2019-02-04
An essential role for the Zn2+ transporter ZIP7 in B cell development
Publication
Publication
Nature Immunology , Volume 20 - Issue 3 p. 350- +
Despite the known importance of zinc for human immunity, molecular insights into its roles have remained limited. Here we report a novel autosomal recessive disease characterized by absent B cells, agammaglobulinemia and early onset infections in five unrelated families. The immunodeficiency results from hypomorphic mutations of SLC39A7, which encodes the endoplasmic reticulum-to-cytoplasm zinc transporter ZIP7. Using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis we have precisely modeled ZIP7 deficiency in mice. Homozygosity for a null allele caused embryonic death, but hypomorphic alleles reproduced the block in B cell development seen in patients. B cells from mutant mice exhibited a diminished concentration of cytoplasmic free zinc, increased phosphatase activity and decreased phosphorylation of signaling molecules downstream of the pre-B cell and B cell receptors. Our findings highlight a specific role for cytosolic Zn2+ in modulating B cell receptor signal strength and positive selection.
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| doi.org/10.1038/s41590-018-0295-8, hdl.handle.net/1765/115347 | |
| Nature Immunology | |
| Organisation | Department of Immunology |
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Anzilotti, C, Swan, D.J., Boisson, B., Deobagkar-Lele, M., Oliveira, C, Chabosseau, P., … Hambleton, S. (2019). An essential role for the Zn2+ transporter ZIP7 in B cell development. Nature Immunology, 20(3), 350–+. doi:10.1038/s41590-018-0295-8 |
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