Activation of integrated stress response pathway regulates IL-1β production through post-transcriptional and translational reprogramming in macrophages.

Immune cells sense and programme its cellular machinery appropriately to the environmental changes through the activation of cytoprotective adaptive pathway so-called the integrated stress response (ISR). However, the mechanisms implicated in ISR-induced protective responses are poorly understood. Here, we show that ISR activation by arsenite (Ar) results in suppression of IL-1 production in macrophages and inhibition of DSS-induced colitis in a murine model through a novel posttranscriptional and translation regulatory (PTR) mechanism. Ar triggers PTR events through eIF2-phosphorylation, which results in the attenuation of active polysome formation leading to the accumulation of translationally stalled IL-1 mRNAs. Translationally stalled IL-1 mRNAs recruit RNA-binding proteins (TIA-1/TIAR), resulting in the formation of RBP-RNA complexes known as stress granules (SGs). The SGs bound IL-1 mRNAs might undergo degradation through induction of autophagy. Also, we show that Ar posttranslationally impairs processing and secretion of IL-1 by diminishing inflammasome activation. Altogether, this study unveils a novel mechanism of IL-1 regulation and further suggests that pharmacological activation of cytoprotective ISR pathway might provide an effective therapeutic intervention against inflammatory diseases.