The Influence of MHC Class II on B Cell Defects Induced by Invariant Chain/CD74 N-Terminal Fragments

Schneppenheim J, Loock AC, Huettl S, Schweizer M, Luellmann-Rauch R, Oberg HH, Arnold P, Lehmann C, Dudziak D, Kabelitz D, Lucius R, Lennon-Dumenil AM, Saftig P, Schroeder B (2017)


Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2017

Journal

Book Volume: 199

Pages Range: 172-185

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1601533

Abstract

The invariant chain (CD74) mediates assembly and targeting of MHC class II (MHCII) complexes. In endosomes, CD74 undergoes sequential degradation by different proteases, including cathepsin S (CatS) and the intramembrane protease signal peptide peptidase-like 2a (SPPL2a). In their absence, CD74 N-terminal fragments (NTFs) accumulate. In SPPL2a-/- B cells, such an NTF impairs endosomal trafficking and BCR signal transduction. In mice, this leads to a loss of splenic B cells beyond the transitional stage 1. To gain insight into CD74 determinants and the role of MHCII, we compared B cells from CatS-/- , SPPL2a-/- , and SPPL2a-MHCII double-deficient mice. We assessed differentiation of B cells in bone marrow and spleen and analyzed their endosomal morphology, BCR expression, and signal transduction. We demonstrate that MHCII is dispensable for the B cell phenotype of SPPL2a-/- mice, further supporting a CD74-intrinsic effect. Despite significant vacuolization of endosomal compartments similar to SPPL2a-/- B cells, CatS-/- traditional stage 1 B cells show unimpaired degradation of endocytic cargo, have intact BCR signaling, and do not exhibit any relevant defects in maturation. This could indicate that CD74 NTF-induced structural changes of endosomes are not directly involved in these processes. We further found that the block of CD74 degradation in CatS-/- B cells is incomplete, so that NTF levels are significantly lower than in SPPL2a-/- B cells. This suggests a dose dependency and threshold for the CD74 NTF-associated impairment of B cell signaling and maturation. In addition, different functional properties of the longer, MHCII-bound CD74 NTF could contribute to the milder phenotype of CatS-/- B cells.

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APA:

Schneppenheim, J., Loock, A.-C., Huettl, S., Schweizer, M., Luellmann-Rauch, R., Oberg, H.-H.,... Schroeder, B. (2017). The Influence of MHC Class II on B Cell Defects Induced by Invariant Chain/CD74 N-Terminal Fragments. Journal of Immunology, 199(1), 172-185. https://doi.org/10.4049/jimmunol.1601533

MLA:

Schneppenheim, Janna, et al. "The Influence of MHC Class II on B Cell Defects Induced by Invariant Chain/CD74 N-Terminal Fragments." Journal of Immunology 199.1 (2017): 172-185.

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