STAT4 promotes Bhlhe40 induction to drive protective IFN-g from natural killer cells during viral infection [IL18R1KO RNA-seq]
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ABSTRACT: NK cells represent a cellular component of the mammalian innate immune system, and mount rapid responses against viral infection, including the secretion of the potent anti-viral effector cytokine IFN-g. Following mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection, Bhlhe40 was the most highly induced transcription factor in NK cells among the basic helix-loop-helix family. Bhlhe40 upregulation in NK cells depended upon IL-12 and IL-18 signals, with the promoter of Bhlhe40 enriched for STAT4 and the permissive histone H3K4me3, and STAT4-deficient NK cells showing an impairment of Bhlhe40 induction and diminished H3K4me3. Transcriptomic and protein analysis of Bhlhe40-deficient NK cells revealed a defect in IFN-g production during MCMV infection, resulting in diminished protective immunity following viral challenge. Finally, we provide evidence that Bhlhe40 directly promotes IFN-g by binding throughout the Ifng loci in activated NK cells. Thus, our study reveals how STAT4-mediated control of Bhlhe40 drives protective IFN-g secretion by NK cells during viral infection.
Project description:NK cells represent a cellular component of the mammalian innate immune system, and mount rapid responses against viral infection, including the secretion of the potent anti-viral effector cytokine IFN-g. Following mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection, Bhlhe40 was the most highly induced transcription factor in NK cells among the basic helix-loop-helix family. Bhlhe40 upregulation in NK cells depended upon IL-12 and IL-18 signals, with the promoter of Bhlhe40 enriched for STAT4 and the permissive histone H3K4me3, and STAT4-deficient NK cells showing an impairment of Bhlhe40 induction and diminished H3K4me3. Transcriptomic and protein analysis of Bhlhe40-deficient NK cells revealed a defect in IFN-g production during MCMV infection, resulting in diminished protective immunity following viral challenge. Finally, we provide evidence that Bhlhe40 directly promotes IFN-g by binding throughout the Ifng loci in activated NK cells. Thus, our study reveals how STAT4-mediated control of Bhlhe40 drives protective IFN-g secretion by NK cells during viral infection.
Project description:NK cells represent a cellular component of the mammalian innate immune system, and mount rapid responses against viral infection, including the secretion of the potent anti-viral effector cytokine IFN-g. Following mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection, Bhlhe40 was the most highly induced transcription factor in NK cells among the basic helix-loop-helix family. Bhlhe40 upregulation in NK cells depended upon IL-12 and IL-18 signals, with the promoter of Bhlhe40 enriched for STAT4 and the permissive histone H3K4me3, and STAT4-deficient NK cells showing an impairment of Bhlhe40 induction and diminished H3K4me3. Transcriptomic and protein analysis of Bhlhe40-deficient NK cells revealed a defect in IFN-g production during MCMV infection, resulting in diminished protective immunity following viral challenge. Finally, we provide evidence that Bhlhe40 directly promotes IFN-g by binding throughout the Ifng loci in activated NK cells. Thus, our study reveals how STAT4-mediated control of Bhlhe40 drives protective IFN-g secretion by NK cells during viral infection.
Project description:NK cells represent a cellular component of the mammalian innate immune system, and mount rapid responses against viral infection, including the secretion of the potent anti-viral effector cytokine IFN-g. Following mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection, Bhlhe40 was the most highly induced transcription factor in NK cells among the basic helix-loop-helix family. Bhlhe40 upregulation in NK cells depended upon IL-12 and IL-18 signals, with the promoter of Bhlhe40 enriched for STAT4 and the permissive histone H3K4me3, and STAT4-deficient NK cells showing an impairment of Bhlhe40 induction and diminished H3K4me3. Transcriptomic and protein analysis of Bhlhe40-deficient NK cells revealed a defect in IFN-g production during MCMV infection, resulting in diminished protective immunity following viral challenge. Finally, we provide evidence that Bhlhe40 directly promotes IFN-g by binding throughout the Ifng loci in activated NK cells. Thus, our study reveals how STAT4-mediated control of Bhlhe40 drives protective IFN-g secretion by NK cells during viral infection.
Project description:Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that have been recently appreciated to display features of adaptive immunity in response to viral infection. Biallelic mutations in the IRF8 gene have been reported to cause familial NK cell deficiency and susceptibility to severe viral infection in humans; however, the precise role of this transcription factor in regulating NK cell function remained unknown. Here, we show that IRF8 is required in a cell-intrinsic manner for NK cell-mediated protection against mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. During exposure to MCMV, IRF8 is robustly upregulated in NK cells by IL-12 and STAT4, which promotes epigenetic remodeling of the Irf8 locus. Moreover, IRF8 facilitates the proliferative burst of virus-specific NK cells by promoting expression of a suite of DNA replication and cell cycle genes, and directly regulating Zbtb32, a master regulator of NK cell proliferation during viral challenge. These results identify a novel function and cell-type specific regulation for IRF8 in host antiviral immunity, and provide a mechanistic understanding of virus susceptibility in patients with IRF8 mutations.
Project description:Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that possess features of adaptive immunity such as clonal expansion and generation of long-lived memory. Here we look at transcriptional profiles of NK cells throughout several time points during MCMV infection, ex-vivo cytokine stimulation, and/or deficiency of key transcription factors such as STAT4, STAT1, and Runx1. In addition, we profile parallel time points of MCMV-specific CD8 T cells during infection and memory formation.
Project description:Natural killer (NK) cells play a critical role in early host defense to infected and transformed cells. Here we show that mice deficient in Eri1, a conserved 3M-bM-^@M-^Y-to-5M-bM-^@M-^Y exoribonuclease that represses RNA interference, have a cell-intrinsic defect in NK cell development and maturation. Eri1M-bM-^@M-^S/M-bM-^@M-^S NK cells displayed delayed acquisition of Ly49 receptors in the bone marrow and a selective reduction in Ly49D and Ly49H activating receptors in the periphery. Eri1 was required for immune-mediated control of mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection. Ly49H+ NK cells deficient in Eri1 failed to expand efficiently during MCMV infection, and virus-specific responses were also diminished among Eri1M-bM-^@M-^S/M-bM-^@M-^S T cells. We identified miRNAs as the major endogenous small RNA target of Eri1 in mouse lymphocytes. Both NK and T cells deficient in Eri1 displayed a global, sequence-independent increase in miRNA abundance. Ectopic Eri1 expression rescued defective miRNA expression in mature Eri1M-bM-^@M-^S/M-bM-^@M-^S T cells. Thus, mouse Eri1 regulates miRNA homeostasis in lymphocytes and is required for normal NK cell development and anti-viral immunity. Small RNA profiling from wildtype and Eri1-deficient mouse CD4+ T cells
Project description:Murine Cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection leads to the activation of various immune cells, including dendritic cells (DCs) and Natural Killer (NK) cells. This activation is partly driven by innate cytokines including IFN-I, which are induced early after infection. The objective was to address the role of different innate cytokines in shaping DC subsets and NK cell responses, in particular the role of cell intrinsic responses to IFN-I. In order to decipher the specific impact of cell-intrinsic IFN-I on cell subsets, we performed a genome-wide expression analysis on CD45.1 WT and CD45.2 IFNAR-/- splenic conventional DC (cDC) subsets and NK cells isolated from C57BL/6 [CD45.1 WT / CD45.2 IFNAR-KO] mixed bone marow chimera mice. This study includes data from cDC subsets (CD8a and CD11b) and NK cells purified by flow cytometry sorting from the spleen of bone marrow chimera (BMC) mice, under steady-state or MCMV condition. Two independent replicates were made for each cell type, from two independent pools of spleens from uninfected or d1.5 MCMV-infected BMC 5-8 mice, and were hybridized on 3 separate batches of gene chips.
Project description:Murine Cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection leads to early activation of various immune cells, including B and T lymphocytes, before the actual initiation of antigen-specific adaptive immunity. This activation is partly driven by innate cytokines, including type I interferon (IFN), which are induced early after infection. The objective of this study was to address the role of type I IFN in shaping early/innate B and T cell responses to a primary acute viral infection. In order to decipher the specific impact of IFN-I on cell subsets, we performed a genome-wide expression analysis on WT splenic B and CD8 T lymphocytes isolated from C57BL/6 [CD45.1 WT / CD45.2 IFNAR-KO] mixed bone marrow chimera mice. This study complements series GSE39555, which focused on early responses of NK cells and of the two subsets of conventional dendritic cells. This study includes data from B and CD8 T lymphocytes purified by flow cytometry sorting from the spleen of bone marrow chimera (BMC) mice, under steady-state or MCMV conditions. Two independent replicates were made for each cell type, from two independent pools of spleens from uninfected or d1.5 MCMV-infected BMC 5-8 mice, and were hybridized on 3 separate batches of GeneChips.