Decoding the language of immunity

• 成果类型: Editorial Material
• 署名作者: Alvarez, Raymond A.; James, Louisa K.
• 署名单位: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; University of London; Queen Mary University London
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-13266
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adn1067
• 发表日期: 2024-01-12
• 页码: 146-147
• 关键词: rna; adar1

摘要

Optimized transfer RNA (tRNA) codon use can speed up antibody generation Antibodies are critical for human health, providing long-lived and exquisitely specific immunity to pathogens. Plasma cells secrete tens of thousands of antibody molecules every second and sustain this output continuously for several decades. Plasmablasts and plasma cells [collectively, antibody-secreting cells (ASCs)] are generated following the activation and differentiation of B cells, which involves complete reprogramming of the transcriptional machinery and remodeling of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus. ASCs have co-opted the unfolded protein response (UPR), a stress response, to accommodate the exceptional rate of protein synthesis and secretion required. On page 205 of this issue, Giguere et al. (1) reveal that mRNA encoding antibody genes is enriched with codons recognized by modified transfer RNA (tRNA). This codon optimization is accompanied by an increase in tRNAs with complementary modifications, which serves to enhance antibody biosynthesis by ASCs. This has wider implications for therapeutic protein production, vaccine design, and beyond.