Abstract 191: NF-?B p65 Methylation by Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is Necessary for the Transcriptional Induction of CXCL10 by TNF-a

TNF-α initiates the expression of genes involved in the recruitment, adhesion, and transmigration of leukocytes to sites of inflammation. Here, we report that the protein arginine methyltransferase PRMT5 is required for the transcriptional induction of the pro-inflammatory chemokine CXCL10 (IP-10) in endothelial cells. Depletion of PRMT5 by siRNA results in significantly diminished TNF-α-induced CXCL10 mRNA expression, but does not affect expression of other chemokines, such as MCP-1 or IL-8. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments of the CXCL10 proximal promoter show the presence of symmetrical dimethylated arginine (sDMA)-containing proteins upon exposure to TNF-α. This methylation is completely lost when PRMT5 is removed from cells by siRNA. Using immunoprecipitation, we show that PRMT5 enhances CXCL10 expression by methylating the RelA (p65) subunit of NF-κB. In summary, we have identified that PRMT5 is a novel regulator of CXCL10 expression. Further, we have discovered that PRMT5 methylates NF-κB, a finding which may further knowledge of the post-translational code governing NF-κB regulation and target specificity.