Systematic Discovery of TLR Signaling Components Delineates Viral-Sensing Circuits

  • Genomics
  • Immunology
  • Infectious Disease
  • Alex K. Shalek
  • Chevrier et al.▾
    Chevrier, N., Mertins, P., Artyomov, M.N., Shalek, A.K., Iannacone, M., Ciaccio, M.F., Gat-Viks, I., Tonti, E., DeGrace, M.M., Clauser, K.R., Garber, M., Eisenhaure, T.M., Yosef, N., Robinson, J.T., Sutton, A., Andersen, M.S., Root, D.E., von Andrian, U., Jones, R.B., Park, H., Carr, S.A., Regev, A., Amit, I., and Hacohen, N.
  • Cell , Issue 147
  • November, 2011
Genomics
Immunology
Infectious Disease
Alex K. Shalek

Abstract

Deciphering the signaling networks that underlie normal and disease processes remains a major challenge. Here, we report the discovery of signaling components involved in the Toll-like receptor (TLR) response of immune dendritic cells (DCs), including a previously unkown pathway shared across mammalian antiviral responses. By combining transcriptional profiling, genetic and small-molecule perturbations, and phosphoproteomics, we uncover 35 signaling regulators, including 16 known regulators, involved in TLR signaling. In particular, we find that Polo-like kinases (Plk) 2 and 4 are essential components of antiviral pathways in vitro and in vivo and activate a signaling branch involving a dozen proteins, among which is Tnfaip2, a gene associated with autoimmune diseases but whose role was unknown. Our study illustrates the power of combining systematic measurements and perturbations to elucidate complex signaling circuits and discover potential therapeutic targets.

Systematic Discovery of TLR Signaling Components Delineates Viral-Sensing Circuits