ISG15 counteracts Listeria monocytogenes infection

ISG15 is primarily documented as an interferon-stimulated, ubiquitin-like protein (ubl), which has anti-viral activity. Although ISG15 was the founding member of the ubl protein family, very little is known about its function. We have found that ISG15 expression in non-phagocytic cells is dramatically induced upon Listeria infection and that surprisingly this induction can be Type I Interferon independent. Listeria-mediated ISG15 induction depends on the cytosolic surveillance pathway, which senses bacterial DNA and signals through STING, TBK1, IRF3 and IRF7. Most importantly, we observed that ISG15 expression restricts Listeria infection both in vitro and in vivo. We then made use of Stable Isotope Labeling in tissue culture (SILAC) to identify the ISGylated proteins that could be responsible for the ISG15-mediated protective effect. Our SILAC analysis revealed that overexpression of ISG15 leads to a striking ISGylation of integral membrane proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, which correlates with increased canonical secretion of cytokines. Taken together, our data reveal a previously uncharacterized signaling pathway that restricts Listeria infection and acts via ISGylation, reinforcing the view that ISG15 is a key component of the innate immune arsenal of the mammalian host.