HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Google Scholar Articles by Shamim, M. Articles by Suresh, M. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Shamim, M. Articles by Suresh, M.

Cbl-b Regulates Antigen-Induced TCR Down-Regulation and IFN- Production by Effector CD8 T Cells without Affecting Functional Avidity¹

Mohammed Shamim^2,*, Som G. Nanjappa^2,*, Anju Singh^2,*, Erin Hemmila Plisch^*, Scott E. LeBlanc, Jane Walent^*, John Svaren, Christine Seroogy and M. Suresh^3,*

^* Department of Pathobiological Sciences, Department of Comparative Biosciences, and Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706

The E3 ubiquitin ligase Cbl-b is a negative regulator of TCR signaling that: 1) sets the activation threshold for T cells; 2) is induced in anergic T cells; and 3) protects against autoimmunity. However, the role of Cbl-b in regulating CD8 T cell activation and functions during physiological T cell responses has not been systematically examined. Using the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection model, we show that Cbl-b deficiency did not significantly affect the clonal expansion of virus-specific CD8 T cells. However, Cbl-b deficiency not only increased the steady-state cell surface expression levels of TCR and CD8 but also reduced Ag-induced down-modulation of cell surface TCR expression by effector CD8 T cells. Diminished Ag-stimulated TCR down-modulation and sustained Ag receptor signaling induced by Cbl-b deficiency markedly augmented IFN- production, which is known to require substantial TCR occupancy. By contrast, Cbl-b deficiency minimally affected cell-mediated cytotoxicity, which requires limited engagement of TCRs. Surprisingly, despite elevated expression of CD8 and reduced Ag-induced TCR down-modulation, the functional avidity of Cbl-b-deficient effector CD8 T cells was comparable to that of wild-type effectors. Collectively, these data not only show that Cbl-b-imposed constraint on TCR signaling has differential effects on various facets of CD8 T cell response but also suggest that Cbl-b might mitigate tissue injury induced by the overproduction of IFN- by CD8 T cells. These findings have implications in the development of therapies to bolster CD8 T cell function during viral infections or suppress T cell-mediated immunopathology.

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.

¹ This work was supported by Public Health Service Grants AI48785 and AI59804 from the National Institutes of Health (to M.S.).

² M.S., S.N., and A.S. contributed equally to this work.

³ Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. M. Suresh, Department of Pathobiological Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2015 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706. E-mail address: sureshm{at}svm.vetmed.wisc.edu

⁴ Abbreviations used in this paper: LCMV, lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus; GP33, glycoprotein 33–41 peptide; MFI, mean fluorescence intensity; NP, nucleoprotein; PI, postinfection.