The pivotal roles of neddylation pathway in immunoregulation

Introduction: Protein neddylation, one of the most important posttranslational modifications that tagging neuronal precursor cell-expressed developmentally downregulated protein 8 onto substrate proteins, plays fundamental roles in the process of many cellular functions. A number of studies have demonstrated the critical roles of neddylation modification in multiple pathophysiological processes, but its regulatory role in the immune system has only been finitely unveiled.

Methods: In this review, the latest advances in the field of neddylation modification in regulating the immune responses are succinctly discussed.

Results: Neddylation modification acts as a crucial modulator of innate immune cells (neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells) and lymphocytes. Dysregulation of neddylation alters characteristics and functions of those cells due to abnormal degradation of key signaling molecules involved in immunoregulation. Furthermore, the ectopic immune responses caused by the abnormal neddylation play pivotal roles in a variety of immune-related diseases, such as infection, inflammation, and cancer.

Conclusions: The pivotal roles of neddylation pathway in immunoregulation are attracted more and more attention, which may provide new insights into the pathogenesis of a variety of immune-related diseases and help to indicate new therapeutic targets and potential treatment strategies.