title: Deficiency in IRAK4 activity attenuates manifestations of murine Lupus.
abstract: Interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase (IRAK) 4 mediates host defense against infections. As an active kinase, IRAK4 elicits full spectra of myeloid differentiation primary response protein (MyD) 88-dependent responses, while kinase-inactive IRAK4 induces a subset of cytokines and negative regulators whose expression is not regulated by mRNA stability. IRAK4 kinase activity is critical for resistance against Streptococcus pneumoniae, but its involvement in autoimmunity is incompletely understood. In this study, we determined the role of IRAK4 kinase activity in murine lupus. Lupus development in BXSB mice expressing the Y chromosome autoimmunity accelerator (Yaa) increased basal and Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4/7-induced phosphorylation of mitogen-activated protein kinases, p65 nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), enhanced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and C-C motif chemokine ligand (CCL) 5 gene expression in splenic macrophages, but decreased levels of Toll-interacting protein and IRAK-M, without affecting IRAK4 or IRAK1 expression. Mice harboring kinase-inactive IRAK4 on the lupus-prone Yaa background manifested blunted TLR signaling in macrophages and reduced glomerulonephritis, splenomegaly, serum anti-nuclear antibodies, numbers of splenic macrophages, total and TNF-α+dendritic cells, activated T- and B-lymphocytes, and lower TNF-α expression in macrophages compared with lupus-prone mice with functional IRAK4. Thus, IRAK4 kinase activity contributes to murine lupus and could represent a new therapeutic target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Goutham
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pattabiraman
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Tissa T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Manavalan
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Andrei E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Medvedev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000235:genetics; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D007153:Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes; D053592:Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinases / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D000081207:Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013154:Spleen / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000276:immunology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C503460:Ccl5 protein, mouse; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D016207:Cytokines; D016328:NF-kappa B; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D053592:Interleukin-1 Receptor-Associated Kinases; C507774:Irak4 protein, mouse; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
keywords: Autoimmunity; IRAK4; Innate Immunity; Macrophage Toll-like receptors (TLRs)