title: Immunoproteasome expression in a nonimmune tissue, the ocular lens.
abstract: Interferon gamma (IFN gamma) induces the expression of three catalytic subunits of the 20S proteasome that can replace their constitutive homologues to form the "immunoproteasome," named to reflect its antigen presentation function. However, immunoproteasome levels and their modulation in nonimmune tissues remain unknown. A disrupted lens differentiation program observed in transgenic mice that constitutively express IFN gamma in the immune-privileged lens tissue suggests a role for this cytokine in differentiation. We have developed a competitive RT-PCR assay that demonstrates substantially increased levels of immuno subunits and unchanged levels of constitutive subunits in transgenic compared to wild-type lenses. Similar results were observed with IFN gamma treated alpha TN4-1 lens epithelial cells. A comparison of these subunits in different immune and nonimmune mouse tissues revealed unique expression patterns. The presence of immuno subunits in nonimmune tissues such as lens suggests that the immunoproteasome may also have nonimmune functions, such as that in lens differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, NJ 07101, USA.
authors.forename: Shaneen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Niranjan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Awasthi
authors.forename: Charles E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Egwuagu
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Wagner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D002460:Cell Line / Q000187:drug effects; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; C071313:LMP-2 protein; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D046988:Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; C490920:Psmb10 protein, mouse