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Enhancement of CIITA transcriptional function by ubiquitin

Nature Immunology volume 4, pages 1074–1082 (2003)Cite this article

Abstract

Although increasing evidence indicates that there is a direct link between ubiquitination and mono-ubiquitination and transcription in yeast, this link has not been demonstrated in higher eukaryotes. Here we show that the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II transactivator (CIITA), which is required for expression of genes encoding MHC class II molecules, is ubiquitinated. This ubiquitination enhanced the association of CIITA with both MHC class II transcription factors and the MHC class II promoter, resulting in an increase in transactivation function and in the expression of MHC class II mRNA. The degree of CIITA ubiquitination was controlled by histone acetylases (HATs) and deacetylases (HDACs), indicating that the crucial cellular processes mediated by these enzymes are linked to regulate transcription. Thus, ubiquitin positively regulates a mammalian coactivator by enhancing its assembly at the promoter.

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Figure 1: Ubiquitination of CIITA in vivo.
Figure 2: Ubiquitination enhances CIITA transactivation.
Figure 3: Ubiquitin enhances CIITA-mediated endogenous MHC class II expression.
Figure 4: Ubiquitin regulates CIITA interactions with MHC class II binding factors.
Figure 5: Ubiquitin enhances CIITA recruitment to the MHC class II promoter.
Figure 6: Association of CIITA and ubiquitin occurs at the MHC class II promoter.
Figure 7: CIITA ubiquitination is regulated by HATs and HDACs.

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Acknowledgements

We thank B. Tansey, Y. Xiong and J. McCarville for helpful discussion and B. Strahl for critically reading the manuscript. This work was supported by National Institutes of Health grants 29564, 45580, 41751 and DK38108 (to J.P.-Y.T.), and by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (S.F.G.)

Author information

Author notes

  1. Xin-Sheng Zhu

    Present address: Department of Periodontics and Endodontics, School of Dental Medicine, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, 14214, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Susanna F Greer, Xin-Sheng Zhu & Jenny P-Y Ting

  2. Curriculum in Genetics and Molecular Biology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Eleni Zika

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Brian Conti

  4. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, North Carolina, USA

    Susanna F Greer & Jenny P-Y Ting

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Fig. 1.

Flag-CIITA and Myc-CIITA have comparable half-lives. Pulse-chase analysis was used to measure the stability of transfected Flag-CIITA and transfected Myc-CIITA in COS7 cells. Cells were transfected with 1 μg Flag-CIITA or 1 mg Myc-CIITA and 24 h post-transfection were labeled with 35S-methionine and immunoprecipitated with anti-Flag (lanes 1-5) or anti-Myc (lanes 6-10). Both versions of CIITA have similar, extended half-lives. Identical data were obtained with a Hemagglutinin-tagged CIITA protein (not shown). (PDF 24 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 2 (PDF 41 kb)

Supplementary Fig. 3.

Ubiquitin enhances the association of CIITA with the endogenous MHC class II promoter. (a) Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were performed on 293T cells stably expressing Fg-CIITA alone or in the presence of HA-ubiquitin. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was performed using anti-FLAG mAb M5 and MHC class II HLA-DRA promoter DNA was detected by quantitative real-time PCR. Real-time PCR values were determined by subtracting values obtained from bead-only immunoprecipitations. Input values demonstrate the total amount of MHC class II promoter DNA present in lysates (right top panel). As a negative control, Actb promoter DNA sequence was also assessed (right bottom panel). Input represents 1% of the total chromatin introduced into each immunoprecipitation reaction. Representative of four independent experiments. (b) Identical to (a) except mono-ubiquitin is shown. (c) The rabbit polyclonal anti-CIITA was generated against E coli derived 6xHis, FLAG tagged CIITA aa 1-333. Specificity was tested as follows: 1 x 106 COS7 were transfected with 1 μg vector containing Flag-CIITA aa 336-884 (lane 1), or HA-CIITA (lane 2). Eighteen hrs post-transfection cells were lysed in RIPA buffer and immunoblotted with anti-FLAG (panel 1), anti-CIITA (panel 2) or anti-preimmune serum (panel 3). Blots are representative of three independent experiments. (d) 1 x 106 COS7 cells were transfected with 1 μg Fg-CIITA. Eighteen hours post-transfection cells were lysed in RIPA buffer and the following samples were immunoblotted with the anti-FLAG mAb M2: total lysate (lane 1), lysate depleted of CIITA after immunoprecipitation with anti-CIITA (lane 2), anti-CIITA immunoprecipitation (lane 3) or anti-PKA control antibody immunoprecipitation (lane 4). Blot is representative of three independent experiments. (PDF 107 kb)

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Greer, S., Zika, E., Conti, B. et al. Enhancement of CIITA transcriptional function by ubiquitin. Nat Immunol 4, 1074–1082 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni985

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