Autoimmune regulator

Autoimmune regulator
PDB rendering based on 1xwh.
Available structures PDB Ortholog search: PDBe, RCSB List of PDB id codes 1XWH​, 2KE1​, 2KFT​, 2LRI​
Identifiers
Symbols	AIRE ; AIRE1; APECED; APS1; APSI; PGA1
External IDs	OMIM: 607358 MGI: 1338803 HomoloGene: 327 GeneCards: AIRE Gene
Gene ontology Molecular function • RNA polymerase II regulatory region sequence-specific DNA binding • transcriptional activator activity, RNA polymerase II transcription regulatory region sequence-specific binding • chromatin binding • protein binding • zinc ion binding • histone binding • identical protein binding • transcription regulatory region DNA binding • translation regulator activity Cellular component • nucleus • cytoplasm Biological process • regulation of transcription, DNA-templated • transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter • regulation of translation • immune response • humoral immune response • positive regulation of transcription, DNA-templated • positive regulation of transcription from RNA polymerase II promoter Sources: Amigo / QuickGO
RNA expression pattern
More reference expression data
Orthologs
Species	Human	Mouse
Entrez	326	11634
Ensembl	ENSG00000160224	ENSMUSG00000000731
UniProt	O43918	Q9Z0E3
RefSeq (mRNA)	NM_000383	NM_001271549
RefSeq (protein)	NP_000374	NP_001258478
Location (UCSC)	Chr 21: 44.29 – 44.3 Mb	Chr 10: 78.03 – 78.04 Mb
PubMed search

The autoimmune regulator (AIRE) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the AIRE gene.^[1] AIRE is a transcription factor expressed in the medulla of the thymus and controls the mechanism that prevents the immune system from attacking the body itself.

Each T cell attacks a foreign substance presented within a MHC molecule which it identifies with its receptor. T cells have receptors which are generated by randomly shuffling gene segments. Each T cell attacks a different substance. T cells that attack the body's own proteins are eliminated in the thymus. Medullary thymic epithelial cells (mTEC) express major proteins from elsewhere in the body (so called "tissue-restricted antigens" - TRA), and T cells that respond to those proteins are eliminated through cell death(apoptosis), thus it is thought that AIRE therefore drives negative selection.^[2]

The AIRE controls the expression of those thymic epithelial cells in the medulla (inner part) of the thymus. When AIRE is defective, T cells can attack the body, resulting in autoimmune disease.

Function

In the thymus, the autoimmune regulator causes transcription of a wide selection of organ-specific genes that create proteins that are usually only expressed in peripheral tissues, creating an "immunological self-shadow" in the thymus.^[3][4] It is important that self-reactive T cells that bind strongly to self-antigen are eliminated in the thymus (via the process of negative selection), otherwise they can later bind to their corresponding self-proteins and create an autoimmune reaction. So the expression of non-local proteins by AIRE reduces the threat of the occurrence of autoimmunity later on by allowing for the elimination of auto-reactive T cells that bind antigens not traditionally found in the thymus. Furthermore, it has been found that AIRE is expressed in a population of stromal cells located in secondary lymphoid tissues, however these cells appear to express a distinct set of TRAs compared to mTECs^[5]

Research in knockout mice has demonstrated that AIRE functions through initiating the transcription of a diverse set of self-antigens, such as insulin, in the thymus.^[3] This expression then allows maturing thymocytes to become tolerant towards peripheral organs, thereby suppressing autoimmune disease.^[4]

The AIRE gene is expressed in many other tissues as well.^[6] AIRE gene is also expressed in the 33D1+ subset of dendritic cells in mouse and in human dendritic cells.^[7]

Pathology

The autoimmune regulator is mutated in the rare autoimmune syndrome Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy Syndrome type 1 (APS-1), also known as Autoimmune Polyendocrinopathy-Candidiasis-Ectodermal Dystrophy (APECED). Disruption of AIRE results in the development of a range of autoimmune diseases, the most common clinical conditions in the syndrome are hypoparathyroidism, primary adrenocortical failure and chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis.^[8]

A gene knockout of the murine homolog Aire has created a transgenic mouse model to study the mechanism of disease in human patients.^[9]

Interactions

Autoimmune regulator has been shown to interact with CREB binding protein.^[10][11]

See also

• List of human clusters of differentiation for a list of CD molecules
• Immune system
• Immune tolerance

References

1. "An autoimmune disease, APECED, caused by mutations in a novel gene featuring two PHD-type zinc-finger domains". Nat. Genet. 17 (4): 399–403. December 1997. doi:10.1038/ng1297-399. PMID 9398840.
2. Anderson M & Su M (2011). "Aire and T cell development.". Curr. Opin. Immunol. 23 (2): 198–206. doi:10.1016/j.coi.2010.11.007. PMC 3073725. PMID 21163636.
3. Anderson MS, Venanzi ES, Klein L, Chen Z, Berzins SP, Turley SJ, von Boehmer H, Bronson R, Dierich A, Benoist C, Mathis D (November 2002). "Projection of an immunological self shadow within the thymus by the aire protein". Science 298 (5597): 1395–401. doi:10.1126/science.1075958. PMID 12376594.
4. Liston A, Lesage S, Wilson J, Peltonen L, Goodnow CC (April 2003). "Aire regulates negative selection of organ-specific T cells". Nat. Immunol. 4 (4): 350–4. doi:10.1038/ni906. PMID 12612579.
5. Gardner J, Devoss J, Friedman R; et al. (2008). "Deletional tolerance mediated by extrathymic Aire-expressing cells". Science 321 (5890): 843–847. doi:10.1126/science.1159407. PMC 2532844. PMID 18687966.
6. "AIRE Gene expression/activity chart". BioGPS - your Gene Portal System. Archived from the original on 30 December 2009. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
7. Lindmark E, Chen Y, Georgoudaki AM, Dudziak D, Lindh E, Adams WC, Loré K, Winqvist O, Chambers BJ, Karlsson MC.; et al. (2013). "AIRE expressing marginal zone dendritic cells balances adaptive immunity and T-follicular helper cell recruitment.". Journal of Autoimmunity 42: 62–70. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2012.11.004. PMID 23265639.
8. OMIM
9. Ramsey C, Winqvist O, Puhakka L, Halonen M, Moro A, Kämpe O, Eskelin P, Pelto-Huikko M, Peltonen L (2002). "Aire deficient mice develop multiple features of APECED phenotype and show altered immune response". Hum. Mol. Genet. 11 (4): 397–409. doi:10.1093/hmg/11.4.397. PMID 11854172.
10. Pitkänen J, Doucas V, Sternsdorf T, Nakajima T, Aratani S, Jensen K, Will H, Vähämurto P, Ollila J, Vihinen M, Scott HS, Antonarakis SE, Kudoh J, Shimizu N, Krohn K, Peterson P (June 2000). "The autoimmune regulator protein has transcriptional transactivating properties and interacts with the common coactivator CREB-binding protein". J. Biol. Chem. 275 (22): 16802–9. doi:10.1074/jbc.M908944199. PMID 10748110.
11. Iioka T, Furukawa K, Yamaguchi A, Shindo H, Yamashita S, Tsukazaki T (August 2003). "P300/CBP acts as a coactivator to cartilage homeoprotein-1 (Cart1), paired-like homeoprotein, through acetylation of the conserved lysine residue adjacent to the homeodomain". J. Bone Miner. Res. 18 (8): 1419–29. doi:10.1359/jbmr.2003.18.8.1419. PMID 12929931.

Further reading

• Björses P, Aaltonen J, Horelli-Kuitunen N, et al. (1998). "Gene defect behind APECED: a new clue to autoimmunity". Hum. Mol. Genet. 7 (10): 1547–53. doi:10.1093/hmg/7.10.1547. PMID 9735375.
• Heino M, Peterson P, Kudoh J, Shimizu N, Antonarakis SE, Scott HS, Krohn K (September 2001). "APECED mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) gene". Hum. Mutat. 18 (3): 205–11. doi:10.1002/humu.1176. PMID 11524731.
• Sato K, Nakajima K, Imamura H, Deguchi T, Horinouchi S, Yamazaki K, Yamada E, Kanaji Y, Takano K (December 2002). "A novel missense mutation of AIRE gene in a patient with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy, candidiasis and ectodermal dystrophy (APECED), accompanied with progressive muscular atrophy: case report and review of the literature in Japan". Endocr. J. 49 (6): 625–33. doi:10.1507/endocrj.49.625. PMID 12625412.
• Ruan QG, She JX (March 2004). "Autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 and the autoimmune regulator". Clin. Lab. Med. 24 (1): 305–17. doi:10.1016/j.cll.2004.01.008. PMID 15157567.
• Holmdahl R (March 2007). "Aire-ing self antigen variability and tolerance". Eur. J. Immunol. 37 (3): 598–601. doi:10.1002/eji.200737152. PMID 17323409.
• Aaltonen J, Björses P, Sandkuijl L, Perheentupa J, Peltonen L (September 1994). "An autosomal locus causing autoimmune disease: autoimmune polyglandular disease type I assigned to chromosome 21". Nat. Genet. 8 (1): 83–7. doi:10.1038/ng0994-83. PMID 7987397.
• Aaltonen J, Horelli-Kuitunen N, Fan JB, Björses P, Perheentupa J, Myers R, Palotie A, Peltonen L (August 1997). "High-resolution physical and transcriptional mapping of the autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy locus on chromosome 21q22.3 by FISH". Genome Res. 7 (8): 820–9. doi:10.1101/gr.7.8.820. PMID 9267805.
• Nagamine K, Peterson P, Scott HS, Kudoh J, Minoshima S, Heino M, Krohn KJ, Lalioti MD, Mullis PE, Antonarakis SE, Kawasaki K, Asakawa S, Ito F, Shimizu N (December 1997). "Positional cloning of the APECED gene". Nat. Genet. 17 (4): 393–8. doi:10.1038/ng1297-393. PMID 9398839.
• Scott HS, Heino M, Peterson P, Mittaz L, Lalioti MD, Betterle C, Cohen A, Seri M, Lerone M, Romeo G, Collin P, Salo M, Metcalfe R, Weetman A, Papasavvas MP, Rossier C, Nagamine K, Kudoh J, Shimizu N, Krohn KJ, Antonarakis SE (August 1998). "Common mutations in autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy patients of different origins". Mol. Endocrinol. 12 (8): 1112–9. doi:10.1210/me.12.8.1112. PMID 9717837.
• Heino M, Scott HS, Chen Q, Peterson P, Mäebpää U, Papasavvas MP, Mittaz L, Barras C, Rossier C, Chrousos GP, Stratakis CA, Nagamine K, Kudoh J, Shimizu N, Maclaren N, Antonarakis SE, Krohn K (1999). "Mutation analyses of North American APS-1 patients". Hum. Mutat. 13 (1): 69–74. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-1004(1999)13:1<69::AID-HUMU8>3.0.CO;2-6. PMID 9888391.
• Björses P, Pelto-Huikko M, Kaukonen J, Aaltonen J, Peltonen L, Ulmanen I (February 1999). "Localization of the APECED protein in distinct nuclear structures". Hum. Mol. Genet. 8 (2): 259–66. doi:10.1093/hmg/8.2.259. PMID 9931333.
• Rinderle C, Christensen HM, Schweiger S, Lehrach H, Yaspo ML (February 1999). "AIRE encodes a nuclear protein co-localizing with cytoskeletal filaments: altered sub-cellular distribution of mutants lacking the PHD zinc fingers". Hum. Mol. Genet. 8 (2): 277–90. doi:10.1093/hmg/8.2.277. PMID 9931335.
• Björses P, Halonen M, Palvimo JJ, Kolmer M, Aaltonen J, Ellonen P, Perheentupa J, Ulmanen I, Peltonen L (February 2000). "Mutations in the AIRE gene: effects on subcellular location and transactivation function of the autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy protein". Am. J. Hum. Genet. 66 (2): 378–92. doi:10.1086/302765. PMC 1288090. PMID 10677297.
• Pitkänen J, Doucas V, Sternsdorf T, Nakajima T, Aratani S, Jensen K, Will H, Vähämurto P, Ollila J, Vihinen M, Scott HS, Antonarakis SE, Kudoh J, Shimizu N, Krohn K, Peterson P (June 2000). "The autoimmune regulator protein has transcriptional transactivating properties and interacts with the common coactivator CREB-binding protein". J. Biol. Chem. 275 (22): 16802–9. doi:10.1074/jbc.M908944199. PMID 10748110.
• Pitkänen J, Vähämurto P, Krohn K, Peterson P (June 2001). "Subcellular localization of the autoimmune regulator protein. characterization of nuclear targeting and transcriptional activation domain". J. Biol. Chem. 276 (22): 19597–602. doi:10.1074/jbc.M008322200. PMID 11274163.
• Saugier-Veber P, Drouot N, Wolf LM, Kuhn JM, Frébourg T, Lefebvre H (April 2001). "Identification of a novel mutation in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE-1) gene in a French family with autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy". Eur. J. Endocrinol. 144 (4): 347–51. doi:10.1530/eje.0.1440347. PMID 11275943.

External links

• AIRE protein at the US National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)