Tumor vaccines represent a promising therapeutic approach, but thus far have achieved only limited success in the clinic. The major challenge is to find a means of overcoming inhibitory immune regulatory mechanisms and eliciting effective T-cell responses to antigens preferentially expressed by tumor cells. Here we show that the stimulatory capacity of dendritic cells (DCs) and the magnitude of adaptive immunity are critically regulated by the suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 1 in DCs. Silencing SOCS1 in antigen-presenting DCs strongly enhances antigen-specific anti-tumor immunity. Our findings indicate that SOCS1 represents an inhibitory mechanism for qualitatively and quantitatively controlling antigen presentation by DCs and the magnitude of adaptive immunity. This study has implications for understanding the regulation of antigen presentation and for developing more effective tumor vaccines by silencing the critical brake in antigen presentation.

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Regulatory T cells (T reg ) suppress autoreactive immune responses and limit the efficacy of tumor vaccines; however, it remains a challenge to selectively eliminate or inhibit T reg . In this study, A20, a negative regulator of the TLR and TNFR signaling pathways, was found to play a critical role in controlling the maturation, cytokine production, and immunostimulatory potency of dendritic cells (DC). A20-silenced DCs with the spontaneous and enhanced expression of costimulatory molecules and proinflammatory cytokines have contrary effects on T cell subsets: inhibiting T reg and hyperactivating cytotoxic T lymphocytes and T-helpers that produced IL-6 and TNFα, infiltrated tumors, and were refractory to T reg -mediated suppression. Hence, this study not only identifies A20 as a critical antigen presentation attenuator in control of antitumor immune responses during both the priming and effector phases, but also provides a novel strategy to supersede T reg -mediated suppression in an antigen-specific manner, reducing the need to directly target T reg .

Epigenetic histone modifications play critical roles in the control of gene transcription. Recently, an increasing number of histone H2A deubiquitinases have been identified and characterized. However, the physiological functions for this entire group of histone H2A deubiquitinases remain unknown. In this study, we revealed that the histone H2A deubiquitinase MYSM1 plays an essential and intrinsic role in early B-cell development. MYSM1 deficiency results in a block in early B-cell commitment and a defect of B-cell progenitors in expression of EBF1 and other B-lymphoid genes. We further demonstrated that MYSM1 de-represses EBF1 transcription in B-cell progenitors by orchestrating histone modifications and transcription factor recruitment to the EBF1 locus. Thus, this study not only uncovers the essential role for MYSM1 in gene transcription during early B cell development, but also underscores the biological significance of reversible epigenetic histone H2A ubiquitination.