Transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-dependent checkpoint in the survival of dendritic cells promotes immune homeostasis and function.

Homeostatic control of dendritic cell (DC) survival is crucial for adaptive immunity, but the molecular mechanism is not well defined. Moreover, how DCs influence immune homeostasis under steady state remains unclear. Combining DC-specific and -inducible deletion systems, we report that transforming growth factor beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) is an essential regulator of DC survival and immune system homeostasis and function. Deficiency of TAK1 in CD11c(+) cells induced markedly elevated apoptosis, leading to the depletion of DC populations, especially the CD8(+) and CD103(+) DC subsets in lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues, respectively. TAK1 also contributed to DC development by promoting the generation of DC precursors. Prosurvival signals from Toll-like receptors, CD40 and receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB (RANK) are integrated by TAK1 in DCs, which in turn mediated activation of downstream NF-κB and AKT-Foxo pathways and established a gene-expression program. TAK1 deficiency in DCs caused a myeloid proliferative disorder characterized by expansion of neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes, disrupted T-cell homeostasis, and prevented effective T-cell priming and generation of regulatory T cells. Moreover, TAK1 signaling in DCs was required to prevent myeloid proliferation even in the absence of lymphocytes, indicating a previously unappreciated regulatory mechanism of DC-mediated control of myeloid cell-dependent inflammation. Therefore, TAK1 orchestrates a prosurvival checkpoint in DCs that affects the homeostasis and function of the immune system.