Signaling by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor 1 (TNF-R1), a prototypic member of the death receptor family, mediates pleiotropic biological outcomes ranging from inflammation and cell proliferation to cell death. Although many elements of specific signaling pathways have been identified, the main question of how these selective cell fate decisions are regulated is still unresolved. Here we identified TNF-induced K63 ubiquitination of TNF-R1 mediated by the ubiquitin ligase RNF8 as an early molecular checkpoint in the regulation of the decision between cell death and survival. Downmodulation of RNF8 prevented the ubiquitination of TNF-R1, blocked the internalization of the receptor, prevented the recruitment of the death-inducing signaling complex and the activation of caspase-8 and caspase-3/7, and reduced apoptotic cell death. Conversely, recruitment of the adaptor proteins TRADD, TRAF2, and RIP1 to TNF-R1, as well as activation of NF-B, was unimpeded and cell growth and proliferation were significantly enhanced in RNF8-deficient cells. Thus, K63 ubiquitination of TNF-R1 can be sensed as a new level of regulation of TNF-R1 signaling at the earliest stage after ligand binding.
The cytokine tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-␣) is involved in a variety of cellular processes, such as inflammation, differentiation, control of cell proliferation, and initiation of apoptosis. TNF is known to bind to two receptors of the TNF receptor superfamily, TNF receptor 1 (TNF-R1) and TNF-R2. TNF-R1 is a member of the death receptor subgroup of this superfamily (1). The death receptors all have a death domain (DD) in the C-terminal tail that is necessary for activation of apoptosis. Selective recruitment of adaptor proteins to TNF-R1 decides whether nonapoptotic signaling pathways or cell death-inducing pathways will be initiated. Complex I is formed at the TNF-R1 DD by recruitment of TRADD, RIP1, TRAF2, and c-IAP1 (2). In the model of Micheau and Tschopp, induction of apoptosis is initiated by the ubiquitination of most complex I proteins, leading to their dissociation from TNF-R1. Binding of FADD to the DD of cytosolic TRADD facilitates the recruitment of caspase-8 and -10 via their DDs, forming complex II.Conflicting data exist regarding the complex formation that induces apoptosis after TNF stimulation. In contrast to the model described above (2), we previously reported that after recruitment of TRADD, RIP, and TRAF2 to TNF-R1 at the cell surface, the receptor is internalized and FADD and procaspase-8 are recruited, forming the death-inducing signaling complex (DISC) still associated with the TNF receptor at endosomal vesicles (TNF receptosomes) (3-5). Consecutively, caspase-8 is activated by autocleavage and induces caspase-3 activation either directly or indirectly via a mitochondrial amplification loop involving cytochrome c and APAF-1 release, forming the apoptosome with caspase-9.Recently, we found that within TNF receptosomes, caspase-8 activates caspase-7, which in turn cleaves A-SMase, initiating the production of...