Involvement of DNA-PKcs in the Type I IFN Response to CpG-ODNs in Conventional Dendritic Cells in TLR9-Dependent or -Independent Manners

CpG-ODNs activate dendritic cells (DCs) to produce interferon alpha (IFNα) and beta (IFNβ). Previous studies demonstrated that Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) deficient DCs exhibited a residual IFNα response to CpG-A, indicating that yet-unidentified molecules are also involved in induction of IFNα by CpG-A. Here, we report that the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) but not Ku70 deficient BMDCs showed defective IFNα and IFNβ responses to CpG-A or CpG-B. Loss of both DNA-PKcs and TLR9 further reduced the IFNα response to CpG-A. These DNA-PKcs and TLR9 effects were mediated by their downstream Akt/mTORC1 pathway and downstream events IRAK1 and IKKα. Loss of DNA-PKcs, TLR9, MyD88 or IRAK4 impaired phosphorylation of Akt(S473), S6K, S6, IRAK1, or IKKα in BMDCs in response to CpG-ODNs. The residual IFNα and IFNβ in DNA-PKcs-deficient BMDCs were partially responsible for the induction of IL-6 and IL-12 by CpG-ODNs and their stimulatory effect was blocked by IFNAR1 neutralizing antibodies. Further analysis indicated that CpG-ODN associated with DNA-PKcs and Ku70, and induced DNA-PKcs’s interaction with TRAF3. Intriguingly, DNA-PKcs but not Ku70 expression level was reduced in TLR9-deficient BMDCs. Taken together, our data suggest that DNA-PKcs is an important mediator in the type I IFN response to CpG-ODNs in TLR9-dependent or -independent fashions.