Immune reactions are controlled by the delicate spatiotemporal orchestration of multiple cells communicating by cytokines. Studies of cytokines that began with the discovery of IFN focused on positive regulatory mechanisms that induce secretion in response to harmful stimuli. However, there is a growing awareness that negative regulatory mechanisms that stop secretion of cytokines at specific times and spaces are also important for a successful immune reaction. Type I IFN is the primary cytokine in innate immunity. Although its induction is a prerequisite for the consequent adaptive immune reaction, its oversecretion can cause destructive tissue damage. IFN regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) is a master transcription factor of type I IFN, and multiple observations indicate the key role of IRF7 and the importance of its negative regulation. In this study, we found that the inducible heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) regulated the early type I IFN response by using mice knockout for HSP70. HSP70 dampened IRF7 activation; the inhibitory effect of HSP70 over IKKε-mediated IRF7 activation originated from simple competitive binding. This suggests the possibility of blocking the feed-forward loop between IRF7 and type I IFN in stress environments with increased expression of HSP70. Copyright © 2020 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.Nucleotide oligomerization domain-like receptors (NLRs) and RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) detect diverse pathogen-associated molecular patterns to activate the innate immune response. The role of mammalian NLR NOD1 in sensing bacteria is well established. Although several studies suggest NOD1 also plays a role in sensing viruses, the mechanisms behind this are still largely unknown. In this study, we report on the synergism and antagonism between NOD1 and MDA5 isoforms in teleost. In zebrafish, the overexpression of NOD1 enhances the antiviral response and mRNA abundances of key antiviral genes involved in RLR-mediated signaling, whereas the loss of NOD1 has the opposite effect. Notably, spring viremia of carp virus-infected NOD1-/- zebrafish exhibit reduced survival compared with wild-type counterparts. Mechanistically, NOD1 targets MDA5 isoforms and TRAF3 to modulate the formation of MDA5-MAVS and TRAF3-MAVS complexes. The cumulative effects of NOD1 and MDA5a (MDA5 normal form) were observed for the binding with poly(IC) and the formation of the MDA5a-MAVS complex, which led to increased transcription of type I IFNs and ISGs. However, the antagonism between NOD1 and MDA5b (MDA5 truncated form) was clearly observed during proteasomal degradation of NOD1 by MDA5b. In humans, the interactions between NOD1-MDA5 and NOD1-TRAF3 were confirmed. Furthermore, the roles that NOD1 plays in enhancing the binding of MDA5 to MAVS and poly(IC) are also evolutionarily conserved across species. https://www.selleckchem.com/products/vcmmae.html Taken together, our findings suggest that mutual regulation between NOD1 and MDA5 isoforms may play a crucial role in the innate immune response and that NOD1 acts as a positive regulator of MDA5/MAVS normal form-mediated immune signaling in vertebrates. Copyright © 2020 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.Dysregulated Th17 cell differentiation is associated with autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, which has no curative treatment. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of regulating Th17 cell differentiation will help find a novel therapeutic target for treating Th17 cell-mediated diseases. In this study, we investigated the cell-intrinsic processes by which RNA-binding protein HuR orchestrates Th17 cell fate decisions by posttranscriptionally regulating transcription factors Irf4 and Runx1 and receptor Il12rb1 expression, in turn promoting Th17 cell and Th1-like Th17 cell differentiation in C57BL/6J mice. Knockout of HuR altered the transcriptome of Th17 cells characterized by reducing the levels of RORγt, IRF4, RUNX1, and T-bet, thereby reducing the number of pathogenic IL-17+IFN-γ+CD4+ T cells in the spleen during experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. In keeping with the fact that HuR increased the abundance of adhesion molecule VLA-4 on Th17 cells, knockout of HuR impaired splenic Th17 cell migration to the CNS and abolished the disease. Accordingly, targeting HuR by its inhibitor DHTS inhibited splenic Th17 cell differentiation and reduced experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis severity. In sum, we uncovered the molecular mechanism of HuR regulating Th17 cell functions, underscoring the therapeutic value of HuR for treatment of autoimmune neuroinflammation. Copyright © 2020 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.Inflammatory bowel diseases are associated with complex shifts in microbiota composition. However, it remains unclear whether specific subsets of commensal bacteria induce inflammatory bowel diseases in genetically susceptible hosts. In this study, we found that deficiency of the E3 ligase Itch, which leads to spontaneous colitis and rectal prolapse, is associated with alteration of the gut microbiota. 16S rRNA sequencing showed expansion of colitogenic Bacteroides sp. in Itch-/- mice. Treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics substantially reduced colonic inflammation in Itch-/- mice. Microbiota of Itch-/- mice failed to induce spontaneous colitis upon transfer to Itch+/+ mice but aggravated chemically induced colitis. Furthermore, we found that Bacteroides vulgatus, which is expanded in Itch-/- mice, was sufficient to induce colon inflammation in Itch-/- mice. Copyright © 2020 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.ADAR1 is an RNA-editing enzyme that is abundant in the thymus. We have previously reported that ADAR1 is required for establishing central tolerance during the late stage of thymocyte development by preventing MDA5 sensing of endogenous dsRNA as nonself. However, the role of ADAR1 during the early developmental stage remains unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that early thymocyte-specific deletion of ADAR1 in mice caused severe thymic atrophy with excessive apoptosis and impaired transition to a late stage of development accompanied by the loss of TCR expression. Concurrent MDA5 deletion ameliorated apoptosis but did not restore impaired transition and TCR expression. In addition, forced TCR expression was insufficient to restore the transition. However, simultaneous TCR expression and MDA5 deletion efficiently ameliorated the impaired transition of ADAR1-deficient thymocytes to the late stage. These findings indicate that RNA-editing-dependent and -independent functions of ADAR1 synergistically regulate early thymocyte development.