TY - JOUR T1 - Mapping RNA-binding proteins in human B cells and T cells upon differentiation JF - bioRxiv DO - 10.1101/2021.06.10.447413 SP - 2021.06.10.447413 AU - Nordin D. Zandhuis AU - Benoit P. Nicolet AU - Monika C. Wolkers Y1 - 2021/01/01 UR - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/06/10/2021.06.10.447413.abstract N2 - B cells and T cells are key players in the defence against infections and malignancies. To exert their function, B cells and T cells differentiate into effector and memory cells. Tight regulation of these differentiation processes is key to prevent their malfunction, which can result in life-threatening disease. Lymphocyte differentiation relies on the appropriate timing and dosage of regulatory molecules, and post-transcriptional gene regulation (PTR) is a key player herein. PTR includes the regulation through RNA-binding proteins (RBPs), which control the fate of RNA and its translation into proteins. To date, a comprehensive RBP expression map throughout lymphocyte differentiation is lacking. Using transcriptome and proteome analyses, we here provide an RBP expression map for human B cells and T cells. We observed that even though the overall RBP expression is conserved, the relative RBP expression is distinct between B cells and T cells. Differentiation into effector and memory cells alters the RBP expression, resulting into preferential expression of different classes of RBPs. For instance, whereas naïve T cells express high levels of translation-regulating RBPs, effector T cells preferentially express RBPs that modulate mRNA stability. Lastly, we found that cytotoxic CD8+ and CD4+ T cells express a common RBP repertoire. Combined, our study reveals a cell type-specific and differentiation-dependent RBP expression landscape in human lymphocytes, which will help unravel the role of RBPs in lymphocyte function.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest. ER -