Mechanisms of NKT cell anergy induction involve Cbl-b-promoted monoubiquitination of CARMA1

S. Kojo, C. Elly, Y. Harada, Wallace Langdon, M. Kronenberg, Y-C. Liu

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    63 Citations (Web of Science)

    Abstract

    Repeated injection of α-galactosylceramide, an agonistic ligand for natural killer T (NKT) cells, results in long-term unresponsiveness or anergy, which severely limits its clinical application. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to NKT anergy induction remain unclear. We show here that the decreased IFN-γ production and failed tumor rejection observed in anergized NKT cells are rescued by Cbl-b deficiency. Cbl-b E3 ligase activity is critical for the anergy induction, as revealed by the similarity between Cbl-b−/− and its RING finger mutant NKT cells. Cbl-b binds and promotes monoubiquitination to CARMA1, a critical signaling molecule in NFκB activation. Ubiquitin conjugation to CARMA1 disrupts its complex formation with Bcl10 without affecting its protein stability. In addition, CARMA1−/− NKT cells are defective in IFN-γ production. The study identifies an important signaling pathway linking Cbl-b-induced monoubiquitination to NFκB activation in NKT cell anergy induction, which may help design approaches for human cancer therapy.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)17847-17851
    JournalProceedings of National Academy of Sciences
    Volume106
    Issue number42
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2009

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