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CUTTING EDGE |



* Molecular Inflammation Section and
Genomic Integrity Group, Molecular Immunology and Inflammation Branch, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases,
Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and
Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892;
¶ Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, School of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan; and
|| iGENE Therapeutics Inc., Tsukuba Science City, Japan
| Abstract |
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RI expressed on mast cells induces the production of phosphatidylinositol 3, 4, 5-trisphosphate by PI3K, which is essential for the functions of the cells. PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten) directly opposes PI3K by dephosphorylating phosphatidylinositol 3, 4, 5-trisphosphate at the 3' position. In this work we used a lentivirus-mediated short hairpin RNA gene knockdown method to study the role of PTEN in CD34+ peripheral blood-derived human mast cells. Loss of PTEN caused constitutive phosphorylation of Akt, p38 MAPK, and JNK, as well as cytokine production and enhancement in cell survival, but not degranulation. Fc
RI engagement of PTEN-deficient cells augmented signaling downstream of Src kinases and increased calcium flux, degranulation, and further enhanced cytokine production. PTEN-deficient cells, but not control cells, were resistant to inhibition of cytokine production by wortmannin, a PI3K inhibitor. The findings demonstrate that PTEN functions as a key regulator of mast cell homeostasis and Fc
RI- responsiveness. | Introduction |
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catalytic subunit of PI3K (4) and the genetic deletion of the Fyn kinase or of the adapter Gab2 (both of which regulate PI3K activity) (2, 3) significantly impaired Fc
RI-mediated mast cell responses. In contrast, genetic loss of Lyn kinase or SHIP-1 (a 5'-phosphatase of PIP3) increased intracellular PIP3 levels (3, 5) and augmented Fc
RI-mediated mast cell responses (5, 6). Thus, understanding how PIP3 levels are regulated and what responses might be most sensitive to this lipid should provide new insights on its importance in cellular function. PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten) opposes PI3K function by dephosphorylating the 3' position of PIP3. PTEN is a known tumor suppressor and a key regulator of cell growth and apoptosis (7). Although PTEN knockout mice are embryonic lethal, PTEN+/ mice develop an autoimmune disorder characterized by increased numbers of activated T cells and polyclonal lymphoid hyperplasia (8), demonstrating its importance in immune cell regulation.
To address the question of whether the aforementioned increase in PIP3 was key in the hyperresponsiveness phenotype of Lyn- and SHIP-null mast cells (3, 5), we down-regulated PTEN expression in mast cells. Human mast cells provided the most suitable model for our studies due to their slow proliferation and nondetectable levels of PI3K activity in resting conditions (9). However, the genetic manipulation of these cells has been difficult to achieve. We speculated that the HIV-related lentivirus might prove useful in gene manipulation of these cells. We coupled this vector technology with the introduction of short hairpin RNA (shRNA) for sequence-specific posttranscriptional gene silencing. Using this approach, we now find that PTEN is a key regulator of mast cell homeostasis and function.
| Materials and Methods |
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All Abs and reagents used in this study have been described elsewhere (3, 6, 9, 10). Biotinylated human IgE was obtained as described (9). Streptavidin (SA) was from Sigma-Aldrich. Secondary Abs were previously described (10).
Lentivirus shRNA vector construction and gene transduction
The entry vector (pEnter/U6) containing a U6 promoter, a double strand oligonucleotide, and a polymerase III terminator was used to transfer the U6 RNAi cassette into the lentiviral expression plasmid (pLenti6/BLOCK-iT-DEST) using Gateway Technology (Invitrogen Life Technologies). Recombination was performed with the pENTR/U6 entry construct and pLenti6/BLOCK-iT-DEST to generate the pLenti6/BLOCK-iT. The sense and antisense oligonucleotide sequence for construction of four PTEN (GenBank accession number NM_000314) shRNAs were as follows: PTEN no. 1 sense, 5'-CAC CGG GAT AAT ATT GAT GGT GTA CGT GTG CTG TCC GTA CAT CAT CAA TAT TGT TCC-3', and PTEN no. 1 antisense, 5'-AAA AGG AAC AAT ATT GAT GAT GTA CGG ACA GCA CAC GTA CAC CAT CAA TAT TAT CCC-3'; PTEN no. 2 sense, 5'-CAC CGA GTG GGT TTG AAA TAT TAA CGT GTG CTG TCC GTT AAT GTT TCA AGC CCA TTC-3', and PTEN no. 2 antisense, 5'-AAA AGA ATG GGC TTG AAA CAT TAA CGG ACA GCA CAC GTT AAT ATT TCA AAC CCA CTC-3'; PTEN no. 3 sense, 5'-CAC CGA TTT AGG CTT GAC TTA TAA CGT GTG CTG TCC GTT ATA GGT CAA GTC TAA GTC-3', and PTEN no. 3 antisense, 5'-AAA AGA CTT AGA CTT GAC CTA TAA CGG ACA GCA CAC GTT ATA AGT CAA GCC TAA ATC-3'; and PTEN no. 4 sense, 5'-CAC CGG GCT AGA GGA AAC TTC ATA CGT GTG CTG TCC GTA TGA GGT TTC CTC TGG TCC-3', and antisense, 5'-AAA AGG ACC AGA GGA AAC CTC ATA CGG ACA GCA CAC GTA TGA AGT TTC CTC TAG CCC-3'.
Packaging vector (9 µg) (ViraPower packaging mix; Invitrogen Life Technologies), pLenti6/Block-iT with PTEN shRNA or control LacZ shRNA, or GFP expressing pNUTS vector (6 µg), were cotransfected into 293FT packaging cells with Lipofectamine 2000 (35 µl) (Invitrogen Life Technologies). After 48 h the culture supernatants were centrifuged to pellet the released virus and resuspended in 5 ml of StemPro medium. Transduction of human mast cells (HuMCs) or human mast cell line 1 (HMC-1) cells (5 x 106) was conducted by resuspending the cells in the 5 ml of virus containing StemPro medium. Two days after infection, the medium was changed to virus-free Stem Pro, and antibiotic selection (2 µg/ml blasticidin) was initiated following an additional 2-day recovery. After 3 wk of selection, cells were analyzed for Fc
RI expression. Cultures were used when >95% of the cells expressed Fc
RI.
Cell cultures, activation, lysates, and immunoblots.
The HMC-1 mast cell line was cultured as described (11). HuMCs were developed from CD34+ cells as described (9). Experiments were conducted 810 wk after the initiation of HuMC cultures (99% mast cells). Fc
RI stimulation of HuMCs (sensitized with biotinylated IgE) was accomplished with the indicated concentration of SA. Lysates were prepared and proteins identified as described (12).
Measurement of cytosolic calcium, degranulation, cytokine production, PIP3, and apoptosis
Calcium measurements on fura-2 loaded HuMCs were previously described (13). Release (degranulation) of the granule marker
-hexosaminidase was assayed as previously described (9). For cytokine secretion, the human cytokine array ELISA kit from Novagen was used (13). PIP3 isolation and measurements were done as described (3). For initiation of apoptosis, cells were in StemPro medium without IL-6 and stem cell factor for up to 48 h. Detection of changes in mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA compaction was by flow cytometric measurement with tetramethyl rhodamine methyl ester and DNA compaction with ToPro-3, respectively.
| Results and Discussion |
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RI-stimulation, Akt (T308) phosphorylation in PTEN-deficient cells was further increased. Akt is well known to function as a PI3K-dependent prosurvival protein through its regulation of Bcl family members, the Forkhead family of transcription factors, and p53 family members (15). Analysis of events that can initiate apoptosis (mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA compaction) under conditions of growth factor starvation revealed a significant reduction (16 h) in these events in PTEN-deficient cells (Fig. 3B). Thymidine incorporation studies showed a slight increase (1.5-fold) in the rate of proliferation of PTEN-deficient cells (data not shown). Prolonged growth factor starvation (>48 h), however, caused the death of all cells.
The effect of PTEN-deficiency on Fc
RI-initiated signaling was explored. The phosphorylation of Src family kinases in the activation loop tyrosine (Y416) was not detected in resting cells but was identically stimulated in control or PTEN-deficient HuMCs (Fig. 4A). LAT (linker for activation of T cells) phosphorylation at Y191 contributed to the stability of this signaling complex (16), required Fc
RI stimulation, and was independent of PTEN expression. Phosphorylation of phospholipase C
, which binds to LAT and hydrolyzes PIP2, generating inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to cause calcium mobilization, was significantly increased (
1.5-fold at 45 s; p
0.05) in PTEN-deficient cells (Fig. 4A). This was linked to enhanced Fc
RI-dependent calcium mobilization in PTEN-deficient HuMCs (Fig. 4B) and increased degranulation as compared with control cells (Fig. 4C). No differences were observed in basal (spontaneous) degranulation. The results demonstrate that the loss of PTEN is insufficient to initiate a constitutive degranulation response, but the increased phospholipase C
(PLC
) activation and calcium responses seemingly served to enhance Fc
RI-stimulated secretion.
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B kinase (IKK), activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2), and c-Jun. IKK and c-Jun phosphorylation was not significantly altered in PTEN-deficient cells (Fig. 5B); however, constitutive ATF2 phosphorylation was observed.
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RI-stimulated control cells, whereas GM-CSF secretion was
50% of the stimulated response. Thus, these genes appear to be highly dependent on PIP3 production for their activation. This possibility was further explored by treatment of control or PTEN-deficient cells with the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin. Cytokine secretion from control cells was inhibited (ranging from 60 to 90%). However, wortmannin failed to block the constitutive or stimulated secretion of cytokines from the PTEN-deficient HuMCs. Thus, PTEN deficiency bypassed the need for Fc
RI-stimulated PI3K activity.
SHIP-1 and 2 are present in PTEN-deficient cells, advancing the view that PTEN is key in the homeostatic control of PIP3 levels. This hypothesis is consistent with the tumor suppressive properties of PTEN (7). Control of both Akt and MAP kinase basal activity by PTEN appears to be a vital function that governs the constitutive production of proinflammatory cytokines linked to tumor promotion (20). In Fc
RI-initiated responses, PTEN appears to be contributory for PIP3 regulation. However, the Fc
RI-stimulated phenotype of SHIP-null mast cells is almost identical with that of Fc
RI-stimulated PTEN-deficient mast cells (5), suggesting significant redundancy in the regulation of PIP3 levels in stimulated cells. Of particular interest is whether PTEN function in homeostasis is entirely independent of cell stimulation (as suggested herein) and whether loss/decline of PTEN activity might alter mast cell function in health and disease.
| Disclosures |
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| Footnotes |
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1 This research was supported in part by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health. ![]()
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Juan Rivera, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases /National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 9N228, Bethesda, MD 20892-1820. E-mail address: juan_rivera{at}nih.gov ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: PIP3, phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trispohosphate; ATF2, activating transcription factor 2; HMC-1, human mast cell line 1; HuMC, human mast cell; IKK, I
B kinase; LAT, linker for activation of T cells; PLC
, phospholipase C
; PTEN, phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten; SA, streptavidin; shRNA, short hairpin RNA. ![]()
Received for publication January 24, 2006. Accepted for publication March 6, 2006.
| References |
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and p110
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phosphoinositide 3-kinase in the allergic response. Nature 431: 1007-1011. [Medline]
1-dependent pathway of Fc
RI-mediated mast cell activation is regulated independently of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 48474-48484.
RI-dependent gene expression and defective eicosanoid and cytokine production as a consequence of Fyn-deficiency in mast cells. J. Immunol. 175: 7602-7610.
RI-activated human mast cells by immunoblot analysis requires protein extraction under denaturing conditions. J. Immunol. Methods 268: 239-243. [Medline]
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B with other transcription factor families. Oncogene 8: 3189-3197. [Medline]This article has been cited by other articles:
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