Journal Article

Transcriptional function of E2A, Ebf1, Pax5, Ikaros and Aiolos analyzed by in vivo acute protein degradation in early B cell development

Schenk, Robyn L., Busslinger, Meinrad, Gruenbacher, Sarah, Schwickert, Tanja A., Jaritz, Markus, Fedl, Anna S., Sun, Qiong, Tagoh, Hiromi, Froussios, Kimon

2024

Overview

s Early B cell lymphopoiesis depends on E2A, Ebf1, Pax5 and Ikaros family members. In the present study, we used acute protein degradation in mice to identify direct target genes of these transcription factors in pro-B, small pre-B and immature B cells. E2A, Ebf1 and Pax5 predominantly function as transcriptional activators by inducing open chromatin at their target genes, have largely unique functions and are essential for early B cell maintenance. Ikaros and Aiolos act as dedicated repressors to cooperatively control early B cell development. The surrogate light-chain genes Igll1 and Vpreb1 are directly activated by Ebf1 and Pax5 in pro-B cells and directly repressed by Ikaros and Aiolos in small pre-B cells. Pax5 and E2A contribute to V(D)J recombination by activating Rag1 , Rag2 , Dntt , Irf4 and Irf8 . Similar to Pax5, Ebf1 also represses the cohesin-release factor gene Wapl to mediate prolonged loop extrusion across the Igh locus. In summary, in vivo protein degradation has provided unprecedented insight into the control of early B cell lymphopoiesis by five transcription factors. By use of a degron-mediated acute protein degradation model, Schwickert and colleagues are able to distinguish between direct and indirect gene targets of multiple transcription factors involved in early B cell development.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group US,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 631/250/2502 / 631/337/100/102 / Animals / B-Lymphocytes - immunology / B-Lymphocytes - metabolism / Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - genetics / Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors - metabolism / Biodegradation / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biomedicine / Cell Differentiation / Chromatin / Cohesin / Degradation / Genes / Heavy chains / Ikaros protein / Ikaros Transcription Factor - genetics / Ikaros Transcription Factor - metabolism / Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate - genetics / Immunoglobulin Light Chains, Surrogate - metabolism / Immunoglobulins / Immunology / Infectious Diseases / Interferon regulatory factor 4 / Interferon Regulatory Factors - genetics / Interferon Regulatory Factors - metabolism / Lymphocytes B / Lymphopoiesis / Lymphopoiesis - genetics / Mice / Mice, Inbred C57BL / Mice, Knockout / Pax5 protein / PAX5 Transcription Factor - genetics / PAX5 Transcription Factor - metabolism / Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid - immunology / Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid - metabolism / Proteins / Proteolysis / RAG1 protein / RAG2 protein / Repressors / Trans-Activators - genetics / Trans-Activators - metabolism / Transcription Factor 3 - genetics / Transcription Factor 3 - metabolism / Transcription Factor 7-Like 1 Protein - genetics / Transcription Factor 7-Like 1 Protein - metabolism / Transcription factors / Transcription, Genetic / V(D)J Recombination