Dual regulatory roles of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase in IFN signaling

PI3K is activated by the type I and II IFN receptors, but its precise role in the generation of IFN responses is not well understood. In the present study we used embryonic fibroblasts from mice with targeted disruption of the genes encoding for both the p85α and p85β regulatory subunits of PI3′-kinase (p85α^-/-β^-/-) to precisely define the role of PI3K in the control of IFN-induced biological responses. Our data demonstrate that PI3K plays dual regulatory roles in the induction of IFN responses by controlling both IFN-α- and IFN-γ-dependent transcriptional regulation of IFN-sensitive genes and simultaneously regulating the subsequent initiation of mRNA translation for such genes. These processes include the Isg15, Cxcl10, and/or Irf7 genes, whose functions are important in the generation of the biological effects of IFNs. Consistent with this, the induction of IFN antiviral responses is defective in double p85α/p85β knockout cells. Thus, integration of signals via PI3K is a critical event during engagement of the IFN receptors that complements both the transcriptional activity of Jak-STAT pathways and controls initiation of mRNA translation.