Innate immune receptor signaling, united

Innate immune receptors, such as RIG-I, cGAS, and TLRs (Toll-like receptors), bind microbial fragments and alert the immune system to an infection. Each receptor type signals through a different adaptor protein. These signals activate the protein kinase TBK1 and the transcription factor IRF3, which stimulates the production and secretion of interferon proteins (IFNs) important for host defense. Liu et al. report a common signaling mechanism used by all three types of innate immune receptor-adaptor protein pairs to activate IRF3 and generate IFNs. This is important because cells must regulate their IFN production carefully to avoid inflammation and autoimmunity. S. Liu, X. Cai, J. Wu, Q. Cong, X. Chen, T. Li, F. Du, J. Ren, Y.-T. Wu, N. V. Grishin, Z. J. Chen, Phosphorylation of innate immune adaptor proteins MAVS, STING, and TRIF induces IRF3 activation. Science 347 , aaa2630 (2015). [Abstract][Full Text]