Significance of Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored Protein Enrichment in Lipid Rafts for the Control of Autoimmunity

Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPI) are complex glycolipids that are covalently linked to the C terminus of proteins as a post-translational modification and tether proteins to the plasma membrane. One of the most striking features of GPI-anchored proteins (APs) is their enrichment in lipid rafts. The biosynthesis of GPI and its attachment to proteins occur in the endoplasmic reticulum. In the Golgi, GPI-APs are subjected to fatty acid remodeling, which replaces an unsaturated fatty acid at the sn-2 position of the phosphatidylinositol moiety with a saturated fatty acid. We previously reported that fatty acid remodeling is critical for the enrichment of GPI-APs in lipid rafts. To investigate the biological significance of GPI-AP enrichment in lipid rafts, we generated a PGAP3 knock-out mouse (PGAP3−/−) in which fatty acid remodeling of GPI-APs does not occur. We report here that a significant number of aged PGAP3−/− mice developed autoimmune-like symptoms, such as increased anti-DNA antibodies, spontaneous germinal center formation, and enlarged renal glomeruli with deposition of immune complexes and matrix expansion. A possible cause for this was the impaired engulfment of apoptotic cells by resident peritoneal macrophages in PGAP3−/− mice. Mice with conditional targeting of PGAP3 in either B or T cells did not develop such autoimmune-like symptoms. In addition, PGAP3−/− mice exhibited the tendency of Th2 polarization. These data demonstrate that PGAP3-dependent fatty acid remodeling of GPI-APs has a significant role in the control of autoimmunity, possibly by the regulation of apoptotic cell clearance and Th1/Th2 balance. Background: Significance of GPI-anchored protein enrichment in lipid rafts, which requires PGAP3-mediated structural remodeling of GPI, remains unclear. Results: Reduced apoptotic cell clearance could be causal for autoimmunity occurring in PGAP3−/− mice. Conclusion: GPI-anchored protein enrichment in lipid rafts has a significant role in immunity. Significance: Analyzing PGAP3−/− mice will reveal biological significance of GPI-anchored protein enrichment in lipid rafts.