Papers In Press, published online ahead of print October 31, 2007
J. Biol. Chem, 10.1074/jbc.M705262200
Submitted on June 27, 2007
Revised on October 9, 2007
Accepted on October 31, 2007
Ets-1 regulates plasma cell differentiation by interfering with the activity of the transcription factor blimp-1
Shinu A. John, James L. Clements, Lisa M. Russell, and Lee A. Garrett-Sinha
Biochemistry, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214
Corresponding Author: leesinha{at}buffalo.edu
Development of immunoglobulin-secreting plasma cells from B cells is a tightly-regulated process controlled by the action of a number of transcription factors. In particular, the transcription factor Blimp-1 is a key positive regulator of plasmacytic differentiation via its ability to suppress expression of genes involved in the mature B cell program. The transcription factor Ets-1 is a negative regulator of plasmacytic differentiation, as indicated by the development of increased numbers of IgM-secreting plasma cells in Ets-1 knockout mice. We have previously shown that Ets-1 deficient B cells undergo enhanced differentiation into IgM-secreting plasma cells in response to Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) signaling. We now explore the mechanism by which Ets-1 limits differentiation downstream of TLR9. Our results indicate that Ets-1 physically interacts with Blimp-1, which leads to a block in Blimp-1 DNA binding activity and a reduction in the ability of Blimp-1 to repress target genes, without interfering with Blimp-1 protein levels. In addition, we show that Ets-1 induces the expression of several target genes that are repressed by Blimp-1, including Pax-5. These results reveal a previously-unknown mechanism for the control of Blimp-1 activity by Ets-1 and suggest that expression of Ets-1 must be downregulated before plasmacytic differentiation can occur.