Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) proteins in the adaptive immune system

Abstract

The ability of adaptive immune system to protect higher vertebrates from pathogens resides in the ability of B and T cells to express different antigen specific receptors and to respond to different threats by activating distinct differentiation and/or activation pathways. In the past 10 years, the major role of epigenetics in controlling molecular mechanisms responsible for these peculiar features and, more in general, for lymphocyte development has become evident. KRAB-ZFPs is the widest family of mammalian transcriptional repressors, which function through the recruitment of the co-factor KRAB-Associated Protein 1 (KAP1) that in turn engages histone modifiers inducing heterochromatin formation. Although most of the studies on KRAB proteins have been performed in embryonic cells, more recent reports highlighted a relevant role for these proteins also in adult tissues. This article will review the role of KRAB-ZFP and KAP1 in the epigenetic control of mouse and human adaptive immune cells.

Keywords: :

• epigenetic
• KRAB-ZFP
• KAP1
• T cells
• B cells
• mouse
• human

10.4161/nucl.28738

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

No potential conflict of interest was disclosed.

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Didier Trono, Monica Ievolella, Laura Passerini, and Rosa Bacchetta for fruitful discussions. F.R.S.d.S is supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (Grant GR-2010-2317550).