SOCS3 regulates BAFF in human enterocytes under ribosomal stress

Although the activation of B cells in the gastrointestinal tract is of great importance in the context of immunity to pathogens and mucosal inflammatory diseases, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the local activation of B cells in the subepithelial area of the intestine. Epithelium-derived BAFF is the major modulator of B cell development and Ig class switching. The present study was performed to address the molecular mechanism of BAFF expression in gut epithelial cells in the presence of proinflammatory stimuli. Inflammation-induced BAFF expression in mucosal epithelial cells might be responsible for diverse mucosa-associated diseases linked to intestinal inflammation and autoimmunity. Although BAFF was marginally expressed in unstimulated epithelial cells, BAFF mRNA was significantly upregulated by proinflammatory IFN-γ. Furthermore, IFN-γ triggered JAK/STAT1 signals via the cytokine receptor, which contributed to epithelial BAFF upregulation. In terms of signaling intervention, ribosomal insult attenuated IFN-γ-activated JAK/STAT signal transduction and subsequent BAFF induction in gut epithelial cells. Ribosomal insults led to the superinduction of SOCS3 by enhancing its mRNA stability via HuR RNA-binding protein. Upregulated SOCS3 then contributed to the blocking of the JAK/STAT-linked signal, which mediated BAFF suppression by ribosomal stress. All of these findings show that ribosomal stress-induced SOCS3 plays a novel regulatory role in epithelial BAFF production, suggesting that epithelial ribosomal dysfunction in association with SOCS3 may be a promising therapeutic point in BAFF-associated human mucosal diseases.