The catalytic domain of the histone methyltransferase NSD2/MMSET is required for the generation of B1 cells in mice.

Humoral immunity in mammals relies on the function of two developmentally and functionally distinct B-cell subsets-B1 and B2 cells. While B2 cells are responsible for the adaptive response to environmental antigens, B1 cells regulate the production of polyreactive and low-affinity antibodies for innate humoral immunity. The molecular mechanism of B-cell specification into different subsets is understudied.

Distinct Stimulatory Mechanisms Regulate the Catalytic Activity of Polycomb Repressive Complex 2.

The maintenance of gene expression patterns during metazoan development is achieved, in part, by the actions of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). PRC2 catalyzes mono-, di-, and trimethylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27), with H3K27me2/3 being strongly associated with silenced genes. We demonstrate that EZH1 and EZH2, the two mutually exclusive catalytic subunits of PRC2, are differentially activated by various mechanisms.

Coupling of T cell receptor specificity to natural killer T cell development by bivalent histone H3 methylation.

The fidelity of T cell immunity depends greatly on coupling T cell receptor signaling with specific T cell effector functions. Here, we describe a chromatin-based mechanism that enables integration of TCR specificity into definite T cell lineage commitment. Using natural killer T cells (iNKT cell) as a model of a T cell subset that differentiates in response to specific TCR signaling, we identified a key role of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) in coupling iNKT cell TCR specificity with the generation of iNKT cells.

CD19 and BAFF-R can signal to promote B-cell survival in the absence of Syk.

The development and function of B lymphocytes is regulated by numerous signaling pathways, some emanating from the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR). The spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk) plays a central role in the activation of the BCR, but less is known about its contribution to the survival and maintenance of mature B cells. We generated mice with an inducible and B-cell-specific deletion of the Syk gene and found that a considerable fraction of mature Syk-negative B cells can survive in the periphery for an extended time.

Identification of a new interaction mode between the Src homology 2 domain of C-terminal Src kinase (Csk) and Csk-binding protein/phosphoprotein associated with glycosphingolipid microdomains.

Proteins with Src homology 2 (SH2) domains play major roles in tyrosine kinase signaling. Structures of many SH2 domains have been studied, and the regions involved in their interactions with ligands have been elucidated. However, these analyses have been performed using short peptides consisting of phosphotyrosine followed by a few amino acids, which are described as the canonical recognition sites.

Smyd2 controls cytoplasmic lysine methylation of Hsp90 and myofilament organization.

Protein lysine methylation is one of the most widespread post-translational modifications in the nuclei of eukaryotic cells. Methylated lysines on histones and nonhistone proteins promote the formation of protein complexes that control gene expression and DNA replication and repair. In the cytoplasm, however, the role of lysine methylation in protein complex formation is not well established.

Ezh2, the histone methyltransferase of PRC2, regulates the balance between self-renewal and differentiation in the cerebral cortex.

Multipotent progenitor cells of the cerebral cortex balance self-renewal and differentiation to produce complex neural lineages in a fixed temporal order in a cell-autonomous manner. We studied the role of the polycomb epigenetic system, a chromatin-based repressive mechanism, in controlling cortical progenitor cell self-renewal and differentiation. We found that the histone methyltransferase of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PCR2), enhancer of Zeste homolog 2 (Ezh2), is essential for controlling the rate at which development progresses within cortical progenitor cell lineages.

The lipid raft-anchored adaptor protein Cbp controls the oncogenic potential of c-Src.

The tyrosine kinase c-Src is upregulated in various human cancers irrespective of its negative regulator Csk, but the regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we show that a lipid raft-anchored Csk adaptor, Cbp/PAG, is directly involved in controlling the oncogenicity of c-Src. Using Csk-deficient cells that can be transformed by c-Src overexpression, we found that Cbp expression is markedly downregulated by c-Src activation and re-expression of Cbp efficiently suppresses c-Src transformation as well as tumorigenesis.

The ubiquitously expressed Csk adaptor protein Cbp is dispensable for embryogenesis and T-cell development and function.

Regulation of Src family kinase (SFK) activity is indispensable for a functional immune system and embryogenesis. The activity of SFKs is inhibited by the presence of the carboxy-terminal Src kinase (Csk) at the cell membrane. Thus, recruitment of cytosolic Csk to the membrane-associated SFKs is crucial for its regulatory function.

Polycomb group protein ezh2 controls actin polymerization and cell signaling.

Polycomb group protein Ezh2, one of the key regulators of development in organisms from flies to mice, exerts its epigenetic function through regulation of histone methylation. Here, we report the existence of the cytosolic Ezh2-containing methyltransferase complex and tie the function of this complex to regulation of actin polymerization in various cell types. Genetic evidence supports the essential role of cytosolic Ezh2 in actin polymerization-dependent processes such as antigen receptor signaling in T cells and PDGF-induced dorsal circular ruffle formation in fibroblasts.