Alternative splicing of Bax controls cell death and innate immune responses in macrophages
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AbstractTo defend against invading pathogens, the macrophage innate immune response requires rapid, robust gene expression reprogramming. Innate immune genes that are induced as part of this response are regulated at many steps. While transcriptional activation of innate immune genes has been extensively studied, the mechanisms driving their post-transcriptional regulation (i.e. alternative splicing) needs further investigation. To begin learning how pre-mRNA splicing changes impact the innate immune response in macrophages, we examined how loss of a splicing regulatory protein called SRSF6 (serine arginine rich splicing factor 6) impacts gene expression. We discovered a novel phenotype whereby loss of SRSF6 increased basal expression of many interferon stimulated genes (ISGs). Consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction, a phenotype that we and others have previously associated high basal ISG expression, we measured an increase in apoptosis and macrophage depolarization in SRSF6 knockdown macrophages compared to scramble controls. Subsequent bioinformatic analysis of RNA-seq data from SRSF6 knockdown macrophages identified an alternative splicing event in the apoptosis activation factor BAX. While Bax isoforms have previously been linked to cell death regulation, no one has reported a role for Bax isoforms in modulating mtDNA-driven innate immune responses. Our data is consistent with a model whereby upregulation of a Bax isoform promotes pore formation in mitochondria which 1) causes leakage of mtDNA into the cytosol where it is detected by cGAS, eliciting type I interferon production and 2) primes macrophages to undergo programmed cell death.
