Ubc9 regulates the expression of MHC II in dendritic cells to enhance DSS-induced colitis by mediating RBPJ SUMOylation

SUMOylation is an evolutionary conserved regulatory mechanism, in which Ubc9 is the only E2 conjugating enzyme. Previous studies demonstrated that SUMOylation is involved in multiple biological processes, but its role in dendritic cells (DCs) remains to be fully addressed. Herein in this report, we found that DCs deficient in Ubc9 protected mice from dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis, as evidenced by the ameliorated weight loss, colon length, and disrupted colon structure. Mechanistically, Ubc9 mediated SUMOylation of RBPJ, by which it stabilized RBPJ from ubiquitin-mediated degradation to enhance its transcriptional activity, while Ciita, a critical transcription factor, is a direct target downstream of RBPJ, which forms an enhanceosome complex to transcribe the expression of MHC II genes. Therefore, loss of Ubc9 abolished RBPJ SUMOylation, which was coupled with reduced Ciita transcription, thereby attenuating the expression of MHC class II genes. As a consequence of defective MHC II expression, Ubc9 ^-/- DCs were featured by the impaired capability to process antigen and to prime effector CD4⁺ T cells, thereby protecting mice from DSS-induced colitis. Together, our results shed novel insight into the understanding of SUMOylation in the regulation of DC functions in pathological conditions.