TLR9 regulates the autophagy-lysosome pathway to promote dendritic cell maturation and activation by activating the TRAF6-cGAS-STING pathway

Dysregulated maturation and activation of dendritic cells (DCs) play a significant role in the progression of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The autophagy-lysosome pathway has been identified as a potential mechanism to inhibit DC activation and maturation, but its precise workings remain unclear. We investigated the role and regulatory mechanism of TLR9 in modulating the autophagy-lysosome pathway and DCs activation. The mRNA and protein expressions were assessed using qRT-PCR and/or western blot. NZBW/F1 mice was used to construct a lupus nephritis (LN) model in vivo. Cell apoptosis was analyzed by TUNEL staining. Flow cytometry was adopted to analyze DCs surface markers. Lyso-tracker red staining was employed to analyze lysosome acidification. Levels of anti-dsDNA, cytokines, C3, C4, urine protein and urine creatinine were examined by ELISA. The results showed that TLR9 was markedly increased in SLE patients, and its expression was positively correlated with SLEDAI scores and dsDNA level. Conversely, TLR9 expression showed a negative correlation with C3 and C4 levels. Loss-of function experiments demonstrated that TLR9 depletion exerted a substantial inhibition of renal injury, inflammation, and DCs numbers. Additionally, upregulation of TLR9 promoted DCs maturation and activation through activation of autophagy and lysosome acidification. Further investigation revealed that TLR9 targeted TRAF6 to activate the cGAS-STING pathway. Rescue experiments revealed that inactivation of the cGAS/STING signaling pathway could reverse the promoting effects of TLR9 upregulation on DCs maturation, activation, and autophagy-lysosome pathway. Overall, our findings suggested that TLR9 activated the autophagy-lysosome pathway to promote DCs maturation and activation by activating TRAF6-cGAS-STING pathway, thereby promoting SLE progression.