TNF Receptor–Associated Factor 5 Limits IL-27 Receptor Signaling in CD4⁺ T Lymphocytes

Abstract

TNF receptor–associated factor 5 (TRAF5) restrains early signaling activity of the IL-6 receptor in naive CD4⁺ T cells by interacting with the shared gp130 chain, although TRAF5 was initially discovered as a cytoplasmic adaptor protein to activate signaling mediated by TNF receptor family molecules. This leads to the question of whether TRAF5 limits signaling via the receptor for IL-27, which is composed of gp130 and WSX-1. The aim of this study is to clarify the role of TRAF5 in IL-27 receptor signaling and to understand the differential role of TRAF5 on cytokine receptor signaling. We found that Traf5^−/− CD4⁺ T cells displayed significantly higher levels of phosphorylated STAT1 and STAT-regulated genes Socs3 and Tbx21, as early as 1 h after IL-27 exposure when compared with Traf5^+/+ CD4⁺ T cells. Upon IL-27 and TCR signals, the Traf5 deficiency significantly increased the induction of IL-10 and promoted the proliferation of CD4⁺ T cells. Traf5^−/− mice injected with IL-27 displayed significantly enhanced delayed-type hypersensitivity responses, demonstrating that TRAF5 works as a negative regulator for IL-27 receptor signaling. In contrast, IL-2 and proliferation mediated by glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor–related protein (GITR) and TCR signals were significantly decreased in Traf5^−/− CD4⁺ T cells, confirming that TRAF5 works as a positive regulator for cosignaling via GITR. Collectively, our results demonstrate that TRAF5 reciprocally controls signals mediated by the IL-27 receptor and GITR in CD4⁺ T cells and suggest that the regulatory activity of TRAF5 in gp130 is distinct from that in TNF receptor family molecules in a T cell.