A lysosome-to-nucleus signalling mechanism senses and regulates the lysosome via mTOR and TFEBUnder basal conditions TFEB, a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis, is sequestered in the cytosol due to mTORC1-dependent phosphorylation at the lysosomal membrane. Nutrient starvation or lysosomal dysfunction inhibit mTORC1 activity and induce nuclear translocation of TFEB inducing target gene expression.

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) sense viral and microbial DNA through endosomal Toll-like receptors to produce type 1 interferons. pDCs do not normally respond to self-DNA, but this restriction seems to break down in human autoimmune disease by an as yet poorly understood mechanism. Here we identify the antimicrobial peptide LL37 (also known as CAMP) as the key factor that mediates pDC activation in psoriasis, a common autoimmune disease of the skin. LL37 converts inert self-DNA into a potent trigger of interferon production by binding the DNA to form aggregated and condensed structures that are delivered to and retained within early endocytic compartments in pDCs to trigger Toll-like receptor 9. Thus, our data uncover a fundamental role of an endogenous antimicrobial peptide in breaking innate tolerance to self-DNA and suggest that this pathway may drive autoimmunity in psoriasis.

Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) controls cell growth and proliferation via the raptor-mTOR (TORC1) and rictor-mTOR (TORC2) protein complexes. Recent biochemical studies suggested that TORC2 is the elusive PDK2 for Akt/PKB Ser473 phosphorylation in the hydrophobic motif. Phosphorylation at Ser473, along with Thr308 of its activation loop, is deemed necessary for Akt function, although the regulatory mechanisms and physiological importance of each phosphorylation site remain to be fully understood. Here, we report that SIN1/MIP1 is an essential TORC2/PDK2 subunit. Genetic ablation of sin1 abolished Akt-Ser473 phosphorylation and disrupted rictor-mTOR interaction but maintained Thr308 phosphorylation. Surprisingly, defective Ser473 phosphorylation affected only a subset of Akt targets in vivo, including FoxO1/3a, while other Akt targets, TSC2 and GSK3, and the TORC1 effectors, S6K and 4E-BP1, were unaffected. Our findings reveal that the SIN1-rictor-mTOR function in Akt-Ser473 phosphorylation is required for TORC2 function in cell survival but is dispensable for TORC1 function.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a severe and incurable autoimmune disease characterized by chronic activation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) and production of autoantibodies against nuclear self-antigens by hyperreactive B cells. Neutrophils are also implicated in disease pathogenesis; however, the mechanisms involved are unknown. Here, we identified in the sera of SLE patients immunogenic complexes composed of neutrophil-derived antimicrobial peptides and self-DNA. These complexes were produced by activated neutrophils in the form of web-like structures known as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) and efficiently triggered innate pDC activation via Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). SLE patients were found to develop autoantibodies to both the self-DNA and antimicrobial peptides in NETs, indicating that these complexes could also serve as autoantigens to trigger B cell activation. Circulating neutrophils from SLE patients released more NETs than those from healthy donors; this was further stimulated by the antimicrobial autoantibodies, suggesting a mechanism for the chronic release of immunogenic complexes in SLE. Our data establish a link between neutrophils, pDC activation, and autoimmunity in SLE, providing new potential targets for the treatment of this devastating disease.

Dendritic cell (DC) responses to extracellular self-DNA and self-RNA are prevented by the endosomal seclusion of nucleic acid–recognizing Toll-like receptors (TLRs). In psoriasis, however, plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) sense self-DNA that is transported to endosomal TLR9 upon forming a complex with the antimicrobial peptide LL37. Whether LL37 also interacts with extracellular self-RNA and how this may contribute to DC activation in psoriasis is not known. Here, we report that LL37 can bind self-RNA released by dying cells, protect it from extracellular degradation, and transport it into endosomal compartments of DCs. In pDC, self-RNA–LL37 complexes activate TLR7 and, like self-DNA–LL37 complexes, trigger the secretion of IFN-α without inducing maturation or the production of IL-6 and TNF-α. In contrast to self-DNA–LL37 complexes, self-RNA–LL37 complexes also trigger the activation of classical myeloid DCs (mDCs). This occurs through TLR8 and leads to the production of TNF-α and IL-6, and the differentiation of mDCs into mature DCs. We also found that self-RNA–LL37 complexes are present in psoriatic skin lesions and are associated with mature mDCs in vivo. Our results demonstrate that the cationic antimicrobial peptide LL37 converts self-RNA into a trigger of TLR7 and TLR8 in human DCs, and provide new insights into the mechanism that drives the auto-inflammatory responses in psoriasis.