Rebecca J. Brownlie

T cell receptor signalling networks: branched, diversified and bounded

Engagement of antigen-specific T cell receptors (TCRs) is a prerequisite for T cell activation. Acquisition of appropriate effector T cell function requires the participation of multiple signals from the T cell microenvironment. Trying to understand how these signals integrate to achieve specific functional outcomes while maintaining tolerance to self is a major challenge in lymphocyte biology. Several recent publications have provided important insights into how dysregulation of T cell signalling and the development of autoreactivity can result if the branching and integration of signalling pathways are perturbed. We discuss how these findings highlight the importance of spatial segregation of individual signalling components as a way of regulating T cell responsiveness and immune tolerance.

Lack of the phosphatase PTPN22 increases adhesion of murine regulatory T cells to improve their immunosuppressive function

Loss of the phosphatase PTPN22 enhances the functions of both effector and regulatory T cells. Tipping Both Sides of the Inflammatory Scales Autoimmune disorders arise because of an imbalance in the immune response. For example, effector T cells can exhibit enhanced activation, causing damaging, proinflammatory responses, whereas regulatory T cells (Tregs), which inhibit effector T cell responses, may become less effective at immunosuppression. Brownlie et al. investigated a role in the immune response for PTPN22, a protein tyrosine phosphatase implicated in autoimmunity in humans and mice. Although PTPN22-deficient mice had more potent effector T cells, they did not develop autoimmunity because they also had Tregs with greater immunosuppressive function than those of wild-type mice. Together, these data suggest that manipulating PTPN22 function in human Tregs may help in the treatment of autoimmune diseases. The cytoplasmic phosphatase PTPN22 (protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22) plays a key role in regulating lymphocyte homeostasis, which ensures that the total number of lymphocytes in the periphery remains relatively constant. Mutations in PTPN22 confer an increased risk of developing autoimmune diseases; however, the precise function of PTPN22 and how mutations contribute to autoimmunity remain controversial. Loss-of-function mutations in PTPN22 are associated with increased numbers of effector T cells and autoreactive B cells in humans and mice; however, the complete absence of PTPN22 in mice does not result in spontaneous autoimmunity. We found that PTPN22 was a key regulator of regulatory T cell (Treg) function that fine-tuned the signaling of the T cell receptor and integrins. PTPN22−/− Tregs were more effective at immunosuppression than were wild-type Tregs, and they suppressed the activity of PTPN22−/− effector T cells, preventing autoimmunity. Compared to wild-type Tregs, PTPN22−/− Tregs produced increased amounts of the immunosuppressive cytokine interleukin-10 and had enhanced adhesive properties mediated by the integrin lymphocyte function–associated antigen-1, processes that are critical for Treg function. This previously undiscovered role of PTPN22 in regulating integrin signaling and Treg function suggests that PTPN22 may be a useful therapeutic target for manipulating Treg function in human disease.

The tyrosine phosphatase PTPN22 discriminates weak self peptides from strong agonist TCR signals.

T cells must be tolerant of self antigens to avoid autoimmunity but responsive to foreign antigens to provide protection against infection. We found that in both naive T cells and effector T cells, the tyrosine phosphatase PTPN22 limited signaling via the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) by weak agonists and self antigens while not impeding responses to strong agonist antigens. T cells lacking PTPN22 showed enhanced formation of conjugates with antigen-presenting cells pulsed with weak peptides, which led to activation of the T cells and their production of inflammatory cytokines. This effect was exacerbated under conditions of lymphopenia, with the formation of potent memory T cells in the absence of PTPN22. Our data address how loss-of-function PTPN22 alleles can lead to the population expansion of effector and/or memory T cells and a predisposition to human autoimmunity.

Superresolution imaging of the cytoplasmic phosphatase PTPN22 links integrin-mediated T cell adhesion with autoimmunity

The tyrosine phosphatase PTPN22 redistributes from clusters to the leading edge in migrating T cells to inhibit integrin-mediated adhesion. Release the phosphatase! T cells need to move through the circulation, attach to endothelial cells, transmigrate into tissues, and stably interact with target cells. The phosphatase PTPN22 targets phosphorylated tyrosines in Src and Syk family kinases, many of which are phosphorylated and activated in migrating T cells in response to the binding of the integrin LFA-1 to its ligand ICAM-1. Burn et al. used superresolution microscopy to show that PTPN22 formed clusters in nonmigrating T cells, which were dispersed in T cells that migrated on surfaces coated with ICAM-1. Freed from these complexes, PTPN22 interacted with its targets near the front of the migrating T cell, which inhibited LFA-1 signaling. In contrast, clusters containing the PTPN22 R620W mutant, a variant that is associated with autoimmune diseases, failed to disaggregate in migrating T cells, and thus, LFA-1 clustering and signaling were not inhibited. Together, these data suggest how a mutation associated with autoimmunity dysregulates T cell adhesion and migration. Integrins are heterodimeric transmembrane proteins that play a fundamental role in the migration of leukocytes to sites of infection or injury. We found that protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22) inhibits signaling by the integrin lymphocyte function-associated antigen–1 (LFA-1) in effector T cells. PTPN22 colocalized with its substrates at the leading edge of cells migrating on surfaces coated with the LFA-1 ligand intercellular adhesion molecule–1 (ICAM-1). Knockout or knockdown of PTPN22 or expression of the autoimmune disease–associated PTPN22-R620W variant resulted in the enhanced phosphorylation of signaling molecules downstream of integrins. Superresolution imaging revealed that PTPN22-R620 (wild-type PTPN22) was present as large clusters in unstimulated T cells and that these disaggregated upon stimulation of LFA-1, enabling increased association of PTPN22 with its binding partners at the leading edge. The failure of PTPN22-R620W molecules to be retained at the leading edge led to increased LFA-1 clustering and integrin-mediated cell adhesion. Our data define a previously uncharacterized mechanism for fine-tuning integrin signaling in T cells, as well as a paradigm of autoimmunity in humans in which disease susceptibility is underpinned by inherited phosphatase mutations that perturb integrin function.

Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1/S6 Kinase 1 Signals Influence T Cell Activation Independently of Ribosomal Protein S6 Phosphorylation.

Ag-dependent activation of naive T cells induces dramatic changes in cellular metabolism that are essential for cell growth, division, and differentiation. In recent years, the serine/threonine kinase mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) has emerged as a key integrator of signaling pathways that regulate these metabolic processes. However, the role of specific downstream effectors of mTOR function in T cells is poorly understood. Ribosomal protein S6 (rpS6) is an essential component of the ribosome and is inducibly phosphorylated following mTOR activation in eukaryotic cells. In the current work, we addressed the role of phosphorylation of rpS6 as an effector of mTOR function in T cell development, growth, proliferation, and differentiation using knockin and TCR transgenic mice. Surprisingly, we demonstrate that rpS6 phosphorylation is not required for any of these processes either in vitro or in vivo. Indeed, rpS6 knockin mice are completely sensitive to the inhibitory effects of rapamycin and an S6 kinase 1 (S6K1)–specific inhibitor on T cell activation and proliferation. These results place the mTOR complex 1-S6K1 axis as a crucial determinant of T cell activation independently of its ability to regulate rpS6 phosphorylation.

LAT Polices T Cell Activation

Mutations in the adaptor molecule LAT can lead to autoimmunity. In this issue of Immunity, Mingueneau et al. (2009) describe how this may not be a failure of central tolerance.

Loss of the Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase PTPN22 Reduces Mannan-Induced Autoimmune Arthritis in SKG Mice

The cytoplasmic phosphatase, protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 (PTPN22), is a negative regulator of T cell signaling. Genome-wide association studies have shown that single-nucleotide polymorphisms in PTPN22 confer an increased risk of developing multiple autoimmune diseases in humans. The precise function of PTPN22 and how the variant protein contributes to autoimmunity is not well understood. To address this issue, we investigated the effect of PTPN22 deficiency on disease susceptibility in a mouse model of autoimmune arthritis. The SKG mouse expresses a hypomorphic mutant allele of ZAP70, which, upon exposure to fungal Ags, predisposes the mice to a CD4+ T cell–mediated autoimmune arthritis that closely resembles rheumatoid arthritis in humans. Surprisingly, SKG Ptpn22−/− mice developed less severe mannan-induced arthritis compared with SKG mice. Diminution of disease was not due to significant alterations in thymocyte development or repertoire selection in SKG Ptpn22−/− mice, even though T cell–mediated signal transduction was improved. Instead, Ptpn22 deficiency appeared to bias CD4 Th cell differentiation away from the Th17 lineage, which is pathogenic in this setting, to a more Th1/T regulatory–focused response. These data show that even small perturbations in TCR signal transduction pathways can have profound consequences on the differentiation of T cell lineages and thus for the development of autoimmune diseases.

Multifunctional roles of the autoimmune disease-associated tyrosine phosphatase PTPN22 in regulating T cell homeostasis

The non-receptor tyrosine phosphatase PTPN22 has a vital function in inhibiting antigen-receptor signaling in T cells, while polymorphisms in the PTPN22 gene are important risk alleles in human autoimmune diseases. We recently reported that a key physiological function of PTPN22 was to prevent naïve T cell activation and effector cell responses in response to low affinity antigens. PTPN22 also has a more general role in limiting T cell receptor-induced proliferation. Here we present new data emphasizing this dual function for PTPN22 in T cells. Furthermore, we show that T cell activation modulates the expression of PTPN22 and additional inhibitory phosphatases. We discuss the implication of these findings for our understanding of the roles of PTPN22 in regulating T cell responses and in autoimmunity.

Resistance to TGFβ suppression and improved anti-tumor responses in CD8+ T cells lacking PTPN22

Transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) is important in maintaining self-tolerance and inhibits T cell reactivity. We show that CD8+ T cells that lack the tyrosine phosphatase Ptpn22, a major predisposing gene for autoimmune disease, are resistant to the suppressive effects of TGFβ. Resistance to TGFβ suppression, while disadvantageous in autoimmunity, helps Ptpn22−/− T cells to be intrinsically superior at clearing established tumors that secrete TGFβ. Mechanistically, loss of Ptpn22 increases the capacity of T cells to produce IL-2, which overcomes TGFβ-mediated suppression. These data suggest that a viable strategy to improve anti-tumor adoptive cell therapy may be to engineer tumor-restricted T cells with mutations identified as risk factors for autoimmunity.TGFβ secretion in the tumor microenvironment inhibits T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses. Here the authors show that a mutation predisposing to autoimmune diseases confers T cells resistance to TGFβ inhibitory action and could be exploited to engineer immunotherapies for TGFβ secreting tumors.