CD28 and 4-1BB costimulatory endodomains included in chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) molecules play a critical role in promoting sustained antitumor activity of CAR-T cells. However, the molecular events associated with the ectopic and constitutive display of either CD28 or 4-1BB in CAR-T cells have been only partially explored. In the current study, we demonstrated that 4-1BB incorporated within the CAR leads to cell cluster formation and cell death in the forms of both apoptosis and necroptosis in the absence of CAR tonic signaling. Mechanistic studies illustrate that 4-1BB sequesters A20 to the cell membrane in a TRAF-dependent manner causing A20 functional deficiency that in turn leads to NF-κB hyperactivity, cell aggregation via ICAM-1 overexpression, and cell death including necroptosis via RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL pathway. Genetic modulations obtained by either overexpressing A20 or releasing A20 from 4-1BB by deleting the TRAF-binding motifs of 4-1BB rescue cell cluster formation and cell death and enhance the antitumor ability of 4-1BB-costimulated CAR-T cells.

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) is a potent mitogen that activates the IGF receptor (IGFR)/insulin receptor substrate (IRS) axis, thus stimulating growth in normal cells and uncontrolled cell proliferation in cancer. Posttranslational modifications of IRS such as ubiquitination tightly control IGF signaling, and we previously identified IRS-1 as a potential substrate for the E3 ubiquitin ligase TRAF4 using an unbiased screen. Here we provide evidence that TRAF4-mediated ubiquitination of IRS-1 is physiologically relevant and crucial for IGF signal transduction. Through site-directed mutagenesis we found that TRAF4 promotes an atypical K29-linked ubiquitination at the C-terminal end of IRS-1. Its depletion abolishes AKT and ERK phosphorylation downstream of IGF-1 and inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation. Overexpression of TRAF4 enhances IGF1-induced IGFR-IRS-1 interaction, IRS-1 tyrosine phosphorylation, and downstream effector protein activation, whereas mutation of IRS-1 ubiquitination sites completely abolishes these effects. Altogether, our studies demonstrate that nonproteolytic ubiquitination of IRS-1 is a key step in conveying IGF-1 stimulation from IGFR to IRS-1.

DNA damage-induced NF-κB activation and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines play crucial roles in carcinogenesis and cellular senescence. However, the underlying mechanisms, especially the initial sensors and transducers connecting the nuclear DNA damage signal with cytoplasmic NF-κB activation remain incompletely understood. Here, we report that TRAF-interacting protein with forkhead-associated domain (TIFA), an established NF-κB activator in the cytosol, unexpectedly exhibited nuclear translocation and accumulation on damaged chromatin following genotoxic stress. Accordingly, we also found that DNA damage-induced transcriptional activation and the resulting secretion of classic NF-κB targets, including interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8, was greatly enhanced in TIFA-overexpressing cells compared with control cells. Mechanistically, DNA damage-induced TIFA phosphorylation at threonine 9 (pThr-9), and this phosphorylation event, involving the pThr-binding forkhead-associated domain, was crucial for its enrichment on damaged chromatin and subsequent NF-κB activation. Moreover, in conjunction with its partner protein, the E3 ligase TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2), TIFA relayed the DNA damage signals by stimulating ubiquitination of NF-κB essential modulator (NEMO), whose sumoylation, phosphorylation, and ubiquitination were critical for NF-κB\'s response to DNA damage. Consistently, TRAF2 knockdown suppressed TIFA overexpression-enhanced NEMO ubiquitination under genotoxic stress, and a unphosphorylatable Thr-9-mutated TIFA variant had only minor effects on NEMO poly-ubiquitination. Finally, in agreement with the model of DNA damage-associated secretory senescence barrier against carcinogenesis, ectopic TIFA expression limited proliferation of multiple myeloma cancer cells. In conclusion our results indicate that TIFA functions as a key transducer in DNA damage-induced NF-κB activation.

The tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factors (TRAFs) have been classically described as adaptor proteins that function as solely cytosolic signaling intermediates for the TNF receptor superfamily, Toll-like receptors (TLRs), NOD, like receptors (NLRs), cytokine receptors, and others. In this study, we show for the first time that TRAFs are present within the cytoplasm and nucleus of Neuro2a cells and primary cortical neurons, and that TRAF2 and TRAF3 translocate into the nucleus within minutes of CD40L stimulation. Analysis of the transcriptional regulatory potential of TRAFs by luciferase assay revealed that each of the TRAFs differentially functions as a transcriptional activator or repressor in a cell-specific manner. Interestingly, ChIP-qPCR data demonstrate that TRAFs 2/3, p65, and pRNAPol II form part of a transcriptional complex on the Icam-1 gene promoter upon CD40L stimulation. We further determined that TRAF2 recruitment to the nucleus is critical for the ubiquitination of H2b, a transcription permissive epigenetic modification. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that TRAFs 2/3 participate in the formation of a CD40L-induced transcriptional complex in neuronal cells.

In response to viral infection, cytosolic retinoic acid-inducible gene I-like receptors sense viral RNA and promote oligomerization of mitochondrial antiviral signaling protein (MAVS), which then recruits tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor (TRAF) family proteins, including TRAF6, to activate an antiviral response. Currently, the interaction between MAVS and TRAF6 is only partially understood, and atomic details are lacking. Here, we demonstrated that MAVS directly interacts with TRAF6 through its potential TRAF6-binding motif 2 (T6BM2; amino acids 455-460). Further, we solved the crystal structure of MAVS T6BM2 in complex with the TRAF6 TRAF_C domain at 2.95 Å resolution. T6BM2 of MAVS binds to the canonical adaptor-binding groove of the TRAF_C domain. Structure-directed mutational analyses in vitro and in cells revealed that MAVS binding to TRAF6 via T6BM2 instead of T6BM1 is essential but not sufficient for an optimal antiviral response. Particularly, a MAVS mutant Y460E retained its TRAF6-binding ability as predicted but showed significantly impaired signaling activity, highlighting the functional importance of this tyrosine. Moreover, these observations were further confirmed in MAVS(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. Collectively, our work provides a structural basis for understanding the MAVS-TRAF6 antiviral response.

Arginine methylation is a common post-translational modification, but its role in regulating protein function is poorly understood. This study demonstrates that, TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), an E3 ubiquitin ligase involved in innate immune signaling, is regulated by reversible arginine methylation in a range of primary and cultured cells. Under basal conditions, TRAF6 is methylated by the methyltransferase PRMT1, and this inhibits its ubiquitin ligase activity, reducing activation of toll-like receptor signaling. In response to toll-like receptor ligands, TRAF6 is demethylated by the Jumonji domain protein JMJD6. Demethylation is required for maximal activation of NF-κB. Loss of JMJD6 leads to reduced response, and loss of PRMT1 leads to basal pathway activation with subsequent desensitization to ligands. In human primary cells, variations in the PRMT1/JMJD6 ratio significantly correlate with TRAF6 methylation, basal activation of NF-κB, and magnitude of response to LPS. Reversible arginine methylation of TRAF6 by the opposing effects of PRMT1 and JMJD6 is, therefore, a novel mechanism for regulation of innate immune pathways.

Signals mediated by members of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily modulate a network of diverse processes including initiation of inflammatory responses and altering cell fate between pathways favoring survival and death. Although such pathways have been well-described for the TNF-α receptor, less is known about signaling induced by the TNF superfamily member LIGHT and how it is differentially altered by expression of its two receptors LTβR and HVEM in the same cell. We used cell lines with different relative expression of HVEM and LTβR to show that LIGHT-induced signals mediated by these receptors were associated with altered TRAF2 stability and RelA nuclear translocation. Production of the inflammatory chemokine CXCL10 was primarily mediated by LTβR. Higher expression of HVEM was associated with cell survival, while unopposed LTβR signaling favored pathways leading to apoptosis. Importantly, restoring HVEM expression in cells with low endogenous expression recapitulated the phenotype of cells with higher endogenous expression. Together, our data provide evidence that relative expression of HVEM and LTβR modulates canonical NF-κB and pro-apoptotic signals stimulated by LIGHT.