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Original Article |
jmhauber{at}viro.med.uni-erlangen.de
Dendritic cells (DCs), nature's adjuvant, must mature to sensitize T cells. However, although the maturation process is essential, it is not yet fully understood at the molecular level. In this study, we investigated the course of expression of the unique hypusine-containing protein eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A), which is part of a particular RNA nuclear export pathway, during in vitro generation of human DCs. We show that eIF-5A expression is significantly upregulated during DC maturation. Furthermore, an inhibitor of the hypusine modification, GC7 (N1-guanyl-1,7-diaminoheptane), prevents CD83 surface expression by apparently interfering with nucleocytoplasmic translocation of the CD83 mRNA and, importantly, significantly inhibits DC-mediated T lymphocyte activation. The data presented suggest that CD83 mRNA is transported from the nucleus to the cytoplasm via a specific nuclear export pathway and that hypusine formation appears to be essential for the maturation of functional DCs. Therefore, pharmacological interference with hypusine formation may provide a new possibility to modulate DC function.
Key Words: dendritic cells CD83 hypusine eIF-5A nuclear export
D. Bevec's current address is Axxima Pharmaceuticals AG, Am Klopferspitz 19, D-82152 Martinsried, Germany.
Abbreviations used in this paper: AREs, AU-rich elements; DCs, dendritic cells; eIF-5A, eukaryotic initiation factor 5A; ERG, early response gene; hnRNPs, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins.
© 2000 The Rockefeller University Press
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