IRAK-4 kinase inactive (IRAK-4 KD) knock-in mice display defects in TLR-and IL-1 receptor signaling and are resistant to LPS-induced shock. In the present study we examined the LPS-induced response in IRAK-4 KD mice in more detail. We show that IRAK-4 kinase activity is required for certain aspects of TLR-mediated signaling but not for others. We found that IRAK-4 KD cells displayed reduced JNK and p38 signaling, while NF-jB was activated to a normal level but with delayed kinetics compared to wildtype cells. TLR4-mediated IRF3 activation was intact in these cells. Comprehensive analysis of expression of LPS-inducible genes by microarray demonstrated that IRAK-4 KD cells were severely impaired in the expression of many pro-inflammatory genes, suggesting their dependence on IRAK-4 kinase activity. In contrast, the expression of a subset of LPS-induced genes of anti-viral response was not affected by IRAK-4 kinase deficiency. Additionally, we demonstrate that LPS-activated early expression and production of some cytokines, e.g., TNF-a, is partially induced in the absence of IRAK-4 kinase activity. This suggests that the partially unaffected TLR4-mediated signaling could still drive expression of these genes in early phases and that IRAK-4 kinase activity is important for a more sustained anti-bacterial response.
IntroductionThe Toll-like receptor (TLR) family of molecules mediates innate immunity by recognizing specific pathogen-associated molecular patterns [1]. The TLR signaling pathways share common components with IL-1 receptor signaling. Upon ligand binding, the intracellular adaptor protein myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) interacts with the receptor via Toll/ IL-1 receptor (TIR) domains. This leads to recruitment of IL-1 receptor-associated kinase-4 (IRAK-4) and IRAK-1 and TNF-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) to the receptor complex [2,3]. As a consequence, IRAK-1 is phosphorylated [4,5], and later ubiquitinylated and degraded [6]. Hyperphosphorylated IRAK-1 and TRAF6 leave the receptor complex to further activate downstream IjB kinases (IKK) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK): p38 and Jun-N-terminal kinases (JNK) [7,8]. Subsequently, this triggers activation of transcription factors such as NF-jB and AP-1, which are involved in control of expression of many pro-inflammatory genes encoding cytokines, chemokines, adhesion molecules and proteolytic enzymes [9,10]. Among TLR, TLR4 is the receptor for lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a major cell wall component of Gramnegative bacteria [11]. In addition to the MyD88-dependent signaling pathway, TLR4 can also recruit another adaptor molecule, the TIR domain-containing adaptor inducing IFN-b (TRIF) [12]. This MyD88-independent TRIF-dependent pathway triggers activation of NF-jB, AP-1, as well as IFN regulatory factor 3 (IRF3) transcription factors [1,13]. IRF3 contributes to the expression of genes such as IFN-c-inducible protein 10 (IP-10/Cxcl10) and IFN-b, involved in anti-viral immune responses [14,15].Despite the fact that the essential role of IRAK-4...