MARCH1-mediated ubiquitination of MHC II impacts the MHC I antigen presentation pathway

PLoS One. 2018 Jul 12;13(7):e0200540. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0200540. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) expression and turn-over are regulated via its ubiquitination by the membrane associated RING-CH 1 (MARCH1) E3 ligase. Unexpectedly, we show that MHC II ubiquitination also impacts MHC I. Lack of MARCH1 in B cells and dendritic cells (DCs) resulted in a significant reduction in surface MHC I expression. This decrease was not directly caused by changes in MARCH1 ubiquitination of MHC I but indirectly by altered MHC II trafficking in the absence of its ubiquitination. Deletion of MHC II in March1-/- cells restored normal MHC I surface expression and replacement of wild type MHC II by a variant that could not be ubiquitinated caused a reduction in MHC I expression. Furthermore, these cells displayed inefficient presentation of peptide and protein antigen via MHC I to CD8+ T cells. In summary, we describe an unexpected intersection between MHC I and MHC II such that the surface expression of both molecules are indirectly and directly regulated by MARCH1 ubiquitination, respectively.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigen Presentation / physiology*
  • B-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / cytology
  • CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Cell Line
  • Dendritic Cells / cytology
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Gene Deletion
  • Gene Expression Regulation / immunology
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / genetics
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology*
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / genetics
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / immunology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / genetics
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / immunology*
  • Ubiquitination / genetics
  • Ubiquitination / immunology*

Substances

  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class II
  • MARCH1 protein, mouse
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases

Grants and funding

The author received no specific funding for this work.