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The LRF transcription factor regulates mature B cell development and the germinal center response in mice
Nagisa Sakurai, … , Ravi Bhatia, Takahiro Maeda
Nagisa Sakurai, … , Ravi Bhatia, Takahiro Maeda
Published June 6, 2011
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2011;121(7):2583-2598. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI45682.
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Research Article Immunology

The LRF transcription factor regulates mature B cell development and the germinal center response in mice

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Abstract

B cells play a central role in immune system function. Deregulation of normal B cell maturation can lead to the development of autoimmune syndromes as well as B cell malignancies. Elucidation of the molecular features of normal B cell development is important for the development of new target therapies for autoimmune diseases and B cell malignancies. Employing B cell–specific conditional knockout mice, we have demonstrated here that the transcription factor leukemia/lymphoma-related factor (LRF) forms an obligate dimer in B cells and regulates mature B cell lineage fate and humoral immune responses via distinctive mechanisms. Moreover, LRF inactivation in transformed B cells attenuated their growth rate. These studies identify what we believe to be a new key factor for mature B cell development and provide a rationale for targeting LRF dimers for the treatment of autoimmune diseases and B cell malignancies.

Authors

Nagisa Sakurai, Manami Maeda, Sung-Uk Lee, Yuichi Ishikawa, Min Li, John C. Williams, Lisheng Wang, Leila Su, Mai Suzuki, Toshiki I. Saito, Shigeru Chiba, Stefano Casola, Hideo Yagita, Julie Teruya-Feldstein, Shinobu Tsuzuki, Ravi Bhatia, Takahiro Maeda

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Figure 7

Identification of critical amino acid residues for LRF dimer formation.

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Identification of critical amino acid residues for LRF dimer formation.
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(A) Sucrose gradient analysis of LRF in Ly-1 nuclear extracts. The mobility of molecular mass standards was visualized by staining with Coomassie blue. Red, yellow, and orange arrows represent ovalbumin (44 kDa), bovine γ-globulin heavy chain (60 kDa), and thyroglobulin (335 kDa), respectively. Western blots were also performed using the protein samples from each fraction. (B) Proposed LRF dimer structure based on the 2NN2 PDB file. 4 critical residues within the interface are indicated. ILE, isoleucine; LEU, leucine; GLN, glycine. (C) Pairs of differentially tagged WT or LRF proteins mutated in 1 critical residue were coexpressed in 293 cells and immunoprecipitated with anti-Xpress. (D) Representative Co-IP experiment. Signals indicating dimerized Flag- and Xpress-tagged LRF proteins (red arrow) are seen only when both tagged proteins are WT. Asterisk indicates IgH chain of anti-Xpress antibody. (E) Schematic representation of protein-fragment complementation assay (PCA). (F) Plasmids harboring PCA fusions were cotransfected and luciferase assays performed. Expression levels of transfected LRF-POZ proteins were determined by Western blot. 2 bands are seen in the third and fourth lanes (asterisk) because the molecular weights of LRF-POZ-hGLuc1 and LRF-POZ-hGLuc2 differ. (G) Mutant LRF-POZ protein (I20A) did not reconstitute hGLuc activity. (H) The hydrodynamic properties of the WT and I20A POZ domain were analyzed by sedimentation equilibrium experiments using AUC. Radial scans were collected at 280 nm and 20°C at 4 speeds and dimerization constants (Kd) calculated.

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