N-glycosylation of asparagine 8 regulates surface expression of major histocompatibility complex class I chain-related protein A (MICA) alleles dependent on threonine 24

Maiken Mellergaard Pedersen, Sarah Line Skovbakke, Christine L. Schneider, Felicia Kathrine Bratt Lauridsen, Lars Andresen, Helle Jensen, Søren Skov

    23 Citationer (Scopus)

    Abstract

    NKG2D is an activating receptor expressed on several types of human lymphocytes. NKG2D ligands can be induced upon cell stress and are frequently targeted post-translationally in infected or transformed cells to avoid immune recognition. Virus infection and inflammation alter protein N-glycosylation, and we have previously shown that changes in cellular N-glycosylation are involved in regulation of NKG2D ligand surface expression. The specific mode of regulation through N-glycosylation is, however, unknown. Here we investigated whether direct N-glycosylation of the NKG2D ligand MICA itself is critical for cell surface expression and sought to identify the essential residues. We found that a single N-glycosylation site (Asn8) was important for MICA018 surface expression. The frequently expressed MICA allele 008, with an altered transmembrane and intracellular domain, was not affected by mutation of this N-glycosylation site. Mutational analysis revealed that a single amino acid (Thr24) in the extracellular domain of MICA018 was essential for the N-glycosylation dependence, whereas the intracellular domain was not involved. The HHV7 immunoevasin, U21, was found to inhibit MICA018 surface expression by affecting N-glycosylation, and the retention was rescued by T24A substitution. Our study reveals N-glycosylation as an allele-specific regulatory mechanism important for regulation of surface expression of MICA018, and we pinpoint the residues essential for this N-glycosylation dependence. In addition, we show that this regulatory mechanism of MICA surface expression is likely targeted during different pathological conditions.

    OriginalsprogEngelsk
    TidsskriftJournal of Biological Chemistry
    Vol/bind289
    Udgave nummer29
    Sider (fra-til)20078-20091
    Antal sider14
    ISSN0021-9258
    DOI
    StatusUdgivet - 2014

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