NF-κB-dependent signals control BOB.1/OBF.1 and Oct2 transcriptional activity in B cells.

The transcriptional co-activator BOB.1/OBF.1 is crucial for Octamer-driven transcription in B cells. BOB.1/OBF.1-deficiency leads to tremendous defects in B-cell development and function. Therefore, in the past research focused on the identification of BOB.1/OBF.1 target genes. However, the regulation of BOB.1/OBF.1 expression itself is poorly understood. Here we show that in B cells NF-κB as well as to some extent NFAT proteins are involved in the activation of basal as well as inducible BOB.1/OBF.1 expression by direct binding to the BOB.1/OBF.1 promoter. Moreover, the analysis of different inducers of NF-κB, like several TLR ligands, TNF-α, BAFF, or LTα1β2, revealed that both the canonical and noncanonical NF-κB pathways are involved in the induction of BOB.1/OBF.1 gene. The identification of so far unknown inducers that regulate BOB.1/OBF.1 expression in B cells provides novel insights in the potential function of BOB.1/OBF.1 during different aspects of B-cell development and function.