Toll-like receptors (TLR) 7 and 8 are pattern recognition receptors controlling antiviral host defense or autoimmune diseases. Apart from foreign and host RNA, synthetic RNA oligoribonucleotides (ORN) or small molecules of the imidazoquinoline family activate TLR7 and 8 and are being developed as therapeutic agonists. The structure-function relationships for RNA ORN and imidazoquinoline sensing and consequent downstream signaling by human TLR7 and TLR8 are unknown. Proteome- and genome-wide analyses in primary human monocyte-derived dendritic cells here showed that TLR8 sensing of RNA ORN vs. imidazoquinoline translates to ligand-specific differential phosphorylation and transcriptional events. Additionally, TLR7 and 8 ectodomains were found to discriminate between RNA ORN and imidazoquinolines by overlapping and non-overlapping recognition sites to which murine loss-of-function mutations and human naturally occurring hyporesponsive polymorphisms map. Our data suggest TLR7 and TLR8 can signal in two different ‘modes’ depending on the class of ligand. Considering RNA ORN and imidazoquinolines have been regarded as functionally interchangeable, our study highlights important functional incongruities whose understanding will be important for developing TLR7 or 8 therapeutics with desirable effector and safety profiles for in vivo application.

HIV‐1 traffics through dendritic cells (DCs) en route to establishing a productive infection in T lymphocytes but fails to induce an innate immune response. Within DC endosomes, HIV‐1 somehow evades detection by the pattern‐recognition receptor (PRR) Toll‐like receptor 8 (TLR8). Using a phosphoproteomic approach, we identified a robust and diverse signaling cascade triggered by HIV‐1 upon entry into human DCs. A secondary siRNA screen of the identified signaling factors revealed several new mediators of HIV‐1 trans‐infection of CD4+ T cells in DCs, including the dynein motor protein Snapin. Inhibition of Snapin enhanced localization of HIV‐1 with TLR8+ early endosomes, triggered a pro‐inflammatory response, and inhibited trans‐infection of CD4+ T cells. Snapin inhibited TLR8 signaling in the absence of HIV‐1 and is a general regulator of endosomal maturation. Thus, we identify a new mechanism of innate immune sensing by TLR8 in DCs, which is exploited by HIV‐1 to promote transmission.