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* Department of Biology and
Department of Chemistry, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467,
Departments of Orthopedic Surgery and Cell Biology and Physiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110; and the
Naval Health Research Center, Environmental Health Effects Laboratory, Wright Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433
| Abstract |
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subunit of PI3K and is not affected by pretreatment with PI3K or MAPK pathway inhibitors. Stat6-deficient B cells exhibit impaired IL-4-induced glycolysis. Cell-permeable, constitutively active Stat6 is effective in restoring IL-4-induced glycolysis in Stat6-deficient B cells. Therefore, besides controlling antiapoptotic proteins, IL-4 mediates B cell survival by regulating glucose energy metabolism via a Stat6-dependent pathway. | Introduction |
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IL-4 is a pleiotropic cytokine that acts on naive B cells to prevent cell death (7, 8, 9). Binding of IL-4 to its receptor (IL-4R) results in the activation of several signal transduction cascades, including the JAK1 and JAK3 tyrosine kinases (7, 10). JAK1 and JAK3 phosphorylate tyrosine residues in the cytoplasmic domain of the IL-4R
that serve as docking sites for Stat6 (7, 11). Stat6-deficient B cells undergo apoptosis in the presence of IL-4, which has been linked to impaired Bcl-xL induction (9).
The IL-4R
-chain recruits insulin receptor substrate-2 (IRS-2),3 permitting association with the p85
regulatory subunit of PI3K (7, 12). IL-4 enhances survival through recruitment of IRS-2 and PI3K activation; B cells deficient in IRS-2 or p85
undergo apoptosis despite the presence of IL-4 (9, 12, 13). Although the cellular targets of IRS-2/PI3K remain to be identified in B cells, studies in hemopoietic cells suggest that PI3K signaling modulates glucose metabolism (3, 14, 15). We demonstrate herein that IL-4 increases glucose transport and glycolysis in B cells. Blocking of IL-4-induced glycolytic flux leads to decreased B cell survival. IRS-2 and PI3K activity are dispensable for IL-4-induced glycolysis, but glycolysis is dependent upon Stat6 in B cells. This is the first report demonstrating an essential role for glucose energy metabolism in the prosurvival activity of IL-4 and implicating Stat6 signaling in the regulation of glucose utilization.
| Materials and Methods |
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Anti-Stat6 (Tyr641), anti-phospho-ATF2 (Thr71), and anti-phospho-p44/42 MAPK (Thr202/Tyr204) Abs were from Cell Signaling Technology. The anti-Glut1 Ab was from Research Diagnostics. PE-conjugated F(ab')2 of goat anti-rabbit IgG was obtained from Caltag Laboratories. F(ab')2 of goat anti-mouse IgM (anti-Ig) were obtained from Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories. Murine IL-4 was from R&D Systems. LPS was from Sigma-Aldrich. All other reagents were from Calbiochem-Novabiochem International. Cellular ATP was determined using the ATP determination kit from Molecular Probes.
B cell isolation
BALB/cByJ and p85
-deficient mice (BALB/cAnNTac-Pik3r1 N12, backcrossed nine times) were obtained from Taconic Farms. Stat6-deficient mice (BALB/cByJ, backcrossed 6 times) were from The Jackson Laboratory (9). IRS-2-deficient mice (B6;129-Irs2tm1Mfw/J, backcrossed 13 times) were provided by Dr. M. F. White (Childrens Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA) (16). Splenic B cells of mice at 8- 12 wk were purified by negative selection using the MACS system (Miltenyi Biotec), and small dense B cells were further isolated following centrifugation through a discontinuous Percoll gradient as described (15).
Flow cytometry
Apoptosis measurements were conducted by TUNEL according to the manufacturers instructions (BD Biosciences Pharmingen). For Glut1 staining, B cells were washed twice in staining buffer (1 ml of PBS containing 1% FCS and 0.1% NaN3) and then incubated for 20 min (4°C) with the anti-CD16/CD32 (clone 2.4G2) mAb Fc block reagent (1:500 v/v). Cells were washed twice in staining buffer and incubated for 60 min with 1/500 dilution of anti-Glut1 Ab or isotype control Ab (4°C) followed by incubation with PE-conjugated F(ab')2 of goat anti-rabbit IgG (1/800) as described (15). Cells were then analyzed on a BD FACSCanto flow cytometer (BD Biosciences).
Glucose utilization measurements
Glucose uptake was measured by monitoring the uptake of 3H-labeled 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) (Amersham Biosciences) as previously described (15). Glycolysis was measured following the incubation of B cells (106 cells per 0.5 ml) with [5-3H]glucose (Amersham Biosciences) for 90 min. B cells (100 µl) were removed and placed in 1.5-ml microcentrifuge tubes containing 100 µl of 0.2 N HCl. The production of 3HOH resulting from enolase-mediated dehydration of [5-3H]glucose was quantitated by evaporation diffusion (25°C) as previously described (4, 15).
One-dimensional heteronuclear multiple quantum coherence (1D-HMQC)
B cells (107) were cultured in RPMI 1640 containing 10 mM [1-13C]glucose or [2-13C]glucose (Cambridge Isotope Laboratories). At the indicated times, B cells were extracted with 70% (v/v) ethanol, the extract was subsequently frozen in liquid nitrogen and lyophilized. The dry material was resuspended in 0.5 ml of D2O and the 1D-HMQC spectra (detecting only those protons coupled to 13C) were acquired using an INOVA 500 spectrometer (Varian) as described (15).
TAT-Stat6 construct
Stat6 constructs were cloned into the pTAT-HA bacterial expression vector as described by Hirayama et al. (17). To generate an active form of Stat6 in which amino acids at Val547/Thr548 were substituted by alanine residues, the following primers were used: Stat6-VT_F (5'-GGCTTTATTAGTAAGCAATATGCCGCTAGCCTTCTCCT CAATGAGC-3'; forward) and Stat6-VT_R (5'-GCTCATTGAGGAGAAGGCTAGCGGCATAT TGCTTACTAATAAAGCC-3'; reverse). TAT-Stat6VT and TAT-Stat6 wild type (TAT-Stat6WT) fusion proteins were produced in BL21 Escherichia coli and purified as previously described (17).
| Results and Discussion |
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We initially determined whether IL-4 modulates the acquisition of extracellular glucose in B cells. IL-4 treatment of small dense B cells resulted in an approximate 7-fold increase in glucose uptake (Fig. 1A). By comparison, glucose uptake in anti-Ig- or LPS-stimulated B cells was increased
12- and 8-fold, respectively. The increase in glucose uptake by IL-4 was accompanied by increased Glut1 expression (Fig. 1B). We also evaluated the metabolic fate of glucose to determine whether IL-4 modulates glucose catabolism. To monitor glycolysis, the production of 3HOH resulting from the dehydration of [5-3H]glucose catalyzed by enolase was measured (3, 15). B cells exhibited a measurable baseline rate of glycolysis, which was increased
5-fold by IL-4 (Fig. 1C). Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was also used to monitor 13C fixation from [1-13C]glucose into glycolytic metabolites (15). A 1D-HMQC sequence to select only those 1H coupled to 13C nuclei revealed enhanced glycolysis during an initial 31-h period of IL-4 stimulation as evidenced by the increased 13C incorporation into the methyl group of lactate from [1-13C]glucose (Fig. 1D). If [2-13C]glucose is used instead of [1-13C]glucose, there will be no 13C incorporation into the lactate methyl group by the glycolytic pathway; however, if the pentose phosphate pathway is operational 13C will be incorporated into the methyl group of lactate (15). B cells cultured in [2-13C]glucose revealed no substantial glucose flux through the pentose phosphate pathway following IL-4 treatment (Fig. 1D). The increase in glycolysis was accompanied by a 2-fold increase in cellular ATP concentration in B cells treated with IL-4 (ATP levels in naive B cells corresponded to 8.6 nM; ATP levels in IL-4-stimulated B cells for 18 and 22 h corresponded to 12.0 nM, and 17.7 nM, respectively). Taken together, these results indicate that glucose uptake and metabolism via the glycolytic pathway is up-regulated by IL-4.
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To determine whether increased glycolytic flux by IL-4 contributed to the rescue of naive B cells from apoptosis by IL-4, we used the glycolysis inhibitor 2-DG, which can be phosphorylated by hexokinase but not further metabolized by glycolytic enzymes (18). 2-DG was added to B cells at the start of culture with IL-4, and at various times B cells were harvested and viability was determined by propidium iodide exclusion. B cells cultured in the absence of IL-4 exhibited decreased viability over time, whereas the addition of IL-4 was sufficient to provide substantial protection from death (Fig. 2A). By contrast, 2-DG reduced the percentage of viable B cells in cultures containing IL-4 (Fig. 2A). The decreased cell viability was representative of apoptosis, as demonstrated in parallel 2-DG-treated, IL-4-stimulated B cells by a TUNEL assay (Fig. 2B).
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To evaluate the contribution of PI3K activity to IL-4-induced glycolysis, B cells were cultured with the PI3K inhibitor wortmannin, and the effect on glycolysis following the addition of IL-4 was measured. Wortmannin did not significantly decrease IL-4-induced glycolysis in comparison to IL-4-stimulated B cells cultured without wortmannin (Fig. 3A). The efficacy of wortmannin as an inhibitor of endogenous PI3K activity was confirmed in that IL-4-stimulated Akt Ser473 phosphorylation was blocked (Fig. 3A, inset). The requirement for PI3K activity in IL-4-induced glycolysis was further evaluated in B cells deficient in the p85
-regulatory subunit of PI3K (19). Increased glycolytic flux was not significantly impaired in IL-4-treated, p85
-deficient B cells in comparison to WT cells (Fig. 3B). As a control, enhanced glycolysis following anti-Ig stimulation was reduced in p85
-deficient B cells (Fig. 3B), an event shown previously to be dependent on the p85
subunit (15). Of note, p85
-deficient B cells exhibited impaired IL-4-induced Akt phosphorylation (Fig. 3C). We also observed no measurable difference in IL-4-induced glycolysis between WT and IRS-2-deficient B cells (Fig. 3B, inset). Collectively, these results suggest that IRS-2/PI3K signaling is dispensable for IL-4-induced glycolysis in B cells.
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To determine whether IL-4 induces glucose utilization in a Stat6-dependent manner, glycolytic flux from WT and Stat6-deficient splenic B cells was evaluated. IL-4-induced glycolysis was significantly reduced in Stat6-deficient B cells in comparison to WT B cells (Fig. 4C). We note that 12 h following IL-4 stimulation there remained an approximate 2-fold increase in glycolysis (in comparison to control Stat6-deficient B cells), suggesting the presence of a Stat6-independent pathway. Currently, the identity of this pathway is unknown. IL-4-induced Akt phosphorylation on Ser473 was intact in Stat6-deficient B cells (data not shown). Notwithstanding, these findings suggest that Stat6 is indispensable for IL-4-induced glycolytic catabolism in B cells. To test this further, we determined whether the reconstitution of Stat6-deficient B cells with WT Stat6 was sufficient to rescue IL-4-induced glycolysis. A TAT-Stat6WT protein was generated that contains a short peptide sequence from the HIV TAT protein (17). The TAT sequence confers the ability to rapidly and efficiently (>90%) transduce proteins into mammalian cells (21). IL-4 was capable of inducing glycolysis in ex vivo Stat6-deficient splenic B cells reconstituted with TAT-Stat6WT (Fig. 4D). We also evaluated the effects on glycolysis with a constitutively active form of Stat6 (TAT-Stat6VT), which has been shown to bind DNA and to activate transcription in the absence of IL-4 stimulation (17). The addition of TAT-Stat6VT to Stat6-deficient B cells was sufficient to increase glycolytic flux in the absence of IL-4 stimulation (Fig. 4D). Interestingly, this level of glycolysis surpassed that of IL-4-stimulated Stat6-deficient B cells reconstituted with TAT-Stat6WT.
The findings reported herein represent the first demonstration that IL-4 signaling regulates glucose energy metabolism in primary B cells. The data also point to a critical role for glycolytic metabolism in maintaining primary B cell viability. Our findings raise the intriguing question as to why increased glucose uptake and glycolytic metabolism is required for the survival pathway driven by IL-4. One possibility is that, in the absence of IL-4, B cells cannot import and use glucose to levels sufficient to maintain normal housekeeping functions such as maintenance of ionic integrity and volume regulation (22). Indeed, restricting glycolytic metabolism results in a failure to maintain cellular homeostasis, eventually triggering apoptosis (2, 3, 5).
Interestingly, we find that IRS-2 and PI3K activity are dispensable for IL-4-induced glycolytic flux. Our results differ from reports demonstrating a role for PI3K activity in the survival of T cells and IL-3-dependent hemopoietic cell lines (2, 3, 14). This discrepancy may point to inherent differences in the prosurvival signaling pathways used by B cells and these other cell types. In keeping with this, we have identified a heretofore unknown function of Stat6-dependent signaling in regulating glucose energy metabolism. The molecular basis underlying Stat6-dependent up-regulation of glycolytic flux is currently unknown. It is plausible that Stat6 may control the transcriptional activation of genes encoding glycolytic enzymes in response to IL-4. In support of this, recent gene expression profiling studies have revealed increased levels of transcripts encoding several glycolytic enzymes following IL-4 treatment of B cells (23). It is also possible that members of the Pim family of serine/threonine kinases, which are downstream targets of IL-4-mediated Stat6 signaling, may regulate glucose energy metabolism via the phosphorylation of rate-limiting glycolytic enzymes (5, 24). Additional studies will be required to delineate the regulatory functions of Stat6 in glycolytic homeostasis.
| Acknowledgments |
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| Disclosures |
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| Footnotes |
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1 This work was supported by U. S. Public Health Service Grants AI60896 and AI49994. The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense, or the U. S. Government. ![]()
2 Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Thomas C. Chiles, Department of Biology, Boston College, 414 Higgins Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. E-mail address: ChilesT{at}bc.edu ![]()
3 Abbreviations used in this paper: IRS-2, insulin receptor substrate-2; 1D-HMQC, one-dimensional heteronuclear multiple quantum correlation; 2DG, 2-deoxy-D-glucose; WT, wild type. ![]()
Received for publication April 12, 2007. Accepted for publication August 16, 2007.
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B activation. Arthritis Rheum. 52: 2719-2729. [Medline]
subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Science 283: 390-392. This article has been cited by other articles:
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J. A. Wofford, H. L. Wieman, S. R. Jacobs, Y. Zhao, and J. C. Rathmell IL-7 promotes Glut1 trafficking and glucose uptake via STAT5-mediated activation of Akt to support T-cell survival Blood, February 15, 2008; 111(4): 2101 - 2111. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
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