MIF intersubunit disulfide mutant antagonist supports activation of CD74 by endogenous MIF trimer at physiologic concentrations.

ABSTRACT: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) is a proinflammatory cytokine. In addition to its known receptor-mediated biological activities, MIF possesses a catalytic site of unknown function between subunits of a homotrimer. Each subunit contributes three β-strands to adjacent subunits to form a core seven-stranded β-sheet for each monomer. MIF monomers, dimers, or trimers have been reported, but the active form that binds and activates the MIF receptor (CD74) is still a matter of debate. A cysteine mutant (N110C) that covalently locks MIF into a trimer by forming a disulfide with Cys-80 of an adjacent subunit is used to study this issue. Partial catalytic activity and receptor binding to CD74 are retained by N110C (locked trimer), but there is no cellular signaling. Wild-type MIF-induce

SUBMITTER: Fan C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3703972 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature