Recruitment of Cbl-b to B cell antigen receptor couples antigen recognition to Toll-like receptor 9 activation in late endosomes

PLoS One. 2014 Mar 20;9(3):e89792. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0089792. eCollection 2014.

Abstract

Casitas B-lineage lymphoma-b (Cbl-b) is a ubiquitin ligase (E3) that modulates signaling by tagging molecules for degradation. It is a complex protein with multiple domains and binding partners that are not involved in ubiquitinating substrates. Herein, we demonstrate that Cbl-b, but not c-Cbl, is recruited to the clustered B cell antigen receptor (BCR) and that Cbl-b is required for entry of endocytosed BCRs into late endosomes. The E3 activity of Cbl-b is not necessary for BCR endocytic trafficking. Rather, the ubiquitin associated (UBA) domain is required. Furthermore, the Cbl-b UBA domain is sufficient to confer the receptor trafficking functions of Cbl-b on c-Cbl. Cbl-b is also required for entry of the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) into late endosomes and for the in vitro activation of TLR9 by BCR-captured ligands. These data indicate that Cbl-b acts as a scaffolding molecule to coordinate the delivery of the BCR and TLR9 into subcellular compartments required for productively delivering BCR-captured ligands to TLR9.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / chemistry
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • Antigens / immunology*
  • Endocytosis
  • Endosomes / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mutant Proteins / metabolism
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Protein Transport
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-cbl / chemistry
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-cbl / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / metabolism*
  • Spleen / enzymology
  • Toll-Like Receptor 9 / metabolism*
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases / metabolism

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Antigens
  • Cblb protein, mouse
  • Mutant Proteins
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell
  • Tlr9 protein, mouse
  • Toll-Like Receptor 9
  • CBLB protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-cbl
  • Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases