Myeloid Cell-Intrinsic IRF5 Promotes T Cell Responses through Multiple Distinct Checkpoints In Vivo, and IRF5 Immune-Mediated Disease Risk Variants Modulate These Myeloid Cell Functions.

Common IRF5 genetic risk variants associated with multiple immune-mediated diseases are a major determinant of interindividual variability in pattern-recognition receptor (PRR)-induced cytokines in myeloid cells. However, how myeloid cell-intrinsic IRF5 regulates the multiple distinct checkpoints mediating T cell outcomes in vivo and IRF5-dependent mechanisms contributing to these distinct checkpoints are not well defined. Using an in vivo Ag-specific adoptive T cell transfer approach into Irf5-/- mice, we found that T cell-extrinsic IRF5 regulated T cell outcomes at multiple critical checkpoints, including chemokine-mediated T cell trafficking into lymph nodes and PDK1-dependent soluble Ag uptake, costimulatory molecule upregulation, and secretion of Th1 (IL-12)- and Th17 (IL-23, IL-1β, and IL-6)-conditioning cytokines by myeloid cells, which then cross-regulated Th2 and regulatory T cells. IRF5 was required for PRR-induced MAPK and NF-κB activation, which, in turn, regulated these key outcomes in myeloid cells. Importantly, mice with IRF5 deleted from myeloid cells demonstrated T cell outcomes similar to those observed in Irf5-/- mice. Complementation of IL-12 and IL-23 was able to restore T cell differentiation both in vitro and in vivo in the context of myeloid cell-deficient IRF5. Finally, human monocyte-derived dendritic cells from IRF5 disease-associated genetic risk carriers leading to increased IRF5 expression demonstrated increased Ag uptake and increased PRR-induced costimulatory molecule expression and chemokine and cytokine secretion compared with monocyte-derived dendritic cells from low-expressing IRF5 genetic variant carriers. These data establish that myeloid cell-intrinsic IRF5 regulates multiple distinct checkpoints in T cell activation and differentiation and that these are modulated by IRF5 disease risk variants.