Notch and the pre-TCR coordinate thymocyte proliferation by induction of the SCF subunits Fbxl1 and Fbxl12

Nat Immunol. 2019 Oct;20(10):1381-1392. doi: 10.1038/s41590-019-0469-z. Epub 2019 Aug 26.

Abstract

Proliferation is tightly regulated during T cell development, and is limited to immature CD4-CD8- thymocytes. The major proliferative event is initiated at the 'β-selection' stage following successful rearrangement of Tcrβ, and is triggered by and dependent on concurrent signaling by Notch and the pre-T cell receptor (TCR); however, it is unclear how these signals cooperate to promote cell proliferation. Here, we found that β-selection-associated proliferation required the combined activity of two Skp-cullin-F-box (SCF) ubiquitin ligase complexes that included as substrate recognition subunits the F-box proteins Fbxl1 or Fbxl12. Both SCF complexes targeted the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Cdkn1b for polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. We found that Notch signals induced the transcription of Fbxl1, whereas pre-TCR signals induced the transcription of Fbxl12. Thus, concurrent Notch and pre-TCR signaling induced the expression of two genes, Fbxl1 and Fbxl12, whose products functioned identically but additively to promote degradation of Cdkn1b, cell cycle progression, and proliferation of β-selected thymocytes.

Publication types

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

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Clonal Selection, Antigen-Mediated
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 / metabolism
  • F-Box Proteins / genetics
  • F-Box Proteins / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Genes, T-Cell Receptor beta
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Receptor Cross-Talk
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / metabolism*
  • Receptors, Notch / metabolism*
  • SKP Cullin F-Box Protein Ligases / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction
  • T-Lymphocytes / physiology*
  • Thymocytes / physiology*

Substances

  • F-Box Proteins
  • FBXL12 protein, mouse
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta
  • Receptors, Notch
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27
  • SKP Cullin F-Box Protein Ligases