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Detection of nucleic acids by innate immune sensors triggers the production of type I interferons (IFNs). While IFNs are essential for host defense against viral infection, dysregulated production of IFNs underlies numerous autoinflammatory diseases. We have found that the loss of sumoylation results in a potent, spontaneous IFN response. Vertebrates possess three small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) that can be conjugated onto target proteins and alter protein function in diverse but still poorly characterized ways. We demonstrate that regulation of IFN by sumoylation is redundantly mediated by both SUMO2 and SUMO3, but not SUMO1, revealing a previously unknown function of SUMO2/3. Remarkably, this IFN response is independent of all known IFN-inducing pathways and does not require either of the canonical IFN-associated transcription factors IRF3 or IRF7. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that SUMO2 and SUMO3 are specific and essential negative regulators of a noncanonical mechanism of IFN induction., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.)

Under different circumstances, natural killer T (NKT) cells can cause a T helper (Th) 1 or a Th2 polarization of immune responses. We show here, however, that mouse NKT cells with an invariant V alpha 14 rearrangement (V alpha 14i NKT cells) rapidly produce both IL-4 and IFN-gamma, and this pattern could not be altered by methods that polarize naive CD4+ T cells. Surprisingly, although cytokine protein was detected only after activation, resting V alpha 14i NKT cells contained IL-4 and IFN-gamma mRNAs. Despite this finding, in vivo priming of mice with the glycolipid antigen recognized by V alpha 14i NKT cells resulted in a more Th2-oriented response upon antigen re-exposure. The V alpha 14i NKT cells from primed mice retain the ability to produce IL-4 and IFN-gamma, but they are less effective at activating NK cells to produce IFN-gamma. Our data therefore indicate that V alpha 14i NKT cells have a relatively inflexible immediate cytokine response, but that changes in their ability to induce IFN-gamma secretion by NK cells may determine the extent to which they promote Th1 responses.