Aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein maintains germinal center B cells through suppression of BCL6 degradation

B cell lymphoma-6 (BCL6) is highly expressed in germinal center B cells, but how its expression is maintained is still not completely clear. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP) is a co-chaperone of heat shock protein 90. Deletion of Aip in B cells decreased BCL6 expression, reducing germinal center B cells and diminishing adaptive immune responses. AIP was required for optimal AKT signaling in response to B cell receptor stimulation, and AIP protected BCL6 from ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal degradation by the E3-ubiquitin ligase FBXO11 by binding to the deubiquitinase UCHL1, thus helping to maintain the expression of BCL6. AIP was highly expressed in primary diffuse large B cell lymphomas compared to healthy tissue and other tumors. Our findings describe AIP as a positive regulator of BCL6 expression with implications for the pathobiology of diffuse large B cell lymphoma. BCL6 overexpression contributes to the pathobiology of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Sun et al. find that the co-chaperone aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacting protein (AIP), whose high expression is associated with reduced survival of DLBCL patients, helps maintain BCL6 expression by facilitating the removal of ubiquitin from BCL6.