GANP may regulate the c-Myc expression in germinal centers (GCs), that is essential for the affinity maturation of B cells

2020 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K16691
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: シン シャイレンドラ・クマール 大阪大学, 免疫学フロンティア研究センター, 特任研究員(常勤) (10792187)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: GANP / c-Myc / eIF4E / Germinal center

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

Germinal center (GC)-associated nuclear protein (GANP) is critical molecule for the regulation of adaptive immune system. We investigated mRNAs and proteins associated with GANP in B cells. GANP interacts with many kinds of RNAs for various functions of cancer development, cell cycling, DNA repair, and protein translation. GANP interacts with the translation initiation factor eIF4E and efficiently targets the transcription factor c-Myc mRNA. Furthermore, GANP regulates c-Myc translation via interacting with the 5’ untranslated region of c-Myc mRNA in B cells. The results indicated that GANP is necessary for the upregulation of c-Myc in B cells undergoing the selection process in the GCs. The augmented c-Myc expression by GANP is likely a regulatory signal for B cell positive selection.