Apoptotic caspase inhibits innate immune signaling by cleaving NF-κBs in both Mammals and Flies

Abstract Host organisms use different innate immune mechanisms to defend against pathogenic infections, while tight control of innate immunity is essential for proper immune induction and balance. Here, we reported that apoptotic induction or caspase-3 overexpression caused dramatic reduction of differently triggered cytokine signalings in human cells, murine primary cells and mouse model, while the loss of caspase-3 or inhibiting apoptosis markedly enhances these immune signalings. Furthermore, caspase-3 can mediate the cleavage of NF-κB members p65/RelA, RelB, and c-Rel via its protease activity. And the caspase-3-resistant p65/RelA, RelB, or c-Rel mutant mostly restored the caspase-3-induced suppression of cytokine production. Interestingly, we further uncovered that apoptotic induction also dramatically inhibited Toll immune signaling in Drosophila, and the Drosophila effector caspases, drICE and DCP-1, also mediated the degradation of DIF, the NF-κB of Toll signaling. Together, our findings demonstrate apoptotic effector caspases, including mammalian caspase-3 and fly drICE/DCP-1, can function as repressors of NF-κB-mediated innate immune signalings.