Interleukin-1-induced gene expression requires the membrane-raft-dependent internalization of the interleukin-1...

Interleukin-1 (IL-1) binding to its receptor triggers signaling events at the plasma membrane that are essential but not sufficient for the induction of the IL-1-dependent gene expression. In addition, the ligand-induced endocytosis of the IL-1 receptor and signaling events that are initiated after the internalization of the IL-1 receptor presumably involving signaling endosomes are critical for the IL-1-induced gene expression. In this study, we investigate the role of membrane domains, commonly denoted as lipid rafts, in the IL-1-induced signal transduction. We demonstrate that the internalization of the IL-1 receptor depends on the integrity of lipid rafts and that the disruption of lipid rafts strongly reduces the IL-1-induced gene expression. Interestingly, the IL-1-dependent signaling events activated at the plasma membrane are not influenced by the disruption of lipid rafts suggesting that IL-1 signaling is initiated in a non-raft domain of the plasma membrane. Subsequently, the IL-1 receptor is translocated to lipid rafts where receptor endocytosis occurs to enable the internalization-dependent IL-1 signaling to activate the IL-1-induced gene expression.