Antigen-derived peptides directly engage the unfolded-protein sensor IRE1α to curb cross-presentation by dendritic cells

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) promote adaptive immunity by cross-presenting antigen-based epitopes to CD8+ T cells. DCs process internalized protein antigens into peptides that enter the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and upload onto major histocompatibility type I (MHC-I) protein complexes for cell-surface transport and cross-presentation. Perplexingly, DCs often exhibit activation of the ER-stress sensor IRE1α in the absence of classical ER stress—leaving the underlying mechanism unexplained. Here we show that antigen-derived hydrophobic peptides directly engage ER-resident IRE1α by masquerading as unfolded proteins. Furthermore, IRE1α activation depletes MHC-I heavy-chain mRNAs through regulated IRE1α-dependent decay (RIDD), thereby curtailing antigen cross-presentation. In tumor-bearing mice, IRE1α disruption increased MHC-I expression on tumor-infiltrating DCs, and enhanced recruitment and activation of CD8+ T cells. Moreover, IRE1α inhibition synergized with anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment to cause tumor regression. Our findings elucidate the mechanism and consequence of antigen-driven IRE1α activation in DCs, yielding a promising combination strategy for cancer immunotherapy.