Integrator governs NF-κB dwell time on chromatin to drive inflammatory transcription

Abstract

NF-{kappa}B must remain bound to chromatin long enough to activate innate immune genes, but what stabilizes this transcriptionally productive state is unknown. Here, we identify the Integrator complex as an essential determinant of NF-{kappa}B chromatin residence in mouse and human cells. Integrator associated with NF-{kappa}B and co-occupied its genomic targets. Single-molecule tracking revealed that Integrator markedly prolonged the chromatin residence of RELA molecules in a low-mobility state. Catalytically inactive INTS11-E203Q fully restored NF-{kappa}B-dependent transcription, separating this chromatin-retention function from RNA cleavage. Conditional Ints11 deletion abolished TLR4-dependent dendritic-cell activation in adult mice and impaired LPS-induced transcription in mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Loss of Integrator in human cancer cells similarly suppressed TNF-induced inflammatory gene expression. These findings uncover a noncatalytic function for Integrator that stabilizes NF-{kappa}B at enhancers, complementing its established catalytic control of RNA polymerase II pause release. By coupling signal recognition at enhancers to productive elongation, Integrator provides a molecular solution to a central challenge of multicellularity: converting transient extracellular cues into coherent gene-expression programs across complex chromatin landscapes.