IRF8 and IRF3 cooperatively regulate rapid interferon-β induction in human blood monocytes.

Robust and rapid induction of interferon-β (IFN-β) in monocytes after pathogenic stimulation is a hallmark of innate immune responses. Here, we reveal the molecular mechanism underlying this key property that is exclusive to human blood monocytes. We found that IFN-β was produced rapidly in primary human monocytes as a result of cooperation between the myeloid-specific transcription factor IRF8 and the ubiquitous transcription factor IRF3.

Genome-wide mapping of RELA(p65) binding identifies E2F1 as a transcriptional activator recruited by NF-kappaB upon TLR4 activation.

NF-kappaB is a key mediator of inflammation. Here, we mapped the genome-wide loci bound by the RELA subunit of NF-kappaB in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human monocytic cells, and together with global gene expression profiling, found an overrepresentation of the E2F1-binding motif among RELA-bound loci associated with NF-kappaB target genes. Knockdown of endogenous E2F1 impaired the LPS inducibility of the proinflammatory cytokines CCL3(MIP-1alpha), IL23A(p19), TNF-alpha, and IL1-beta.

HERC5 is an IFN-induced HECT-type E3 protein ligase that mediates type I IFN-induced ISGylation of protein targets.

Type I IFNs induce the expression of IFN-stimulated gene 15 (ISG15) and its conjugation to cellular targets. ISGylation is a multistep process involving IFN-inducible Ube1L, UbcH8, and a yet-to-be identified E3 ligase. Here we report the identification of an IFN-induced HECT-type E3 protein ligase, HERC5/Ceb1, which mediates ISGylation.