Antigen-receptor-mediated activation of lymphocytes relies on a signalosome comprising CARMA1 (also known as CARD11), BCL10 and MALT1 (the CBM complex). The CBM activates nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) transcription factors by recruiting the 'linear ubiquitin assembly complex' (LUBAC), and unleashes MALT1 paracaspase activity. Although MALT1 enzyme shapes NF-κB signaling, lymphocyte activation and contributes to lymphoma growth, the identity of its substrates continues to be elucidated. Here, we report that the LUBAC subunit HOIL1 (also known as RBCK1) is cleaved by MALT1 following antigen receptor engagement. HOIL1 is also constitutively processed in the 'activated B-cell-like' (ABC) subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), which exhibits aberrant MALT1 activity. We further show that the overexpression of MALT1-insensitive HOIL1 mitigates T-cell-receptor-mediated NF-κB activation and subsequent cytokine production in lymphocytes. Thus, our results unveil HOIL1 as a negative regulator of lymphocyte activation cleaved by MALT1. This cleavage could therefore constitute an appealing therapeutic target for modulating immune responses.

Glioblastoma is one of the most lethal forms of adult cancer with a median survival of around 15 months. A potential treatment strategy involves targeting glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSC), which constitute a cell autonomous reservoir of aberrant cells able to initiate, maintain, and repopulate the tumor mass. Here, we report that the expression of the paracaspase mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue l (MALT1), a protease previously linked to antigen receptor-mediated NF-jB activation and B-cell lymphoma survival, inversely correlates with patient probability of survival. The knockdown of MALT1 largely impaired the expansion of patient-derived stem-like cells in vitro, and this could be recapitulated with pharmacological inhibitors, in vitro and in vivo. Blocking MALT1 protease activity increases the endo-lysosome abundance, impairs autophagic flux, and culminates in lysosomal-mediated cell death, concomitantly with mTOR inactivation and dispersion from endo-lysosomes. These findings place MALT1 as a new druggable target involved in glioblastoma and unveil ways to modulate the homeostasis of endo-lysosomes.