to mammalian RIP1 that is regulated by proteolytic cleavage and Lys-63-polyubiquitination. However, the precise events and molecular mechanisms that control the post-translational modification of Imd remain unclear. Here, we demonstrate that Imd is rapidly Lys-63-polyubiquitinated at lysine residues 137 and 153 by the sequential action of two E2 enzymes, Ubc5 and Ubc13-Uev1a, in conjunction with the E3 ligase Diap2. Lys-63-ubiquitination activates the TGFß-activated kinase (Tak1), which feeds back to phosphorylate Imd, triggering the removal of Lys-63 chains and the addition of Lys-48 polyubiquitin. This ubiquitin-editing process results in the proteasomal degradation of Imd, which we propose functions to restore homeostasis to the Drosophila immune response.

RNA and ß-hemolysin of group B Streptococcus induce interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) by activating NLRP3 inflammasomes in mouse macrophages.

The inflammatory cytokine IL-1ß is critical for host responses against many human pathogens. Here, we define Group B Streptococcus (GBS)-mediated activation of the Nod-like receptor-P3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in macrophages. NLRP3 activation requires GBS expression of the cytolytic toxin, ß-hemolysin, lysosomal acidification, and leakage. These processes allow the interaction of GBS RNA with cytosolic NLRP3. The present study supports a model in which GBS RNA, along with lysosomal components including cathepsins, leaks out of lysosomes and interacts with NLRP3 to induce IL-1ß production.