Interactome of the Autophagy Receptor TAX1BP1 (T6BP)

CD4+ T lymphocytes play a major role in the establishment and maintenance of immunity. They are activated by antigenic peptides derived from extracellular or newly synthesized (endogenous) proteins presented on the surface of antigen presenting cells (APCs) by the MHC-II molecules. The pathways leading to endogenous MHC-II presentation remain poorly characterized. We demonstrate here that the autophagy receptor, T6BP, influences both autophagy-dependent and -independent endogenous presentation of HIV- and HCMV-derived peptides. By studying the immunopeptidome of MHC-II molecules, we show that T6BP affects both the quantity and quality of peptides presented. T6BP silencing induces mislocalization of the MHC-II-loading compartments and a rapid degradation of the invariant chain (CD74) without altering the expression and internalization kinetics of MHC-II molecules. T6BP also controls the ER localization of the chaperone calnexin that we identified as a T6BP partner. Remarkably, calnexin silencing in APCs replicates the functional consequences of T6BP silencing: decreased CD4+ T cell activation and exacerbated CD74 degradation. Altogether, we unravel T6BP as a key player of the MHC-II-restricted endogenous presentation pathway and we propose one potential mechanism of action.