In mammals, the canonical nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling pathway activated in response to infections is based on degradation of IkappaB inhibitors. This pathway depends on the IkappaB kinase (IKK), which contains two catalytic subunits, IKKalpha and IKKbeta. IKKbeta is essential for inducible IkappaB phosphorylation and degradation, whereas IKKalpha is not. Here we show that IKKalpha is required for B cell maturation, formation of secondary lymphoid organs, increased expression of certain NF-kappaB target genes, and processing of the NF-kappaB2 (p100) precursor. IKKalpha preferentially phosphorylates NF-kappaB2, and this activity requires its phosphorylation by upstream kinases, one of which may be NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK). IKKalpha is therefore a pivotal component of a second NF-kappaB activation pathway based on regulated NF-kappaB2 processing rather than IkappaB degradation.

Protein ubiquitination is a reversible reaction, in which the ubiquitin chains are deconjugated by a family of deubiquitinases (DUBs). The presence of a large number of DUBs suggests that they likely possess certain levels of substrate selectivity and functional specificity. Indeed, recent studies show that a tumor suppressor DUB, cylindromatosis (CYLD), has a predominant role in the regulation of NF-κB, a transcription factor that promotes cell survival and oncogenesis. NF-κB activation involves attachment of K63-linked ubiquitin chains to its upstream signaling factors, which is thought to facilitate protein–protein interactions in the assembly of signaling complexes. By deconjugating these K63-linked ubiquitin chains, CYLD negatively regulates NF-κB activation, which may contribute to its tumor suppressor function. CYLD also regulates diverse physiological processes, ranging from immune response and inflammation to cell cycle progression, spermatogenesis, and osteoclastogenesis. Interestingly, CYLD itself is subject to different mechanisms of regulation.

IκB kinase (IKK) is a key mediator of NF‐κB activation induced by various immunological signals. In T cells and most other cell types, the primary target of IKK is a labile inhibitor of NF‐κB, IκBα, which is responsible for the canonical NF‐κB activation. Here, we show that in T cells infected with the human T‐cell leukemia virus (HTLV), IKKα is targeted to a novel signaling pathway that mediates processing of the nfκb2 precursor protein p100, resulting in active production of the NF‐κB subunit, p52. This pathogenic action is mediated by the HTLV‐encoded oncoprotein Tax, which appears to act by physically recruiting IKKα to p100, triggering phosphorylation‐dependent ubiquitylation and processing of p100. These findings suggest a novel mechanism by which Tax modulates the NF‐κB signaling pathway.

T cell receptor signaling is essential for the generation and maturation of T lymphocyte precursors. Here we identify the deubiquitinating enzyme CYLD as a positive regulator of proximal T cell receptor signaling in thymocytes. CYLD physically interacted with active Lck and promoted recruitment of active Lck to its substrate, Zap70. CYLD also removed both Lys 48- and Lys 63-linked polyubiquitin chains from Lck. Because of a cell-autonomous defect in T cell development, CYLD-deficient mice had substantially fewer mature CD4(+) and CD8(+) single-positive thymocytes and peripheral T cells.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR)-associated factors (TRAFs) are a family of structurally related proteins that transduces signals from members of TNFR superfamily and various other immune receptors. Major downstream signaling events mediated by the TRAF molecules include activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). In addition, some TRAF family members, particularly TRAF2 and TRAF3, serve as negative regulators of specific signaling pathways, such as the noncanonical NF-κB and proinflammatory toll-like receptor pathways. Thus, TRAFs possess important and complex signaling functions in the immune system and play an important role in regulating immune and inflammatory responses. This review will focus on the role of TRAF proteins in the regulation of NF-κB and MAPK signaling pathways.

The active nuclear form of the NF-KB transcription factor complex is composed of two DNA binding subunits, NF-KB p65 and NF-KB p50, both of which share extensive Nterminal sequence homology with the v-rel oncogene product. The NF-KB p65 subunit provides the transactivation activity in this complex and serves as an intracellular receptor for a cytoplasmic inhibitor of NF-KB, termed IKB. In contrast, NF-KB p50 alone fails to stimulate KB-directed transcription, and based on prior in vitro studies, is not directly regulated by IKB. To investigate the molecular basis for the critical regulatory interaction between NF-KB and IKB/MAD-3, a series of human NF-KB p65 mutants was identified that functionally segregated DNA binding, IKB-mediated inhibition, and IKB-induced nuclear exclusion of this transcription factor. Results from in vivo expression studies performed with these NF-KB p65 mutants revealed the following: 1) IKB/MAD-3 completely inhibits NF-KB p65-dependent transcriptional activation mediated through the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 KB enhancer in human T lymphocytes, 2) the binding of IKB/MAD-3 to NF-KB p65 is sufficient to retarget NF-KB p65 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, 3) selective deletion of the functional nuclear localization signal present in the Rel homology domain of NF-KB p65 disrupts its ability to engage IKB/MAD-3, and 4) the unique Cterminus of NF-KB p65 attenuates its own nuclear localization and contains sequences that are required for IKB-mediated inhibition of NF-KB p65 DNA binding activity. Together, these findings suggest that the nuclear localization signal and transactivation domain of NF-KB p65 constitute a bipartite system that is critically involved in the inhibitory function of IKB/MAD-3. Unexpectedly, our in vivo studies also demonstrate that IKB/MAD-3 binds directly to NF-KB p50. This interaction is functional as it leads to retargeting of NF-KB p50 from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. However, no loss of DNA binding activity is observed, presumably reflecting the unique C-terminal domain that is distinct from that present in NF-KB p65.

Oriented cell division is critical for cell fate specification, tissue organization, and tissue homeostasis, and relies on proper orientation of the mitotic spindle. The molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of spindle orientation remain largely unknown. Herein, we identify a critical role for cylindromatosis (CYLD), a deubiquitinase and regulator of microtubule dynamics, in the control of spindle orientation. CYLD is highly expressed in mitosis and promotes spindle orientation by stabilizing astral microtubules and deubiquitinating the cortical polarity protein dishevelled. The deubiquitination of dishevelled enhances its interaction with nuclear mitotic apparatus, stimulating the cortical localization of nuclear mitotic apparatus and the dynein/dynactin motor complex, a requirement for generating pulling forces on astral microtubules. These findings uncover CYLD as an important player in the orientation of the mitotic spindle and cell division and have important implications in health and disease.O rientation of the cell division axis offers a critical mechanism for the control of cell type choices and the specification of tissue/organ architecture; this is achieved through accurate orientation of the mitotic spindle relative to the cell cortex (1). Spindle orientation is exquisitely regulated during development as well as in adult life, and defects in this process may have severe consequences, such as developmental disorders and tumor formation (1, 2). A dividing cell can orient its spindle along the planar axis or the apicobasal axis of the tissue, depending on the tissue environment and cell geometry. In most epithelia, such as the intestine crypt epithelium, planar spindle orientation is common to produce two daughter cells side by side. By contrast, apicobasal spindle orientation is frequently associated with asymmetric cell divisions, which result in two daughter cells of distinct identities (2).Astral microtubules play a key role in spindle orientation by linking the spindle to the cell cortex (3). The localization of cell polarity proteins such as dishevelled (Dvl) at the cell cortex is also important for spindle orientation by transmission of extrinsic signals or providing the intrinsic cues. Cortical polarity proteins can recruit the nuclear mitotic apparatus (NuMA) protein and then the microtubule minus end-directed dynein/ dynactin motor complex, which can generate pulling forces on astral microtubules to rotate the spindle (3). Therefore, the dynamic interaction of astral microtubules with the cell cortex via diverse protein complexes constitutes an essential part of the mechanism for spindle orientation. However, it remains elusive how the protein complexes controlling spindle orientation are assembled and activated to make a connection between astral microtubules and the cell cortex.As a posttranslational modification, protein ubiquitination is critical for diverse cellular and biological events, and it is a reversal process mediated by E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinases, respecti...

CD8 T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, central cellular components of immune responses against pathogens and cancer, rely on IL-15 for homeostasis. Here we show that IL-15 also mediates homeostatic priming of CD8 T cells for antigen-stimulated activation, which is controlled by a deubiquitinase, Otub1. IL-15 mediates membrane recruitment of Otub1, which inhibits ubiquitin-dependent activation of AKT, a pivotal kinase for T cell activation and metabolism. Otub1 deficiency in mice causes aberrant responses of CD8 T cells to IL-15, rendering naive CD8 T cells hyper-sensitive to antigen stimulation characterized by enhanced metabolic reprograming and effector functions. Otub1 also controls the maturation and activation of NK cells. Consistently, Otub1 deletion profoundly enhances anticancer immunity through unleashing the activity of CD8 T cells and NK cells. These findings suggest that Otub1 controls the activation of CD8 T cells and NK cells by functioning as a checkpoint of IL-15-mediated priming.