The TSC-mTOR signaling pathway regulates the innate inflammatory response.
The innate inflammatory immune response must be tightly controlled to avoid damage to the host. Here, we showed that the tuberous sclerosis complex-mammalian target of rapamycin (TSC-mTOR) pathway regulated inflammatory responses after bacterial stimulation in monocytes, macrophages, and primary dendritic cells. Inhibition of mTOR by rapamycin promoted production of proinflammatory cytokines via the transcription factor NF-kappaB but blocked the release of interleukin-10 via the transcription factor STAT3. Conversely, deletion of TSC2, the key negative regulator of mTOR, diminished NF-kappaB but enhanced STAT3 activity and reversed this proinflammatory cytokine shift. Rapamycin-hyperactivated monocytes displayed a strong T helper 1 (Th1) cell- and Th17 cell-polarizing potency. Inhibition of mTOR in vivo regulated the inflammatory response and protected genetically susceptible mice against lethal Listeria monocytogenes infection. These data identify the TSC2-mTOR pathway as a key regulator of innate immune homeostasis with broad clinical implications for infectious and autoimmune diseases, vaccination, cancer, and transplantation.
Department of Internal Medicine III, Clinical Division of Nephrology and Dialysis, Medical University Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Thomas
T
Weichhart
Giuseppina
G
Costantino
Marko
M
Poglitsch
Margit
M
Rosner
Maximilian
M
Zeyda
Karl M
KM
Stuhlmeier
Thomas
T
Kolbe
Thomas M
TM
Stulnig
Walter H
WH
Hörl
Markus
M
Hengstschläger
Mathias
M
Müller
Marcus D
MD
Säemann
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D018417:Th1 Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D014402:Tuberous Sclerosis; D000077005:Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2 Protein; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D016207:Cytokines; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D016328:NF-kappa B; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor; C000624653:TSC2 protein, human; C000624654:Tsc2 protein, mouse; D000077005:Tuberous Sclerosis Complex 2 Protein; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C546842:MTOR protein, human; C546843:mTOR protein, mouse; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus