Assembly of functional regulatory complexes on MHC class II promoters in vivo
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
Authors: Fontes, JD; JabraneFerrat, N; Peterlin, BM
Abstract
Regulatory factors that bind to the X box 1 to 5 (RFX1 to RFX5) and p36 interact with the X box in major histocompatibility class LI promoters. RFX1 and RFX5 bind to DNA as a homodimer (RFX1) and heterodimer with p36 (RFX5:p36, the RFX complex), respectively. In this study, we characterized the binding of RFX1 and the RFX complex to the X box in vivo, and evaluated contributions of other proteins that bind to flanking conserved upstream sequences (CUS: S, X, X2, and Y boxes) to these protein-DNA interactions. For this purpose, an intracellular DNA-binding assay was developed. Hybrid protein effectors between RFX1 and RFX5 and the activation domain of VP16 from the herpes simplex virus were co-expressed with plasmid targets, which contained the isolated X box, X box and selected flanking CUS, or the entire DRA promoter. Whereas RFX1 bound better to isolated X boxes, the Y box selected for the binding of the RFX complex and against the binding of RFX1 to the X box. With proper spacing, S and X boxes stabilized the binding of both RFX1 and the RFX complex. The X2 box did not contribute significantly to the binding of either RFX1 or the RFX complex to the X box. Thus, complex protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions dictate the binding of functionally relevant proteins to conserved upstream sequences which regulate class II transcription. (C) 1997 Academic Press Limited.
Transcriptional Profiling Uncovers Human Hyalocytes as a Unique Innate Immune Cell Population
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
Authors: Boneva, Stefaniya Konstantinova; Wolf, Julian; Rosmus, Dennis-Dominik; Schlecht, Anja; Prinz, Gabriele; Laich, Yannik; Boeck, Myriam; Zhang, Peipei; Hilgendorf, Ingo; Stahl, Andreas; Reinhard, Thomas; Bainbridge, James; Schlunck, Guenther; Agostini, Hansjuergen; Wieghofer, Peter; Lange, Clemens A. K.
Abstract
Purpose To decipher the transcriptional signature of macrophages of the human vitreous, also known as hyalocytes, and compare it to the profiles of other myeloid cell populations including human blood-derived monocytes, macrophages, and brain microglia. Methods This study involves a total of 13 patients of advanced age with disorders of the vitreoretinal interface undergoing vitrectomy at the University Eye Hospital Freiburg between 2018 and 2019. Vitreal hyalocytes were analyzed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and isolated as CD45(+)CD11b(+)CX3CR1(+)Mat-Mac(+)cells using a FACS-based sorting protocol. RNA extraction, library preparation and RNA sequencing were performed and the sequencing data was analyzed using the Galaxy web platform. The transcriptome of human hyalocytes was compared to the transcriptional profile of human blood-derived monocytes, macrophages and brain microglia obtained from public databases. Protein validation for selected factors was performed by immunohistochemistry on paraffin sections from three human donor eyes. Results On average, 383 +/- 233 hyalocytes were isolated per patient, resulting in 128 pg/mu l +/- 76 pg/mu l total RNA per sample. RNA sequencing revealed thatSPP1,FTL,CD74, andHLA-DRAare among the most abundantly expressed genes in hyalocytes, which was confirmed by immunofluorescence for CD74, FTL, and HLA-DRA. Gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis showed that biological processes such as "humoral immune response," "leukocyte migration," and "antigen processing and presentation of peptide antigen" (adjustedp< 0.001) are dominating in vitreal hyalocytes. While the comparison of the gene expression profiles of hyalocytes and other myeloid cell populations showed an overall strong similarity (R-2> 0.637,p< 0.001), hyalocytes demonstrated significant differences with respect to common leukocyte-associated factors. In particular, transcripts involved in the immune privilege of the eye, such asPOMC,CD46, andCD86, were significantly increased in hyalocytes compared to other myeloid cell subsets. Conclusion Human hyalocytes represent a unique and distinct innate immune cell population specialized and adapted for the tissue-specific needs in the human vitreous. Vitreal hyalocytes are characterized by a strong expression of genes related to antigen processing and presentation as well as immune modulation. Thus, hyalocytes may represent an underestimated mediator in vitreoretinal disease and for the immune privilege of the eye.