VprBP binds full-length RAG1 and is required for B-cell development and V(D)J recombination fidelity

EMBO J. 2012 Feb 15;31(4):945-58. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2011.455. Epub 2011 Dec 13.

Abstract

The N-terminus of full-length RAG1, though dispensable for RAG1/2 cleavage activity, is required for efficient V(D)J recombination. This region supports RING E3 ubiquitin ligase activity in vitro, but whether full-length RAG1 functions as a single subunit or a multi-subunit E3 ligase in vivo is unclear. We show the multi-subunit cullin RING E3 ligase complex VprBP/DDB1/Cul4A/Roc1 associates with full-length RAG1 through VprBP. This complex is assembled into RAG protein-DNA complexes, and supports in-vitro ubiquitylation activity that is insensitive to RAG1 RING domain mutations. Conditional B lineage-specific VprBP disruption arrests B-cell development at the pro-B-to-pre-B cell transition, but this block is bypassed by expressing rearranged immunoglobulin transgenes. Mice with a conditional VprBP disruption show modest reduction of D-J(H) rearrangement, whereas V(H)-DJ(H) and V(κ)-J(κ) rearrangements are severely impaired. D-J(H) coding joints from VprBP-insufficent mice show longer junctional nucleotide insertions and a higher mutation frequency in D and J segments than normal. These data suggest full-length RAG1 recruits a cullin RING E3 ligase complex to ubiquitylate an unknown protein(s) to limit error-prone repair during V(D)J recombination.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / cytology*
  • Carrier Proteins / chemistry
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Transgenes
  • V(D)J Recombination*

Substances

  • Carrier Proteins
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • RAG-1 protein
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • VprBP protein, mouse