Search bioRxivSearch

Biology subjects

Mukai, K.

Publications and source records attributed to Mukai, K..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Implications of cholesterol and sphingomyelin in STING phosphorylation by TBK1

Stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is essential for the type I interferon response induced by microbial DNA from virus or self-DNA from mitochondria/nuclei. In response to emergence of such DNAs in the cytosol, STING translocates from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi, and activates TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) at the trans-Golgi network (TGN). Activated TBK1 then phosphorylates STING at Ser365, generating an interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF3)-docking site on STING. How this reaction proceeds specifically at the TGN remains poorly understood. Here we report a cell-free reaction in which endogenous STING is phosphorylated by TBK1. The reaction utilizes microsomal membrane fraction prepared from TBK1-knockout (KO) cells and recombinant TBK1. We observed agonist-, TBK1-, "ER-to-Golgi" traffic-, and palmitoylation-dependent phosphorylation of STING at Ser365, mirroring the nature of STING phosphorylation in vivo. Treating the microsomal membrane fraction with sphingomyelinase or methyl-{beta}-cyclodextrin, an agent to extract cholesterol from membranes, suppressed the phosphorylation of STING by TBK1. Given the enrichment of sphingomyelin and cholesterol in the TGN, these results may provide the molecular basis underlying the specific phosphorylation reaction of STING at the TGN.

cell biology

Homeostatic regulation of STING by Golgi-to-ER membrane traffic

Coat protein complex I (COP-I) mediates the retrograde transport from the Golgi to the ER1,2. Mutation of the COPA gene, encoding one of the COP-I subunits (-COP), causes an immune dysregulatory disease (COPA syndrome)3. The molecular mechanism by which the impaired retrograde transport results in autoinflammation is not understood. Here we report that STING4, an innate immunity protein, is a cargo of the Golgi-to-ER membrane transport. In the presence of the disease-causative -COP variants, STING cannot be retrieved back to the ER from the Golgi. The forced Golgi residency of STING results in the cGAS-independent and palmitoylation-dependent activation of the STING downstream signalling pathway. Surf45, a protein that circulates between the ER and the Golgi, binds STING and -COP, and mediates retrograde transport of STING to the ER. STING/Surf4/-COP complex is disrupted in the presence of the disease-causative -COP variant. Intriguingly, the STING ligand cGAMP also impairs the formation of STING/Surf4/-COP complex. Our results suggest a homeostatic regulation of STING at the resting state by the Golgi-to-ER membrane traffic and provide insights into the pathogenesis of COPA syndrome.

cell biology

A defect in COPI-mediated transport of STING causes immune dysregulation in COPA syndrome

Pathogenic COPA variants cause a Mendelian syndrome of immune dysregulation with elevated type I interferon signaling1,2. COPA is a subunit of coat protein complex I (COPI) that mediates Golgi to ER transport3. Missense mutations that disrupt the COPA WD40 domain impair binding and sorting of proteins targeted for retrieval to the ER but how this causes disease remains unknown1,4. Given the importance of COPA in Golgi-ER transport, we speculated that type I interferon signaling in COPA syndrome involves missorting of STING. Here we show that a defect in COPI transport due to mutant COPA causes ligand-independent activation of STING. Furthermore, SURF4 is an adapter molecule that facilitates COPA-mediated retrieval of STING at the Golgi. Activated STING stimulates type I interferon driven inflammation in CopaE241K/+ mice that is rescued in STING-deficient animals. Our results demonstrate that COPA maintains immune homeostasis by regulating STING transport at the Golgi. In addtion, activated STING contributes to immune dysregulation in COPA syndrome and may be a new molecular target in treating the disease.

immunology