Annexin-A1 regulates TLR-mediated IFN-β production through an interaction with TANK-binding kinase 1

TLRs play a pivotal role in the recognition of bacteria and viruses. Members of the family recognize specific pathogen sequences to trigger both MyD88 and TRIF-dependent pathways to stimulate a plethora of cells. Aberrant activation of these pathways is known to play a critical role in the development of autoimmunity and cancer. However, how these pathways are entirely regulated is not fully understood. In these studies, we have identified Annexin-A1 (ANXA1) as a novel regulator of TLR-induced IFN-β and CXCL10 production. We demonstrate that in the absence of ANXA1, mice produce significantly less IFN-β and CXCL10, and macrophages and plasmacytoid dendritic cells have a deficiency in activation following polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid administration in vivo. Furthermore, a deficiency in activation is observed in macrophages after LPS and polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid in vitro. In keeping with these findings, overexpression of ANXA1 resulted in enhanced IFN-β and IFN-stimulated responsive element promoter activity, whereas silencing of ANXA1 impaired TLR3- and TLR4-induced IFN-β and IFN-stimulated responsive element activation. In addition, we show that the C terminus of ANXA1 directly associates with TANK-binding kinase 1 to regulate IFN regulatory factor 3 translocation and phosphorylation. Our findings demonstrate that ANXA1 plays an important role in TLR activation, leading to an augmentation in the type 1 IFN antiviral cytokine response.