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Peterson P. Novel Insights into the Autoimmunity from the Genetic Approach of the Human Disease. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1444:3-18. [PMID: 38467969 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-9781-7_1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Autoimmune-polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a monogenic inborn error of autoimmunity that is caused by damaging germline variants in the AIRE gene and clinically manifests with multiple autoimmune diseases in patients. Studies on the function of the AIRE gene, discovered in 1997, have contributed to fundamental aspects of human immunology as they have been important in understanding the basic mechanism of immune balance between self and non-self. This chapter looks back to the discovery of the AIRE gene, reviews its main properties, and discusses the key findings of its function in the thymus. However, more recent autoantibody profilings in APECED patients have highlighted a gap in our knowledge of the disease pathology and point to the need to revisit the current paradigm of AIRE function. The chapter reviews these new findings in APECED patients, which potentially trigger new thoughts on the mechanism of immune tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pärt Peterson
- Institute of Biomedical and Translational Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
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2
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Matsumoto M, Matsumoto M. Learning the Autoimmune Pathogenesis Through the Study of Aire. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1444:19-32. [PMID: 38467970 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-99-9781-7_2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
One of the difficulties in studying the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases is that the disease is multifactorial involving sex, age, MHC, environment, and some genetic factors. Because deficiency of Aire, a transcriptional regulator, is an autoimmune disease caused by a single gene abnormality, Aire is an ideal research target for approaching the enigma of autoimmunity, e.g., the mechanisms underlying Aire deficiency can be studied using genetically modified animals. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms of the breakdown of self-tolerance due to Aire's dysfunction have not yet been fully clarified. This is due, at least in part, to the lack of information on the exact target genes controlled by Aire. State-of-the-art research infrastructures such as single-cell analysis are now in place to elucidate the essential function of Aire. The knowledge gained through the study of Aire-mediated tolerance should help our understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune disease in general.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Minoru Matsumoto
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
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3
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Matsumoto M, Yoshida H, Tsuneyama K, Oya T, Matsumoto M. Revisiting Aire and tissue-restricted antigens at single-cell resolution. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1176450. [PMID: 37207224 PMCID: PMC10191227 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1176450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The thymus is a highly specialized organ that plays an indispensable role in the establishment of self-tolerance, a process characterized by the "education" of developing T-cells. To provide competent T-cells tolerant to self-antigens, medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) orchestrate negative selection by ectopically expressing a wide range of genes, including various tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs). Notably, recent advancements in the high-throughput single-cell analysis have revealed remarkable heterogeneity in mTECs, giving us important clues for dissecting the mechanisms underlying TRA expression. We overview how recent single-cell studies have furthered our understanding of mTECs, with a focus on the role of Aire in inducing mTEC heterogeneity to encompass TRAs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Minoru Matsumoto
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
- *Correspondence: Minoru Matsumoto,
| | - Hideyuki Yoshida
- YCI Laboratory for Immunological Transcriptomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Takeshi Oya
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
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4
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Nishijima H, Matsumoto M, Morimoto J, Hosomichi K, Akiyama N, Akiyama T, Oya T, Tsuneyama K, Yoshida H, Matsumoto M. Aire Controls Heterogeneity of Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells for the Expression of Self-Antigens. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2022; 208:303-320. [PMID: 34930780 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2100692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The deficiency of Aire, a transcriptional regulator whose defect results in the development of autoimmunity, is associated with reduced expression of tissue-restricted self-Ags (TRAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs). Although the mechanisms underlying Aire-dependent expression of TRAs need to be explored, the physical identification of the target(s) of Aire has been hampered by the low and promiscuous expression of TRAs. We have tackled this issue by engineering mice with augmented Aire expression. Integration of the transcriptomic data from Aire-augmented and Aire-deficient mTECs revealed that a large proportion of so-called Aire-dependent genes, including those of TRAs, may not be direct transcriptional targets downstream of Aire. Rather, Aire induces TRA expression indirectly through controlling the heterogeneity of mTECs, as revealed by single-cell analyses. In contrast, Ccl25 emerged as a canonical target of Aire, and we verified this both in vitro and in vivo. Our approach has illuminated the Aire's primary targets while distinguishing them from the secondary targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hitoshi Nishijima
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Minoru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Kazuyoshi Hosomichi
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kanazawa University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Nobuko Akiyama
- Laboratory for Immunogenetics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Taishin Akiyama
- Laboratory for Immune Homeostasis, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences, Yokohama, Japan; and
| | - Takeshi Oya
- Department of Molecular Pathology, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Koichi Tsuneyama
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Tokushima University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Yoshida
- YCI Laboratory for Immunological Transcriptomics, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Science, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan;
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5
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Shevyrev D, Tereshchenko V, Kozlov V, Sennikov S. Phylogeny, Structure, Functions, and Role of AIRE in the Formation of T-Cell Subsets. Cells 2022; 11:194. [PMID: 35053310 PMCID: PMC8773594 DOI: 10.3390/cells11020194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 01/03/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well known that the most important feature of adaptive immunity is the specificity that provides highly precise recognition of the self, altered-self, and non-self. Due to the high specificity of antigen recognition, the adaptive immune system participates in the maintenance of genetic homeostasis, supports multicellularity, and protects an organism from different pathogens at a qualitatively different level than innate immunity. This seemingly simple property is based on millions of years of evolution that led to the formation of diversification mechanisms of antigen-recognizing receptors and later to the emergence of a system of presentation of the self and non-self antigens. The latter could have a crucial significance because the presentation of nearly complete diversity of auto-antigens in the thymus allows for the "calibration" of the forming repertoires of T-cells for the recognition of self, altered-self, and non-self antigens that are presented on the periphery. The central role in this process belongs to promiscuous gene expression by the thymic epithelial cells that express nearly the whole spectrum of proteins encoded in the genome, meanwhile maintaining their cellular identity. This complex mechanism requires strict control that is executed by several transcription factors. One of the most important of them is AIRE. This noncanonical transcription factor not only regulates the processes of differentiation and expression of peripheral tissue-specific antigens in the thymic medullar epithelial cells but also controls intercellular interactions in the thymus. Besides, it participates in an increase in the diversity and transfer of presented antigens and thus influences the formation of repertoires of maturing thymocytes. Due to these complex effects, AIRE is also called a transcriptional regulator. In this review, we briefly described the history of AIRE discovery, its structure, functions, and role in the formation of antigen-recognizing receptor repertoires, along with other transcription factors. We focused on the phylogenetic prerequisites for the development of modern adaptive immunity and emphasized the importance of the antigen presentation system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniil Shevyrev
- Research Institute for Fundamental and Clinical Immunology (RIFCI), 630099 Novosibirsk, Russia; (V.T.); (V.K.); (S.S.)
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6
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Kaiser C, Bradu A, Gamble N, Caldwell JA, Koh AS. AIRE in context: Leveraging chromatin plasticity to trigger ectopic gene expression. Immunol Rev 2022; 305:59-76. [PMID: 34545959 PMCID: PMC9250823 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of antigen receptor diversity in clonotypic lymphocytes drove the evolution of a novel gene, Aire, that enabled the adaptive immune system to discriminate foreign invaders from self-constituents. AIRE functions in the epithelial cells of the thymus to express genes highly restricted to alternative cell lineages. This somatic plasticity facilitates the selection of a balanced repertoire of T cells that protects the host from harmful self-reactive clones, yet maintains a wide range of affinities for virtually any foreign antigen. Here, we review the latest understanding of AIRE's molecular actions with a focus on its interplay with chromatin. We argue that AIRE is a multi-valent chromatin effector that acts late in the transcription cycle to modulate the activity of previously poised non-coding regulatory elements of tissue-specific genes. We postulate a role for chromatin instability-caused in part by ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling-that variably sets the scope of the accessible landscape on which AIRE can act. We highlight AIRE's intrinsic repressive function and its relevance in providing feedback control. We synthesize these recent advances into a putative model for the mechanistic modes by which AIRE triggers ectopic transcription for immune repertoire selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Kaiser
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Alexandra Bradu
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Noah Gamble
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jason A. Caldwell
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Andrew S. Koh
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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7
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The Speckled Protein (SP) Family: Immunity's Chromatin Readers. Trends Immunol 2020; 41:572-585. [PMID: 32386862 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2020.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Chromatin 'readers' are central interpreters of the epigenome that facilitate cell-specific transcriptional programs and are therapeutic targets in cancer and inflammation. The Speckled Protein (SP) family of chromatin 'readers' in humans consists of SP100, SP110, SP140, and SP140L. SPs possess functional domains (SAND, PHD, bromodomain) that dock to DNA or post-translationally modified histones and a caspase activation and recruitment domain (CARD) to promote multimerization. Mutations within immune expressed SPs associate with numerous immunological diseases including Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, veno-occlusive disease with immunodeficiency, as well as Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, underscoring their importance in immune regulation. In this review, we posit that SPs are central chromatin regulators of gene silencing that establish immune cell identity and function.
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8
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Huoh YS, Wu B, Park S, Yang D, Bansal K, Greenwald E, Wong WP, Mathis D, Hur S. Dual functions of Aire CARD multimerization in the transcriptional regulation of T cell tolerance. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1625. [PMID: 32242017 PMCID: PMC7118133 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15448-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggregate-like biomolecular assemblies are emerging as new conformational states with functionality. Aire, a transcription factor essential for central T cell tolerance, forms large aggregate-like assemblies visualized as nuclear foci. Here we demonstrate that Aire utilizes its caspase activation recruitment domain (CARD) to form filamentous homo-multimers in vitro, and this assembly mediates foci formation and transcriptional activity. However, CARD-mediated multimerization also makes Aire susceptible to interaction with promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) bodies, sites of many nuclear processes including protein quality control of nuclear aggregates. Several loss-of-function Aire mutants, including those causing autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type-1, form foci with increased PML body association. Directing Aire to PML bodies impairs the transcriptional activity of Aire, while dispersing PML bodies with a viral antagonist restores this activity. Our study thus reveals a new regulatory role of PML bodies in Aire function, and highlights the interplay between nuclear aggregate-like assemblies and PML-mediated protein quality control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-San Huoh
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Bin Wu
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- NTU Institute of Structural Biology, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Sehoon Park
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Darren Yang
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Kushagra Bansal
- Department of Immunology Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Molecular Biology & Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bangalore, 560 064, India
| | - Emily Greenwald
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Wesley P Wong
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Diane Mathis
- Department of Immunology Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Sun Hur
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
- Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
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9
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Abstract
About two decades ago, cloning of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene materialized one of the most important actors on the scene of self-tolerance. Thymic transcription of genes encoding tissue-specific antigens (ts-ags) is activated by AIRE protein and embodies the essence of thymic self-representation. Pathogenic AIRE variants cause the autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1, which is a rare and complex disease that is gaining attention in research on autoimmunity. The animal models of disease, although not identically reproducing the human picture, supply fundamental information on mechanisms and extent of AIRE action: thanks to its multidomain structure, AIRE localizes to chromatin enclosing the target genes, binds to histones, and offers an anchorage to multimolecular complexes involved in initiation and post-initiation events of gene transcription. In addition, AIRE enhances mRNA diversity by favoring alternative mRNA splicing. Once synthesized, ts-ags are presented to, and cause deletion of the self-reactive thymocyte clones. However, AIRE function is not restricted to the activation of gene transcription. AIRE would control presentation and transfer of self-antigens for thymic cellular interplay: such mechanism is aimed at increasing the likelihood of engagement of the thymocytes that carry the corresponding T-cell receptors. Another fundamental role of AIRE in promoting self-tolerance is related to the development of thymocyte anergy, as thymic self-representation shapes at the same time the repertoire of regulatory T cells. Finally, AIRE seems to replicate its action in the secondary lymphoid organs, albeit the cell lineage detaining such property has not been fully characterized. Delineation of AIRE functions adds interesting data to the knowledge of the mechanisms of self-tolerance and introduces exciting perspectives of therapeutic interventions against the related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Perniola
- Department of Pediatrics, Neonatal Intensive Care, Vito Fazzi Regional Hospital, Lecce, Italy
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11
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Shao W, Zumer K, Fujinaga K, Peterlin BM. FBXO3 Protein Promotes Ubiquitylation and Transcriptional Activity of AIRE (Autoimmune Regulator). J Biol Chem 2016; 291:17953-63. [PMID: 27365398 PMCID: PMC5016183 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.724401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2016] [Revised: 06/20/2016] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a transcription factor which is expressed in medullary thymic epithelial cells. It directs the expression of otherwise tissue-specific antigens, which leads to the elimination of autoreactive T cells during development. AIRE is modified post-translationally by phosphorylation and ubiquitylation. In this report we connected these modifications. AIRE, which is phosphorylated on two specific residues near its N terminus, then binds to the F-box protein 3 (FBXO3) E3 ubiquitin ligase. In turn, this SCF(FBXO3) (SKP1-CUL1-F box) complex ubiquitylates AIRE, increases its binding to the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), and potentiates its transcriptional activity. Because P-TEFb is required for the transition from initiation to elongation of transcription, this interaction ensures proper expression of AIRE-responsive tissue-specific antigens in the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Shao
- From the Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-07030703 and
| | - Kristina Zumer
- Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Molecular Biology, Am Fassberg 11, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Koh Fujinaga
- From the Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-07030703 and
| | - B Matija Peterlin
- From the Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Immunology, University of California, San Francisco, California 94143-07030703 and
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12
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Abramson J, Husebye ES. Autoimmune regulator and self-tolerance - molecular and clinical aspects. Immunol Rev 2016; 271:127-40. [PMID: 27088911 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The establishment of central tolerance in the thymus is critical for avoiding deleterious autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune regulator (AIRE), the causative gene in autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type-1 (APS-1), is crucial for the establishment of self-tolerance in the thymus by promoting promiscuous expression of a wide array of tissue-restricted self-antigens. This step is critical for elimination of high-affinity self-reactive T cells from the immunological repertoire, and for the induction of a specific subset of Foxp3(+) T-regulatory (Treg ) cells. In this review, we discuss the most recent advances in our understanding of how AIRE operates on molecular and cellular levels, as well as of how its loss of function results in breakdown of self-tolerance mechanisms characterized by a broad and heterogeneous repertoire of autoimmune phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Abramson
- Department of Immunology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Eystein S Husebye
- Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Department of Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
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13
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Abramson J, Goldfarb Y. AIRE: From promiscuous molecular partnerships to promiscuous gene expression. Eur J Immunol 2016; 46:22-33. [PMID: 26450177 DOI: 10.1002/eji.201545792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2015] [Revised: 08/10/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a unique transcriptional regulator that induces promiscuous expression of thousands of tissue-restricted antigens (TRAs) in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs), a step critical for the induction of immunological self-tolerance. The past 15 years have seen dramatic progress in our understanding of how AIRE induces immunological self-tolerance on a molecular level. This major advancement can be greatly attributed to the identification of a large variety of proteins that physically associate with AIRE, supporting and regulating its transcription-transactivation capacity. These diverse molecular partnerships have been shown to play roles in shuttling AIRE to the nucleus, securing AIRE's interaction with nuclear matrix and chromatin, releasing RNA polymerase-II from its stalled state and potentiating AIRE-mediated gene expression, among others. In this review we discuss the relationship of AIRE with its vast and rather diverse repertoire of partners and highlight how such "promiscuous partnerships" contribute to the phenomenon of "promiscuous gene expression" in the thymus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Abramson
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yael Goldfarb
- Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
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14
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Kawano H, Nishijima H, Morimoto J, Hirota F, Morita R, Mouri Y, Nishioka Y, Matsumoto M. Aire Expression Is Inherent to Most Medullary Thymic Epithelial Cells during Their Differentiation Program. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2015; 195:5149-58. [PMID: 26503950 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Accepted: 10/02/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Aire in medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) plays an important role in the establishment of self-tolerance. Because Aire(+) mTECs appear to be a limited subset, they may constitute a unique lineage(s) among mTECs. An alternative possibility is that all mTECs are committed to express Aire in principle, but Aire expression by individual mTECs is conditional. To investigate this issue, we established a novel Aire reporter strain in which endogenous Aire is replaced by the human AIRE-GFP-Flag tag (Aire/hAGF-knockin) fusion gene. The hAGF reporter protein was produced and retained very efficiently within mTECs as authentic Aire nuclear dot protein. Remarkably, snapshot analysis revealed that mTECs expressing hAGF accounted for >95% of mature mTECs, suggesting that Aire expression does not represent a particular mTEC lineage(s). We confirmed this by generating Aire/diphtheria toxin receptor-knockin mice in which long-term ablation of Aire(+) mTECs by diphtheria toxin treatment resulted in the loss of most mature mTECs beyond the proportion of those apparently expressing Aire. These results suggest that Aire expression is inherent to all mTECs but may occur at particular stage(s) and/or cellular states during their differentiation, thus accounting for the broad impact of Aire on the promiscuous gene expression of mTECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kawano
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Hitoshi Nishijima
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Junko Morimoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Fumiko Hirota
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Ryoko Morita
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Mouri
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan
| | - Yasuhiko Nishioka
- Department of Respiratory Medicine and Rheumatology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; and
| | - Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, Tokushima University, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan; Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development-Core Research for Evolutional Science and Technology, Tokyo 100-0004, Japan
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15
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Hobbs RP, DePianto DJ, Jacob JT, Han MC, Chung BM, Batazzi AS, Poll BG, Guo Y, Han J, Ong S, Zheng W, Taube JM, Čiháková D, Wan F, Coulombe PA. Keratin-dependent regulation of Aire and gene expression in skin tumor keratinocytes. Nat Genet 2015; 47:933-8. [PMID: 26168014 PMCID: PMC4520766 DOI: 10.1038/ng.3355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Expression of the intermediate filament protein keratin 17 (K17) is robustly upregulated in inflammatory skin diseases and in many tumors originating in stratified and pseudostratified epithelia. We report that autoimmune regulator (Aire), a transcriptional regulator, is inducibly expressed in human and mouse tumor keratinocytes in a K17-dependent manner and is required for timely onset of Gli2-induced skin tumorigenesis in mice. The induction of Aire mRNA in keratinocytes depends on a functional interaction between K17 and the heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein hnRNP K. Further, K17 colocalizes with Aire protein in the nucleus of tumor-prone keratinocytes, and each factor is bound to a specific promoter region featuring an NF-κB consensus sequence in a relevant subset of K17- and Aire-dependent proinflammatory genes. These findings provide radically new insight into keratin intermediate filament and Aire function, along with a molecular basis for the K17-dependent amplification of inflammatory and immune responses in diseased epithelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan P. Hobbs
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Daryle J. DePianto
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Justin T. Jacob
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Minerva C. Han
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Byung-Min Chung
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Adriana S. Batazzi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Brian G. Poll
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Yajuan Guo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Jingnan Han
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - SuFey Ong
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Wenxin Zheng
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Janis M. Taube
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Daniela Čiháková
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Fengyi Wan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD 21205, USA
| | - Pierre A. Coulombe
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Oncology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD 21205, USA
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Jin P, Zhang Q, Dong CS, Zhao SL, Mo ZH. A novel mutation in autoimmune regulator gene causes autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy. J Endocrinol Invest 2014; 37:941-8. [PMID: 25064028 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-014-0120-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy syndrome (APECED) is a rare autosomal recessive disease due to mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene, which encodes a transcription factor that induces the expression of peripheral tissue-specific antigens in medullary thymic epithelial cells. AIM The purpose of this study was to identify the underlying genetic cause in a Chinese family diagnosed with APECED. METHOD Peripheral blood samples were collected from family members. All exons of the AIRE gene and adjacent exon-intron sequences were amplified by PCR and subsequently sequenced. The functional consequence of the mutations was analyzed by cell transfection and in vitro assays. RESULTS A novel c.483_484insC mutation in exon 4 was identified, which resulted in a frame shift predicted to generate a truncated protein containing the first 163 AIRE amino acids followed by 52 aberrant amino acids. Confocal immunofluorescence microscopy of COS-7 cells transfected with wild-type and mutant AIRE constructs showed that wild-type AIRE protein was localized mainly in the nucleus, while mutant AIRE was localized mainly in the cytoplasm. A luciferase reporter assay showed that the identified mutation dramatically inhibited the transactivation activity of AIRE in vitro. CONCLUSION We identified a novel AIRE mutation which alters the intracellular location and transcription activity of AIRE, and has implications in the pathogenesis of APECED.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Jin
- Department of Endorcrinology, 3nd Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Tongzipo Road, Changsha, 410007, Hunan, People's Republic of China
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17
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Incani F, Serra ML, Meloni A, Cossu C, Saba L, Cabras T, Messana I, Rosatelli MC. AIRE acetylation and deacetylation: effect on protein stability and transactivation activity. J Biomed Sci 2014; 21:85. [PMID: 25158603 PMCID: PMC4256887 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-014-0085-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The AIRE protein plays a remarkable role as a regulator of central tolerance by controlling the promiscuous expression of tissue-specific antigens in thymic medullary epithelial cells. Defects in AIRE gene cause the autoimmune polyendocrinopathy- candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy, a rare disease frequent in Iranian Jews, Finns, and Sardinian population. RESULTS In this study, we have precisely mapped, by mass spectrometry experiments, the sites of protein acetylation and, by mutagenesis assays, we have described a set of acetylated lysines as being crucial in influencing the subcellular localization of AIRE. Furthermore, we have also determined that the de-acetyltransferase enzymes HDAC1-2 are involved in the lysine de-acetylation of AIRE. CONCLUSIONS On the basis of our results and those reported in literature, we propose a model in which lysines acetylation increases the stability of AIRE in the nucleus. In addition, we observed that the interaction of AIRE with deacetylases complexes inhibits its transcriptional activity and is probably responsible for the instability of AIRE, which becomes more susceptible to degradation in the proteasome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Incani
- />Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Medicina Clinica e Molecolare, Unità di Ricerca di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, via Jenner s/n, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Serra
- />Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Medicina Clinica e Molecolare, Unità di Ricerca di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, via Jenner s/n, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alessandra Meloni
- />Istituto di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Carla Cossu
- />Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Medicina Clinica e Molecolare, Unità di Ricerca di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, via Jenner s/n, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Luisella Saba
- />Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Medicina Clinica e Molecolare, Unità di Ricerca di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, via Jenner s/n, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Tiziana Cabras
- />Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Sezione di Biochimica, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Irene Messana
- />Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Sezione di Biochimica, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Cristina Rosatelli
- />Dipartimento di Sanità Pubblica, Medicina Clinica e Molecolare, Unità di Ricerca di Scienze Biomediche e Biotecnologie, Università degli Studi di Cagliari, via Jenner s/n, Cagliari, Italy
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18
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Perniola R, Musco G. The biophysical and biochemical properties of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2014; 1842:326-37. [PMID: 24275490 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2013.11.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2013] [Revised: 11/11/2013] [Accepted: 11/18/2013] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
AIRE (for autoimmune regulator) is a multidomain protein that performs a fundamental function in the thymus and possibly in the secondary lymphoid organs: the regulation, especially in the sense of activation, of the process of gene transcription in cell lines deputed to the presentation of self-antigens to the maturing T lymphocytes. The apoptosis of the elements bearing T-cell receptors with critical affinity for the exhibited self-antigens prevents the escape of autoreactive clones and represents a simple and efficient mechanism of deletional self-tolerance. However, AIRE action relies on an articulated complex of biophysical and biochemical properties, in most cases attributable to single subspecialized domains. Here a thorough review of the matter is presented, with a privileged look at the pathogenic changes of AIRE that interfere with such properties and lead to the impairment in its chief function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Perniola
- Department of Pediatrics - Neonatal Intensive Care, V. Fazzi Regional Hospital, Piazza F. Muratore, I-73100, Lecce, Italy.
| | - Giovanna Musco
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute at San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, I-20132, Milan, Italy.
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20
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Zhang J, Liu H, Liu Z, Liao Y, Guo L, Wang H, He L, Zhang X, Xing Q. A functional alternative splicing mutation in AIRE gene causes autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1. PLoS One 2013; 8:e53981. [PMID: 23342054 PMCID: PMC3540864 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0053981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2012] [Accepted: 12/05/2012] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1) is a rare autosomal recessive disease defined by the presence of two of the three conditions: mucocutaneous candidiasis, hypoparathyroidism, and Addison's disease. Loss-of-function mutations of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene have been linked to APS-1. Here we report mutational analysis and functional characterization of an AIRE mutation in a consanguineous Chinese family with APS-1. All exons of the AIRE gene and adjacent exon-intron sequences were amplified by PCR and subsequently sequenced. We identified a homozygous missense AIRE mutation c.463G>A (p.Gly155Ser) in two siblings with different clinical features of APS-1. In silico splice-site prediction and minigene analysis were carried out to study the potential pathological consequence. Minigene splicing analysis and subsequent cDNA sequencing revealed that the AIRE mutation potentially compromised the recognition of the splice donor of intron 3, causing alternative pre-mRNA splicing by intron 3 retention. Furthermore, the aberrant AIRE transcript was identified in a heterozygous carrier of the c.463G>A mutation. The aberrant intron 3-retaining transcript generated a truncated protein (p.G155fsX203) containing the first 154 AIRE amino acids and followed by 48 aberrant amino acids. Therefore, our study represents the first functional characterization of the alternatively spliced AIRE mutation that may explain the pathogenetic role in APS-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyu Zhang
- Children’s Hospital and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongbin Liu
- Henan Provincial Corps Hospital, Chinese’s Armed Police Forces, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhiyuan Liu
- Henan Provincial Corps Hospital, Chinese’s Armed Police Forces, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yong Liao
- Chongqing Municipal Corps Hospital, Chinese’s Armed Police Forces, Chongqing, China
| | - Luo Guo
- Children’s Hospital and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Honglian Wang
- Children’s Hospital and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lin He
- Children’s Hospital and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaodong Zhang
- Neuroscience & Behavioral Disorders Program, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Physiology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, United States of America
| | - Qinghe Xing
- Children’s Hospital and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
- Bio-X Institutes, Key Laboratory for the Genetics of Developmental and Neuropsychiatric Disorders (Ministry of Education), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
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21
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Gaetani M, Matafora V, Saare M, Spiliotopoulos D, Mollica L, Quilici G, Chignola F, Mannella V, Zucchelli C, Peterson P, Bachi A, Musco G. AIRE-PHD fingers are structural hubs to maintain the integrity of chromatin-associated interactome. Nucleic Acids Res 2012; 40:11756-68. [PMID: 23074189 PMCID: PMC3526288 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gks933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2012] [Revised: 09/11/2012] [Accepted: 09/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene cause autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy. AIRE is expressed in thymic medullary epithelial cells, where it promotes the expression of peripheral-tissue antigens to mediate deletional tolerance, thereby preventing self-reactivity. AIRE contains two plant homeodomains (PHDs) which are sites of pathological mutations. AIRE-PHD fingers are important for AIRE transcriptional activity and presumably play a crucial role in the formation of multimeric protein complexes at chromatin level which ultimately control immunological tolerance. As a step forward the understanding of AIRE-PHD fingers in normal and pathological conditions, we investigated their structure and used a proteomic SILAC approach to assess the impact of patient mutations targeting AIRE-PHD fingers. Importantly, both AIRE-PHD fingers are structurally independent and mutually non-interacting domains. In contrast to D297A and V301M on AIRE-PHD1, the C446G mutation on AIRE-PHD2 destroys the structural fold, thus causing aberrant AIRE localization and reduction of AIRE target genes activation. Moreover, mutations targeting AIRE-PHD1 affect the formation of a multimeric protein complex at chromatin level. Overall our results reveal the importance of AIRE-PHD domains in the interaction with chromatin-associated nuclear partners and gene regulation confirming the role of PHD fingers as versatile protein interaction hubs for multiple binding events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Gaetani
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Vittoria Matafora
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Mario Saare
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Dimitrios Spiliotopoulos
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Luca Mollica
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Giacomo Quilici
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Francesca Chignola
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Valeria Mannella
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Chiara Zucchelli
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Pärt Peterson
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Angela Bachi
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Giovanna Musco
- Biomolecular NMR Laboratory, Center of Translational Genomics and Bioinformatics, Dulbecco Telethon Institute c/o S. Raffaele Scientific Institute, Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Unit, Division of Genetics and Cell Biology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milano, Italy and Department of Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
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22
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Saare M, Rebane A, Rajashekar B, Vilo J, Peterson P. Autoimmune regulator is acetylated by transcription coactivator CBP/p300. Exp Cell Res 2012; 318:1767-78. [PMID: 22659170 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2012.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Revised: 04/12/2012] [Accepted: 04/17/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The Autoimmune Regulator (AIRE) is a regulator of transcription in the thymic medulla, where it controls the expression of a large set of peripheral-tissue specific genes. AIRE interacts with the transcriptional coactivator and acetyltransferase CBP and synergistically cooperates with it in transcriptional activation. Here, we aimed to study a possible role of AIRE acetylation in the modulation of its activity. We found that AIRE is acetylated in tissue culture cells and this acetylation is enhanced by overexpression of CBP and the CBP paralog p300. The acetylated lysines were located within nuclear localization signal and SAND domain. AIRE with mutations that mimicked acetylated K243 and K253 in the SAND domain had reduced transactivation activity and accumulated into fewer and larger nuclear bodies, whereas mutations that mimicked the unacetylated lysines were functionally similar to wild-type AIRE. Analogously to CBP, p300 localized to AIRE-containing nuclear bodies, however, the overexpression of p300 did not enhance the transcriptional activation of AIRE-regulated genes. Further studies showed that overexpression of p300 stabilized the AIRE protein. Interestingly, gene expression profiling revealed that AIRE, with mutations mimicking K243/K253 acetylation in SAND, was able to activate gene expression, although the affected genes were different and the activation level was lower from those regulated by wild-type AIRE. Our results suggest that the AIRE acetylation can influence the selection of AIRE activated genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario Saare
- Molecular Pathology, Institute of General and Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, 19th Ravila Str, Tartu, Estonia.
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23
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Lovewell T, Tazi-Ahnini R. Models to explore the molecular function and regulation of AIRE. EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL HUMAN GENETICS 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmhg.2011.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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24
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Fierabracci A. Recent insights into the role and molecular mechanisms of the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene in autoimmunity. Autoimmun Rev 2011; 10:137-43. [PMID: 20850570 DOI: 10.1016/j.autrev.2010.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2010] [Accepted: 08/09/2010] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Since many years immunologists have being tried to answer the tantalizing enigma of immunological tolerance. Complex mechanisms in both thymus (central tolerance) and peripheral lymphoid organs (peripheral tolerance) underly lymphocyte tolerance and its maintenance. The genesis of autoimmunity involves environmental and genetic mechanisms, both contributing to the disruption and deregulation of central and peripheral tolerance, allowing autoreactive pathogenetic T and B-cell clones arising. Among genetic factors the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene is one of the best candidates to understand the complex scenario of autoimmunity. Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome type 1 is a rare autosomal recessive disease caused by mutations in the AIRE gene. Therefore, the disorder has certainly been a powerful model to address the question concerning how a tolerant state is achieved or maintained and to explore how it has gone lost in the context of autoimmunity. AIRE has been proposed to function as a 'non classical' transcription factor, strongly implicated in the regulation of organ-specific antigen expression in thymic epithelial cells and in the imposition of T cell tolerance, thus regulating the negative selection of autoreactive T cell clones. A plethora of proposal have been suggested for AIRE's potential mechanism of action, thus regulating the negative selection of autoreactive T cells. In this review recent discoveries are presented into the role and molecular mechanisms of the AIRE protein in APECED and other autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Fierabracci
- Research Laboratories, Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù, Piazza S. Onofrio, 4, 00165 Rome, Italy.
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25
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Shi L, Hu LH, Li YR. Autoimmune regulator regulates autophagy in THP-1 human monocytes. FRONTIERS OF MEDICINE IN CHINA 2010; 4:336-41. [PMID: 21191841 DOI: 10.1007/s11684-010-0096-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2010] [Accepted: 06/10/2010] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a crucial factor for the induction of central tolerance, and mutations in this gene lead to abnormal immune responses. However, the role of AIRE in autophagy in immune cells, especially in monocytes, is obscure. In the present study, we found that overexpression of AIRE in THP-1 human monocytes resulted in increased endogenous light chain 3 (LC3)-II level and elevated LC3 positive vesicles. Moreover, an autophagy inhibitor or knockdown of AIRE by small interference RNA attenuated these effects. In contrast, the expression of p62/SQSTM1 remained unchanged in THP-1 cells after the corresponding treatment. Our findings indicate that AIRE plays a role in the regulation of autophagy in THP-1 human monocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Shi
- Clinical Laboratory Medicine Department, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
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26
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Shi L, Hu L, Li Y. Upregulation of phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells by autoimmune regulator. JOURNAL OF HUAZHONG UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY. MEDICAL SCIENCES = HUA ZHONG KE JI DA XUE XUE BAO. YI XUE YING DE WEN BAN = HUAZHONG KEJI DAXUE XUEBAO. YIXUE YINGDEWEN BAN 2010; 30:145-8. [PMID: 20407862 DOI: 10.1007/s11596-010-0202-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2010] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
To investigate the effect of autoimmune regulator (AIRE) on phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells, a recombinant expression vector containing full-length human AIRE cDNA was transfected into 16HBE cells. After incubation with transfected 16HBE cells, engulfment of apoptotic HL-60 cells induced by camptothecin was detected by myeloperoxidase (MPO) staining. The change in the expression of Rac 1 in transfected 16HBE cells was determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that the phagocytosis percentage of the experimental group, the mock transfection group and the negative control group (non-apoptotic cells) was (25.50 + or - 3.67)%, (6.25 + or - 1.58)% and (1.0 + or - 0.67)%, respectively. Moreover, the expressions of Rac 1 mRNA and protein were up-regulated in AIRE-transfected 16HBE cells, suggesting that AIRE may function as a regulator in the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells by promoting the expression of Rac 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Shi
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430022, China.
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Abramson J, Giraud M, Benoist C, Mathis D. Aire's partners in the molecular control of immunological tolerance. Cell 2010; 140:123-35. [PMID: 20085707 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2009] [Revised: 11/13/2009] [Accepted: 12/07/2009] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Aire induces the expression of a battery of peripheral-tissue self-antigens (PTAs) in thymic stromal cells, promoting the clonal deletion of differentiating T cells that recognize them. Just how Aire targets and induces PTA transcripts remains largely undefined. Screening via Aire-targeted coimmunoprecipitation followed by mass spectrometry, and validating by multiple RNAi-mediated knockdown approaches, we identified a large set of proteins that associate with Aire. They fall into four major functional classes: nuclear transport, chromatin binding/structure, transcription and pre-mRNA processing. One set of Aire interactions centered on DNA protein kinase and a group of proteins it partners with to resolve DNA double-stranded breaks or promote transcriptional elongation. Another set of interactions was focused on the pre-mRNA splicing and maturation machinery, potentially explaining the markedly more effective processing of PTA transcripts in the presence of Aire. These findings suggest a model to explain Aire's widespread targeting and induction of weakly transcribed chromatin regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jakub Abramson
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, 77 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Matsumoto M. The role of autoimmune regulator (Aire) in the development of the immune system. Microbes Infect 2009; 11:928-34. [PMID: 19615461 DOI: 10.1016/j.micinf.2009.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2009] [Accepted: 07/08/2009] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
AIRE is the gene responsible for a rather rare hereditary type of autoimmune disease. The mechanism underlying the autoimmune pathogenesis caused by AIRE deficiency is a focus of intense research because it could provide clues to the fundamental question of how the immune system discriminates between self and non-self within the thymic microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mitsuru Matsumoto
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, 3-18-15 Kuramoto, Tokushima 770-8503, Japan.
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29
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Shikama N, Nusspaumer G, Holländer GA. Clearing the AIRE: on the pathophysiological basis of the autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome type-1. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am 2009; 38:273-88, vii. [PMID: 19328411 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecl.2009.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type-1 clinically manifests as the triad of hypoparathyroidism, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis. Mutations in the gene that encodes the autoimmune regulator protein, AIRE, have been identified as the cause of the autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type-1. The loss of immunologic tolerance to tissue-restricted antigens consequent to an absence of AIRE expression in the thymus results in the thymic export of autoreactive T cells that initiate autoimmunity. In this article, we discuss the role of AIRE in autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type-1 and identify issues that still need to be addressed to fully understand the molecular pathophysiology of this complex syndrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noriko Shikama
- Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel and The University Children's Hospital (UKBB), Basel, Switzerland
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30
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Abstract
A pool of immature T cells with a seemingly unrestricted repertoire of antigen specificities is generated life-long in the thymus. Amongst these cells are, however, thymocytes that express a strongly self-reactive antigen receptor and hence hold the potential to trigger autoimmunity. To prevent such an outcome, the thymus employs several independent but functionally related strategies that act in parallel to enforce self-tolerance. The deletion of strongly self-reactive thymocytes and the generation of regulatory T cells constitute the two most efficient mechanisms to induce and maintain immunological tolerance. Thymic epithelial cells of the medulla express for this purpose tissue-restricted self-antigens. This review will focus on the cellular and molecular mechanisms operative in the thymus to shape a repertoire of mature T cells tolerant to self-antigens.
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Affiliation(s)
- G A Holländer
- Department of Clinical-Biological Sciences, Laboratory of Pediatric Immunology, Center for Biomedicine, University of Basel and The University Children's Hospital, Switzerland.
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31
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Tykocinski LO, Sinemus A, Kyewski B. The thymus medulla slowly yields its secrets. Ann N Y Acad Sci 2009; 1143:105-22. [PMID: 19076347 DOI: 10.1196/annals.1443.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
The past few years have witnessed considerable advances in our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the induction of central tolerance. Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTECs) play a pivotal role in this process by virtue of promiscuous expression of tissue-restricted autoantigens. This brief review covers progress of the last two years in deciphering the functional interrelationship among TEC development, promiscuous gene expression, and central tolerance. We discuss new insights into signaling pathways directing the differentiation and homeostasis of mTECs, and new clues to the molecular regulation of promiscuous gene expression (pGE), including the role of the transcriptional regulator autoimmune regulator (AIRE). Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of promiscuous expression of particular tissue-restricted self-antigens in preventing organ-specific autoimmunity and evaluate new data supporting the threshold model of central tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars-Oliver Tykocinski
- Division of Developmental Immunology, Tumor Immunology Program, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
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32
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Abstract
Mutations in the transcriptional regulator, Aire, cause APECED, a polyglandular autoimmune disease with monogenic transmission. Animal models of APECED have revealed that Aire plays an important role in T cell tolerance induction in the thymus, mainly by promoting ectopic expression of a large repertoire of transcripts encoding proteins normally restricted to differentiated organs residing in the periphery. The absence of Aire results in impaired clonal deletion of self-reactive thymocytes, which escape into the periphery and attack a variety of organs. In addition, Aire is a proapoptotic factor, expressed at the final maturation stage of thymic medullary epithelial cells, a function that may promote cross-presentation of the antigens encoded by Aire-induced transcripts in these cells. Transcriptional regulation by Aire is unusual in being very broad, context-dependent, probabilistic, and noisy. Structure/function analyses and identification of its interaction partners suggest that Aire may impact transcription at several levels, including nucleosome displacement during elongation and transcript splicing or other aspects of maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane Mathis
- Section on Immunology and Immunogenetics, Joslin Diabetes Center; Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital; Harvard Medical School; and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA.
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33
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Peterson P, Org T, Rebane A. Transcriptional regulation by AIRE: molecular mechanisms of central tolerance. Nat Rev Immunol 2008; 8:948-57. [PMID: 19008896 PMCID: PMC2785478 DOI: 10.1038/nri2450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The negative selection of T cells in the thymus is necessary for the maintenance of self tolerance. Medullary thymic epithelial cells have a key function in this process as they express a large number of tissue-specific self antigens that are presented to developing T cells. Mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein cause a breakdown of central tolerance that is associated with decreased expression of self antigens in the thymus. In this Review, we discuss the role of AIRE in the thymus and recent advances in our understanding of how AIRE might function at the molecular level to regulate gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pärt Peterson
- Institute of General and Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Tartu 5O411, Estonia.
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34
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Yano M, Kuroda N, Han H, Meguro-Horike M, Nishikawa Y, Kiyonari H, Maemura K, Yanagawa Y, Obata K, Takahashi S, Ikawa T, Satoh R, Kawamoto H, Mouri Y, Matsumoto M. Aire controls the differentiation program of thymic epithelial cells in the medulla for the establishment of self-tolerance. J Exp Med 2008; 205:2827-38. [PMID: 19015306 PMCID: PMC2585853 DOI: 10.1084/jem.20080046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 172] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2008] [Accepted: 10/17/2008] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The roles of autoimmune regulator (Aire) in the expression of the diverse arrays of tissue-restricted antigen (TRA) genes from thymic epithelial cells in the medulla (medullary thymic epithelial cells [mTECs]) and in organization of the thymic microenvironment are enigmatic. We approached this issue by creating a mouse strain in which the coding sequence of green fluorescent protein (GFP) was inserted into the Aire locus in a manner allowing concomitant disruption of functional Aire protein expression. We found that Aire(+) (i.e., GFP(+)) mTECs were the major cell types responsible for the expression of Aire-dependent TRA genes such as insulin 2 and salivary protein 1, whereas Aire-independent TRA genes such as C-reactive protein and glutamate decarboxylase 67 were expressed from both Aire(+) and Aire(-) mTECs. Remarkably, absence of Aire from mTECs caused morphological changes together with altered distribution of mTECs committed to Aire expression. Furthermore, we found that the numbers of mTECs that express involucrin, a marker for terminal epidermal differentiation, were reduced in Aire-deficient mouse thymus, which was associated with nearly an absence of Hassall's corpuscle-like structures in the medulla. Our results suggest that Aire controls the differentiation program of mTECs, thereby organizing the global mTEC integrity that enables TRA expression from terminally differentiated mTECs in the thymic microenvironment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masashi Yano
- Division of Molecular Immunology, Institute for Enzyme Research, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan
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35
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Koh AS, Kuo AJ, Park SY, Cheung P, Abramson J, Bua D, Carney D, Shoelson SE, Gozani O, Kingston RE, Benoist C, Mathis D. Aire employs a histone-binding module to mediate immunological tolerance, linking chromatin regulation with organ-specific autoimmunity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2008; 105:15878-83. [PMID: 18840680 PMCID: PMC2572939 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0808470105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2008] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Aire induces ectopic expression of peripheral tissue antigens (PTAs) in thymic medullary epithelial cells, which promotes immunological tolerance. Beginning with a broad screen of histone peptides, we demonstrate that the mechanism by which this single factor controls the transcription of thousands of genes involves recognition of the amino-terminal tail of histone H3, but not of other histones, by one of Aire's plant homeodomain (PHD) fingers. Certain posttranslational modifications of H3 tails, notably dimethylation or trimethylation at H3K4, abrogated binding by Aire, whereas others were tolerated. Similar PHD finger-H3 tail-binding properties were recently reported for BRAF-histone deacetylase complex 80 and DNA methyltransferase 3L; sequence alignment, molecular modeling, and biochemical analyses showed these factors and Aire to have structure-function relationships in common. In addition, certain PHD1 mutations underlying the polyendocrine disorder autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiases-ectodermaldystrophy compromised Aire recognition of H3. In vitro binding assays demonstrated direct physical interaction between Aire and nucleosomes, which was in part buttressed by its affinity to DNA. In vivo Aire interactions with chromosomal regions depleted of H3K4me3 were dependent on its H3 tail-binding activity, and this binding was necessary but not sufficient for the up-regulation of genes encoding PTAs. Thus, Aire's activity as a histone-binding module mediates the thymic display of PTAs that promotes self-tolerance and prevents organ-specific autoimmunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S. Koh
- *Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114; and
| | - Alex J. Kuo
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Sang Youn Park
- *Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Peggie Cheung
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Jakub Abramson
- *Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Dennis Bua
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Dylan Carney
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Steven E. Shoelson
- *Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Or Gozani
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305
| | - Robert E. Kingston
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02114; and
| | - Christophe Benoist
- *Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
| | - Diane Mathis
- *Research Division, Joslin Diabetes Center and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215
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36
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Ferguson BJ, Cooke A, Peterson P, Rich T. Death in the AIRE. Trends Immunol 2008; 29:306-12. [PMID: 18515183 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2008.03.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2007] [Revised: 03/14/2008] [Accepted: 03/14/2008] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
When thymic epithelia begin to synthesize peripheral tissue antigens such as insulin, we are seeing the result of autoimmune regulator (AIRE) activity and the workings of central tolerance. AIRE is an extraordinary protein that repatterns the transcriptome of medullary thymic epithelia (mTECs) to produce a stroma decorated with peripheral self-peptides. These peptidic arrays are used to purge self-reactive T cells, thereby averting autoimmunity. We now propose that an inherently cytotoxic event such as global chromatin modification paves the way for AIRE action. This injury stimulus might impose temporal restrictions for the T-cell education process and is endured, at least transiently, by the unique cellular environment provided by the medullary thymic epithelia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Ferguson
- Department of Pathology, Divisions of Immunology and Cellular Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1QP, UK
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37
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Su MA, Giang K, Žumer K, Jiang H, Oven I, Rinn JL, DeVoss JJ, Johannes KP, Lu W, Gardner J, Chang A, Bubulya P, Chang HY, Peterlin BM, Anderson MS. Mechanisms of an autoimmunity syndrome in mice caused by a dominant mutation in Aire. J Clin Invest 2008; 118:1712-26. [PMID: 18414681 PMCID: PMC2293336 DOI: 10.1172/jci34523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 120] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2007] [Accepted: 02/27/2008] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Homozygous loss-of-function mutations in AIRE cause autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS 1), which manifests in a classic triad of hypoparathyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, and candidiasis. Interestingly, a kindred with a specific G228W AIRE variant presented with an autosomal dominant autoimmune phenotype distinct from APS 1. We utilized a novel G228W-knockin mouse model to show that this variant acted in a dominant-negative manner to cause a unique autoimmunity syndrome. In addition, the expression of a large number of Aire-regulated thymic antigens was partially inhibited in these animals, demonstrating the importance of quantitative changes in thymic antigen expression in determining organ-specific autoimmunity. Furthermore, the dominant-negative effect of the G228W variant was exerted through recruitment of WT Aire away from active sites of transcription in the nucleus of medullary thymic epithelial cells in vivo. Together, these results may demonstrate a mechanism by which autoimmune predisposition to phenotypes distinct from APS 1 can be mediated in a dominant-negative fashion by Aire.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maureen A. Su
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Karen Giang
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Kristina Žumer
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Huimin Jiang
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Irena Oven
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - John L. Rinn
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Jason J. DeVoss
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Kellsey P.A. Johannes
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Wen Lu
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - James Gardner
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Angela Chang
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Paula Bubulya
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Howard Y. Chang
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - B. Matija Peterlin
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
| | - Mark S. Anderson
- Diabetes Center,
Department of Pediatrics, and
Department of Medicine, UCSF, San Francisco, California, USA.
Program in Epithelial Biology, Cancer Biology Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.
Department of Biological Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio, USA
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38
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Tatematsu K, Yoshimoto N, Okajima T, Tanizawa K, Kuroda S. Identification of ubiquitin ligase activity of RBCK1 and its inhibition by splice variant RBCK2 and protein kinase Cbeta. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:11575-85. [PMID: 18303026 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m706961200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously identified a RING-IBR protein, RBCK1, as a protein kinase C (PKC) beta- and zeta-interacting protein, and its splice variant, RBCK2, lacking the C-terminal half including the RING-IBR domain. RBCK1 has been shown to function as a transcriptional activator whose nuclear translocation is prevented by interaction with the cytoplasmic RBCK2. We here demonstrate that RBCK1, like many other RING proteins, also possesses a ubiquitin ligase (E3) activity and that its E3 activity is inhibited by interaction with RBCK2. Moreover, RBCK1 has been found to undergo efficient phosphorylation by PKCbeta. The phosphorylated RBCK1 shows no self-ubiquitination activity in vitro. Overexpression of PKCbeta leads to significant increases in the amounts of intracellular RBCK1, presumably suppressing the proteasomal degradation of RBCK1 through self-ubiquitination, whereas coexpression with PKCalpha, PKCepsilon, and PKCzeta shows no or little effect on the intracellular amount of RBCK1. Taken together, the E3 activity of RBCK1 is controlled by two distinct manners, interaction with RBCK2 and phosphorylation by PKCbeta. It is possible that other RING proteins, such as Parkin, BRCA1, and RNF8, having the E3 activity, are also down-regulated by interaction with their RING-lacking splice variants and/or phosphorylation by protein kinases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenji Tatematsu
- Department of Structural Molecular Biology, The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research, Osaka University, Ibaraki, Osaka 567-0047, Japan.
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39
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Meloni A, Incani F, Corda D, Cao A, Rosatelli MC. Role of PHD fingers and COOH-terminal 30 amino acids in AIRE transactivation activity. Mol Immunol 2008; 45:805-9. [PMID: 17675238 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2007.06.156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2007] [Accepted: 06/04/2007] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED) is a rare autosomic autoimmune disease resulting from the defective function of a gene codifying for a transcription factor named autoimmune regulation (AIRE). The AIRE protein contains several domains among which two PHD fingers involved in the transcriptional activation. We investigated the function of the two PHD finger domains and the COOH terminal portion of AIRE by using several mutated constructs transfected in mammalian cells and a luciferase reporter assay. The results predict that the second PHD as well as the COOH terminal regions have marked transactivational properties. The COOH terminal region contains the fourth LXXLL and the PXXPXP motifs which play a critical role in mediating the transactivation capacity of the AIRE protein. Our study provides a definition of the role of the PHD fingers in transactivation and identifies a new transactivation domain of the AIRE protein localized in the COOH terminal region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Meloni
- Istituto di Neurogenetica e Neurofarmacologia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Cagliari, Italy
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40
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Ferguson BJ, Alexander C, Rossi SW, Liiv I, Rebane A, Worth CL, Wong J, Laan M, Peterson P, Jenkinson EJ, Anderson G, Scott HS, Cooke A, Rich T. AIRE's CARD revealed, a new structure for central tolerance provokes transcriptional plasticity. J Biol Chem 2008; 283:1723-1731. [PMID: 17974569 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m707211200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Developing T cells encounter peripheral self-antigens in the thymus in order to delete autoreactive clones. It is now known that the autoimmune regulator protein (AIRE), which is expressed in thymic medullary epithelial cells, plays a key role in regulating the thymic transcription of these peripheral tissue-specific antigens. Mutations in the AIRE gene are associated with a severe multiorgan autoimmune syndrome (APECED), and autoimmune reactivities are manifest in AIRE-deficient mice. Functional AIRE protein is expressed as distinct nuclear puncta, although no structural basis existed to explain their relevance to disease. In addressing the cell biologic basis for APECED, we made the unexpected discovery that an AIRE mutation hot spot lies in a caspase recruitment domain. Combined homology modeling and in vitro data now show how APECED mutations influence the activity of this transcriptional regulator. We also provide novel in vivo evidence for AIRE's association with a global transcription cofactor, which may underlie AIRE's focal, genome-wide, alteration of the transcriptome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J Ferguson
- Department of Pathology, Divisions of Immunology and Cellular Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, United Kingdom
| | - Clare Alexander
- Department of Pathology, Divisions of Immunology and Cellular Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, United Kingdom
| | - Simona W Rossi
- Medical Research Council Centre for Immune Regulation, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Ingrid Liiv
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Biomedicum, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Ana Rebane
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Biomedicum, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Catherine L Worth
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, United Kingdom
| | - Joyce Wong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QP, United Kingdom
| | - Martti Laan
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Biomedicum, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Pärt Peterson
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Biomedicum, 50411 Tartu, Estonia
| | - Eric J Jenkinson
- Medical Research Council Centre for Immune Regulation, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Graham Anderson
- Medical Research Council Centre for Immune Regulation, Institute for Biomedical Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Hamish S Scott
- Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, 3050 Melbourne, Australia
| | - Anne Cooke
- Department of Pathology, Divisions of Immunology and Cellular Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, United Kingdom
| | - Tina Rich
- Department of Pathology, Divisions of Immunology and Cellular Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1QP, United Kingdom.
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41
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Liiv I, Rebane A, Org T, Saare M, Maslovskaja J, Kisand K, Juronen E, Valmu L, Bottomley MJ, Kalkkinen N, Peterson P. DNA-PK contributes to the phosphorylation of AIRE: importance in transcriptional activity. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA 2008; 1783:74-83. [PMID: 17997173 PMCID: PMC2225445 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2007.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2007] [Revised: 08/29/2007] [Accepted: 09/21/2007] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein is a key mediator of the central tolerance for tissue specific antigens and is involved in transcriptional control of many antigens in thymic medullary epithelial cells (mTEC). Mutations in the AIRE gene cause a rare disease named autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). Here we report using GST pull-down assay, mass-spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation that a heterotrimeric complex of DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase (DNA-PK), consisting of Ku70, Ku80 and DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), is a novel interaction partner for AIRE. In vitro phosphorylation assays show that the residues Thr68 and Ser156 are DNA-PK phosphorylation sites in AIRE. In addition, we demonstrate that DNA-PKcs is expressed in AIRE positive mTEC cell population and that introduction of mutations into the AIRE phosphorylation sites decrease the capacity of AIRE to activate transcription from reporter promoters. In conclusion, our results suggest that phosphorylation of the AIRE protein at Thr68 and Ser156 by DNA-PK influences AIRE transactivation ability and might have impact on other aspects of the functional regulation of the AIRE protein.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ingrid Liiv
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Ana Rebane
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Tõnis Org
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Mario Saare
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | | | - Kai Kisand
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Erkki Juronen
- Human Biology and Genetics, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
| | - Leena Valmu
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matthew James Bottomley
- Istituto di Ricerche di Biologia Molecolare P. Angeletti, Via Pontina Km. 30.600, 00040 Pomezia (Rome), Italy
| | - Nisse Kalkkinen
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pärt Peterson
- Molecular Pathology, University of Tartu, Tartu 50411, Estonia
- Institute of Medical Technology, University of Tampere, Tampere 33014, Finland
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42
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Lin AE, Mak TW. The role of E3 ligases in autoimmunity and the regulation of autoreactive T cells. Curr Opin Immunol 2007; 19:665-73. [PMID: 18036806 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2007.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2007] [Revised: 10/01/2007] [Accepted: 10/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The ubiquitination of proteins by E3 ligases has become an important regulatory mechanism for a variety of immune functions, including the maintenance of self tolerance and suppression of autoreactive T cell development. This review highlights recent advances in our knowledge of the functions in this context of known and potential E3 ligases, including autoimmune regulator (AIRE), TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6), Casitas B cell lymphoma b (Cbl-b), gene related to anergy in lymphocytes (GRAIL), Itch, and Roquin. We discuss how disruptions to these molecules may contribute to the loss of T cell homeostasis and the pathogenesis of autoimmunity. We also report on the implications of the potential coordinated actions of these molecules for T cell anergy and regulatory T cell (Treg) functions. The great diversity of E3 ligases and the growing list of cellular processes in which ubiquitination plays a role make for an exciting field of research. Findings emerging from these investigations may suggest ways to exploit the therapeutic potential of manipulating ubiquitination, particularly for autoimmune disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Erica Lin
- Department of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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43
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Abstract
In 1997, the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene was identified as the locus underlying susceptibility to the polyendocrine autoimmune disease known as autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). In the intervening 10 years, it has become increasingly clear that this rare disorder has provided us with an illuminative window on one of the most fundamental processes of the immune system--the establishment and maintenance of self tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diane Mathis
- The Section on Immunology and Immunogenetics, Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA
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44
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Cheng MH, Shum AK, Anderson MS. What's new in the Aire? Trends Immunol 2007; 28:321-7. [PMID: 17556019 DOI: 10.1016/j.it.2007.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2007] [Revised: 04/17/2007] [Accepted: 05/15/2007] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Unraveling the mechanisms underlying autoimmune disease remains a difficult challenge. Recent lessons learned from the study of AIRE (autoimmune regulator), the gene responsible for the rare monogenic human syndrome APS-1, highlight the power of genetics to reveal disease pathogenesis. With the discovery of AIRE, central tolerance has re-emerged as a crucial check against autoimmunity. Aire-mediated regulation of diverse self-antigens in the thymus serves as a paradigm for the importance of promiscuous gene expression in the prevention of autoimmune disease. Recent characterization of Aire-targeted antigens continues to bear this out. Here, we review the current progress surrounding the role of Aire in central tolerance from a molecular, genetic and developmental basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mickie H Cheng
- Diabetes Center, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
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45
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DeVoss JJ, Anderson MS. Lessons on immune tolerance from the monogenic disease APS1. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2007; 17:193-200. [PMID: 17466510 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2007.04.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2007] [Accepted: 04/13/2007] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmunity is a complex disease process that results from a breakdown in the ability of the immune system to discriminate self from non-self. One approach to unraveling how autoimmunity occurs is to study monogenic diseases, for which a single gene defect is responsible. Recent work on the monogenic autoimmune disease 'autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1' (APS1) and on the causal gene of this disorder--autoimmune regulator (AIRE)--is providing new lessons on how immune tolerance is maintained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason J DeVoss
- University of California San Francisco Diabetes Center, HSW1102, San Francisco, CA 94143-0540, USA.
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46
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Kinoshita D, Hirota F, Kaisho T, Kasai M, Izumi K, Bando Y, Mouri Y, Matsushima A, Niki S, Han H, Oshikawa K, Kuroda N, Maegawa M, Irahara M, Takeda K, Akira S, Matsumoto M. Essential role of IkappaB kinase alpha in thymic organogenesis required for the establishment of self-tolerance. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2006; 176:3995-4002. [PMID: 16547234 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.176.7.3995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
IkappaB kinase (IKK) alpha exhibits diverse biological activities through protein kinase-dependent and -independent functions, the former mediated predominantly through a noncanonical NF-kappaB activation pathway. The in vivo function of IKKalpha, however, still remains elusive. Because a natural strain of mice with mutant NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) manifests autoimmunity as a result of disorganized thymic structure with abnormal expression of Rel proteins in the thymic stroma, we speculated that the NIK-IKKalpha axis might constitute an essential step in the thymic organogenesis that is required for the establishment of self-tolerance. An autoimmune disease phenotype was induced in athymic nude mice by grafting embryonic thymus from IKKalpha-deficient mice. The thymic microenvironment that caused autoimmunity in an IKKalpha-dependent manner was associated with defective processing of NF-kappaB2, resulting in the impaired development of thymic epithelial cells. Thus, our results demonstrate a novel function for IKKalpha in thymic organogenesis for the establishment of central tolerance that depends on its protein kinase activity in cooperation with NIK.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Kinoshita
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Institute of Health Biosciences, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Japan
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47
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Tao Y, Kupfer R, Stewart BJ, Williams-Skipp C, Crowell CK, Patel DD, Sain S, Scheinman RI. AIRE recruits multiple transcriptional components to specific genomic regions through tethering to nuclear matrix. Mol Immunol 2006; 43:335-45. [PMID: 16310047 DOI: 10.1016/j.molimm.2005.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2005] [Accepted: 02/15/2005] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Thymic selection requires that diverse self antigens be presented to developing thymocytes by stromal cells. Consistent with this function, medullary thymic epithelial cells have been shown to express a large number of genes, many of which are tissue restricted. Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a nuclear protein, which has recently been identified as a regulator of this process, however, the mechanism by which AIRE functions is not well understood. Here we use a transrepression assay to demonstrate that AIRE interacts with multiple components of the transcription complex including a novel interaction with the UBA domain protein, GBDR1. When AIRE is expressed in cultured human thymic epithelial cells, it tightly associates with nuclear matrix, suggesting that AIRE responsive genes may be localized to specific regions. Using a mathematical approach we have re-analyzed an Affymetrix dataset identifying AIRE responsive genes and show that they tend to localize to specific regions of the genome. Together, these data suggest that AIRE regulates gene expression by recruiting components of the transcription complex to specific regions of the genome via interactions with nuclear matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunxia Tao
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, 4200 East Ninth Ave. C-238, Denver, CO 80262, USA
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48
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Ilmarinen T, Melén K, Kangas H, Julkunen I, Ulmanen I, Eskelin P. The monopartite nuclear localization signal of autoimmune regulator mediates its nuclear import and interaction with multiple importin alpha molecules. FEBS J 2006; 273:315-24. [PMID: 16403019 DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2005.05065.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a transcriptional regulator involved in establishing immunological self-tolerance. Mutations in the AIRE gene lead to the development of the autosomal, recessively inherited, organ-specific autoimmune disease, autoimmune polyendocrinopathy candidiasis ectodermal dystrophy (APECED). The AIRE protein is mainly localized in the cell nucleus where it is associated with nuclear bodies. The N-terminal part of AIRE has been previously shown to mediate nuclear localization of the protein. However, the functional nuclear localization signal (NLS) and nuclear import mechanisms of AIRE have not been identified. We show that, although the amino-acid sequence of AIRE contains a potential bipartite NLS consisting of amino acids 110-114 and 131-133, only the latter part constitutes a functional NLS. Furthermore, we show by in vitro binding assays that AIRE interacts with multiple members of the nuclear transport receptor importin alpha family, mainly alpha1, alpha3, and alpha5, and that these interactions depend on the intactness of the Arg-Lys-rich NLS of AIRE. In addition, we found that AIRE binds to the 'minor' NLS-binding site of importin alpha3 and alpha5 proteins consisting of the C-terminal armadillo repeats 7-9. Our findings strongly suggest that the nuclear import of AIRE is mediated by the classical importin alpha/beta pathway through binding to several importin alpha family members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Ilmarinen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
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49
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Ulmanen I, Halonen M, Ilmarinen T, Peltonen L. Monogenic autoimmune diseases — lessons of self-tolerance. Curr Opin Immunol 2005; 17:609-15. [PMID: 16226439 DOI: 10.1016/j.coi.2005.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2005] [Accepted: 09/20/2005] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The molecular defects recently identified in the rare monogenic autoimmune diseases (AIDs) have pinpointed critical steps in the pathways that contribute to the development of normal immune responses and self-tolerance. Recent studies of autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome type 1, autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome, immunodysregulation, polyendocrinopathy and enteropathy, X-linked, IL-2 receptor alpha-chain deficiency, and, in particular, their corresponding mouse models, have revealed the details of the molecular mechanisms of normal immune tolerance, and exposed how defects in these mechanisms result in human autoimmunity. In addition to a deeper understanding of the immune system, detailed molecular characterization of monogenic AIDs will help us to understand the mechanisms behind common polygenic AIDs and, furthermore, to develop novel therapies and intervention strategies to treat them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ismo Ulmanen
- National Public Health Institute, Department of Molecular Medicine, Biomedicum, Helsinki, Finland
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50
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Pitkänen J, Rebane A, Rowell J, Murumägi A, Ströbel P, Möll K, Saare M, Heikkilä J, Doucas V, Marx A, Peterson P. Cooperative activation of transcription by autoimmune regulator AIRE and CBP. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2005; 333:944-53. [PMID: 15964547 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.05.187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2005] [Accepted: 05/25/2005] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a transcriptional regulator that is believed to control the expression of tissue-specific genes in the thymus. Mutated AIRE is responsible for onset of the hereditary autoimmune disease APECED. AIRE is able to form nuclear bodies (NBs) and interacts with the ubiquitous transcriptional coactivator CBP. In this paper, we show that CBP and AIRE synergistically activate transcription on different promoter reporters whereas AIRE gene mutation R257X, found in APECED patients, interferes with this coactivation effect. Furthermore, the overexpression of AIRE and CBP collaboratively enhance endogenous IFNbeta mRNA expression. The immunohistochemical studies suggest that CBP, depending on the balance of nuclear proteins, is a component of AIRE NBs. We also show that AIRE NBs are devoid of active chromatin and, therefore, not sites of transcription. In addition, we demonstrate by 3D analyses that AIRE and CBP, when colocalizing, are located spatially differently within AIRE NBs. In conclusion, our data suggest that AIRE activates transcription of the target genes, i.e., autoantigens in collaboration with CBP and that this activation occurs outside of AIRE NBs.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Pitkänen
- Institute of Medical Technology, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
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