Abstract
Stringent control of the type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling is critical for host immune defense against infectious diseases, yet the molecular mechanisms that regulate this pathway remain elusive. Here, we show that Src homology 2 containing inositol phosphatase 1 (SHIP1) suppresses IFN-I signaling by promoting IRF3 degradation during malaria infection. Genetic ablation of Ship1 in mice leads to high levels of IFN-I and confers resistance to Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis (P.y.) N67 infection. Mechanistically, SHIP1 promotes the selective autophagic degradation of IRF3 by enhancing K63-linked ubiquitination of IRF3 at lysine 313, which serves as a recognition signal for NDP52-mediated selective autophagic degradation. In addition, SHIP1 is downregulated by IFN-I-induced miR-155-5p upon P.y. N67 infection and severs as a feedback loop of the signaling crosstalk. This study reveals a regulatory mechanism between IFN-I signaling and autophagy, and verifies SHIP1 can be a potential target for therapeutic intervention against malaria and other infectious diseases. IMPORTANCE Malaria remains a serious disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Malaria parasite infection triggers tightly controlled type I interferon (IFN-I) signaling that plays a critical role in host innate immunity; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the immune responses are still elusive. Here, we discover a host gene [Src homology 2-containing inositol phosphatase 1 (SHIP1)] that can regulate IFN-I signaling by modulating NDP52-mediated selective autophagic degradation of IRF3 and significantly affect parasitemia and resistance of Plasmodium-infected mice. This study identifies SHIP1 as a potential target for immunotherapies in malaria and highlights the crosstalk between IFN-I signaling and autophagy in preventing related infectious diseases. SHIP1 functions as a negative regulator during malaria infection by targeting IRF3 for autophagic degradation.