Dimethyl Fumarate Disrupts Human Innate Immune Signaling by Targeting the IRAK4–MyD88 Complex

Balyn W. Zaro, Ekaterina V. Vinogradova, Daniel C. Lazar, Megan M. Blewett, Radu M. Suciu, Junichiro Takaya, Sean Studer, Juan Carlos de la Torre, Jean-Laurent Casanova, Benjamin F. Cravatt, John R. Teijaro

The Journal of Immunology, 2019, ji1801627; DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1801627

Dimethyl fumarate (DMF) is a prescribed treatment for multiple sclerosis and has also been used to treat psoriasis. The electrophilicity of DMF suggests that its immunosuppressive activity is related to the covalent modification of cysteine residues in the human proteome. Nonetheless, our understanding of the proteins modified by DMF in human immune cells and the functional consequences of these reactions remains incomplete. In this study, we report that DMF inhibits human plasmacytoid dendritic cell function through a mechanism of action that is independent of the major electrophile sensor NRF2. Using chemical proteomics, we instead identify cysteine 13 of the innate immune kinase IRAK4 as a principal cellular target of DMF. We show that DMF blocks IRAK4–MyD88 interactions and IRAK4-mediated cytokine production in a cysteine 13–dependent manner. Our studies thus identify a proteomic hotspot for DMF action that constitutes a druggable protein–protein interface crucial for initiating innate immune responses.