CIITA is a master transactivator of the major histocompatibility complex class II genes, which are involved in antigen presentation. Defects in CIITA result in fatal immunodeficiencies. CIITA activation is also the control point for the induction of major histocompatibility complex class II and associated genes by interferon-gamma, but CIITA does not bind directly to DNA. Expression of CIITA in...

Class II major histocompatibility (MHC-II) genes are prototype targets of IFN-gamma. IFN-gamma activates the expression of the non-DNA-binding master regulator of MHC-II, class II transactivator (CIITA), which is crucial for enhanceosome formation and gene activation. This report shows the importance of the histone methyltransferase, coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase (CARM1/PRMT...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of structurally related proteins with the collective capability to degrade all components of the extracellular matrix. Although MMP-mediated degradation of the extracellular matrix occurs physiologically, numerous pathological conditions exhibit increased MMP levels and excessive matrix degradation. Previous work from our laboratory has shown that i...

MHC class I plays a critical role in the immune defense against viruses and tumors by presenting antigens to CD8 T cells. An NLR protein, class II transactivator (CIITA), is a key regulator of MHC class II gene expression that associates and cooperates with transcription factors in the MHC class II promoter. Although CIITA also transactivates MHC class I gene promoters, loss of CIITA in humans ...

The class II transactivator (CIITA) is essential for the expression of major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC-II) genes; however, the role of CIITA in gene regulation outside of MHC-II biology is not fully understood. To comprehensively map CIITA-bound loci, ChIP-seq was performed in the human B lymphoblastoma cell line Raji. CIITA bound 480 sites, and was significantly enriched at acti...

Patients with one type of major histocompatibility complex class II combined immunodeficiency have mutations in a gene termed class II transactivator (CIITA), which coordinately controls the transcription of the three major human class II genes, HLA-DR, -DQ, and -DP. However, the experimentally derived B-lymphoblastoid cell line, clone 13, expresses high levels of HLADQ in the absence of HLA-DR...

The class II transactivator (CIITA), the master regulator of the tissue-specific and interferon gamma-inducible expression of major histocompatibility complex class II genes, synergizes with the histone acetylase coactivator CBP to activate gene transcription. Here we demonstrate that in addition to CBP, PCAF binds to CIITA both in vivo and in vitro and enhances CIITA-dependent transcriptional ...

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class II molecules are indispensable arms of the immune system that present extracellular antigens to CD4 + T cells and initiate the adaptive immune response. MHC class II expression requires recruitment of a master regulator, the class II transactivator (CIITA). How this master transcriptional regulator is recruited, stabilized and degraded is unknown. Th...

Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays were employed to assess the kinetics of transcription factor assembly and histone modifications that occur during gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) induction of CIITA gene expression. CIITA is the master regulator of major histocompatibility complex class II transcription. Promoter IV (PIV), the major IFN-gamma responsive promoter for CIITA expression, requires b...

The MHC class II transactivator (CIITA) plays a central role in adaptive immune responses by controlling the expression of MHC class II genes. CIITA binds DNA-binding proteins and co-activator proteins to form an enhanceosome complex necessary for MHC class II gene expression. Here we demonstrate that CIITA interactions depend upon the phosphorylation status of CIITA. Hyper-phosphorylated CIITA...