The pathogenesis of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas is associated with independent chromosomal translocations that lead to the upregulation of either BCL10 or MALT1 or the generation of a fusion protein, cIAP2-MALT1. While both BCL10 and MALT1 are critically involved in antigen receptor–mediated NF-κB activation, the role of cIAP2 is not clear. Here we show that cIAP2 is a ubiquitin ligase (E3) of BCL10 and targets it for degradation, inhibiting antigen receptor–mediated cytokine production. cIAP2-MALT1 lacks E3 activity, and concomitantly, the BCL10 protein is stabilized in MALT lymphomas harboring this fusion. Furthermore, BCL10 and cIAP2-MALT1 synergistically activate NF-κB. These results reveal cIAP2 as an inhibitor of antigenic signaling and implicate its dysfunction in MALT lymphomas.
Shimin Hu, Ming-Qing Du, Sun-Mi Park, Allison Alcivar, Like Qu, Sanjeev Gupta, Jun Tang, Mathijs Baens, Hongtao Ye, Tae H. Lee, Peter Marynen, James L. Riley, Xiaolu Yang
BCL10 expression level is enhanced in t(11;18)/