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Single-Cell Monitoring of Activated Innate Immune Signaling by a d2eGFP-Based Reporter Mimicking Time-Restricted Activation of IFNB1 Expression

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The innate immune system represents a balanced first line of defense against infection. Type I interferons (IFNs) are key regulators of the response to viral infections with an essential early wave of IFN-β expression, which is conditional, time-restricted, and stochastic in its nature. The possibility to precisely monitor individual cells with active IFNB1 transcription during innate signaling requires a robust reporter system that mimics the endogenous IFN-β signal. Here, we present a reporter system based on expression of a destabilized version of eGFP (d2eGFP) from a stably integrated reporter cassette containing the IFNB1 promoter and 3’-untranslated region, enabling both spatial and temporal detection of regulated IFNB1 expression. Specifically, this reporter permits detection, quantification, and isolation of cells actively producing d2eGFP in a manner that fully mimics IFN-β production allowing tracking of IFNB1 gene activation and repression in monocytic cells and keratinocytes. Using induced d2eGFP expression as a readout for activated immune signaling at the single-cell level, we demonstrate the application of the reporter for FACS-based selection of cells with genotypes supporting cGAS-STING signaling. Our studies provide a novel approach for monitoring on/off-switching of innate immune signaling and form the basis for investigating genotypes affecting immune regulation at the single-cell level.

Original languageEnglish
Article number784762
JournalFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology
Volume11
Number of pages11
ISSN2235-2988
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Thomsen, Andersen, Marqvorsen, Skipper, Paludan and Mikkelsen.

    Research areas

  • flow cytometry, IFNB1 reporter, IFNB1 transcription, innate immunity, single-cell

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