title: Beyond autophagy: New roles for ULK1 in immune signaling and interferon responses.
abstract: The human serine/threonine kinase ULK1 is the human homolog of the Caenorhabditis elegans Unc-51 kinase and of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae autophagy-related protein kinase Atg1. As Unc-51 and Atg1, ULK1 regulates both axon growth and autophagy, respectively, in mammalian cells. However, a novel immunoregulatory role of ULK1 has been recently described. This kinase was shown to be required for regulation of both type I interferon (IFN) production and induction of type I IFN signaling. Optimal regulation of IFN production is crucial for generation of effective IFN-immune responses, and defects in such networks can be detrimental for the host leading to uncontrolled pathogen infection, tumor growth, or autoimmune diseases. Thus, ULK1 plays a central role in IFN-dependent immunity. Here we review the diverse roles of ULK1, with special focus on its importance to type I IFN signaling, and highlight important future study questions.
authors.affiliation: Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA. Electronic address: diana.saleiro@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Saleiro
authors.affiliation: Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 820 S. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Electronic address: ewa.kosciuczuk@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Ewa M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Kosciuczuk
authors.affiliation: Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and Division of Hematology-Oncology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, 303 East Superior Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, USA; Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Jesse Brown Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 820 S. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60612, USA. Electronic address: l-platanias@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Leonidas C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Platanias
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D001343:Autophagy / Q000276:immunology*; D000071189:Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog / Q000276:immunology*; D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000276:immunology; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000276:immunology; D007370:Interferon Type I / Q000276:immunology*; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000276:immunology; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000276:immunology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000276:immunology; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000071183:Autophagy-Related Proteins; D029742:Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins; D007370:Interferon Type I; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; C477823:ATG1 protein, S cerevisiae; C112443:UNC-51 protein, C elegans; D000071189:Autophagy-Related Protein-1 Homolog; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; C484754:ULK1 protein, human
keywords: Immune signaling; Innate immunity; Interferon; Signal transduction; ULK1