Tamara Chessa

PI3Kβ Plays a Critical Role in Neutrophil Activation by Immune Complexes

The β isoform of phosphoinositide 3-kinase may be an effective therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases. The Integrating Isoform The class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are implicated in processes such as growth factor signaling and inflammation. PI3Kγ is activated by G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs), whereas PI3Kα and PI3Kδ are activated by protein tyrosine kinase–coupled receptors. PI3Kβ is unusual in that it appears to respond to signals from both types of receptors, depending on the cellular context. Kulkarni et al. investigated the responses of mouse neutrophils to immune complexes of antibody and antigen, which trigger chronic inflammation in conditions such as autoimmune arthritis. Genetic and pharmacological evidence suggested that immune complexes stimulated PI3Kβ in a process involving activation of FcγR, a tyrosine kinase–coupled low-affinity antibody receptor, and autocrine signaling by a proinflammatory lipid (LTB4) through its GPCR. Mice deficient in PI3Kβ fared better than did controls in models of arthritis and inflammatory skin disease. These data implicate PI3Kβ in the integration of signals from tyrosine kinase–coupled receptors and GPCRs—and suggest that this isoform may be an effective therapeutic target in inflammatory diseases. Neutrophils are activated by immunoglobulin G (IgG)–containing immune complexes through receptors that recognize the Fc portion of IgG (FcγRs). Here, we used genetic and pharmacological approaches to define a selective role for the β isoform of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3Kβ) in FcγR-dependent activation of mouse neutrophils by immune complexes of IgG and antigen immobilized on a plate surface. At low concentrations of immune complexes, loss of PI3Kβ alone substantially inhibited the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by neutrophils, whereas at higher doses, similar suppression of ROS production was achieved only by targeting both PI3Kβ and PI3Kδ, suggesting that this pathway displays stimulus strength–dependent redundancy. Activation of PI3Kβ by immune complexes involved cooperation between FcγRs and BLT1, the receptor for the endogenous proinflammatory lipid leukotriene B4. Coincident activation by a tyrosine kinase–coupled receptor (FcγR) and a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptor (BLT1) may provide a rationale for the preferential activation of the β isoform of PI3K. PI3Kβ-deficient mice were highly protected in an FcγR-dependent model of autoantibody-induced skin blistering and were partially protected in an FcγR-dependent model of inflammatory arthritis, whereas combined deficiency of PI3Kβ and PI3Kδ resulted in near-complete protection in the latter case. These results define PI3Kβ as a potential therapeutic target in inflammatory disease.

CD18-dependent activation of the neutrophil NADPH oxidase during phagocytosis of Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus is regulated by class III but not class I or II PI3Ks

Phagocytosis and activation of the NADPH oxidase are important mechanisms by which neutrophils and macrophages engulf and kill microbial pathogens. We investigated the role of PI3K signaling pathways in the regulation of the oxidase during phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by mouse and human neutrophils, a mouse macrophage-like cell line and a human myeloid-like cell line. Phagocytosis of these bacteria was promoted by serum, independent of serum-derived antibodies, and effectively abolished in mouse neutrophils lacking the beta(2)-integrin common chain, CD18. A combination of PI3K isoform-selective inhibitors, mouse knock-outs, and RNA-interference indicated CD18-dependent activation of the oxidase was independent of class I and II PI3Ks, but substantially dependent on the single class III isoform (Vps34). Class III PI3K was responsible for the synthesis of PtdIns(3)P on phagosomes containing either bacteria. The use of mouse neutrophils carrying an appropriate knock-in mutation indicated that PtdIns(3)P binding to the PX domain of their p40(phox) oxidase subunit is important for oxidase activation in response to both S aureus and E coli. This interaction does not, however, account for all the PI3K sensitivity of these responses, particularly the oxidase response to E coli, suggesting that additional mechanisms for PtdIns(3)P-regulation of the oxidase must exist.

PtdIns3P and Rac direct the assembly of the NADPH oxidase on a novel, pre-phagosomal compartment during FcR-mediated phagocytosis in primary mouse neutrophils

The generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase is an important mechanism by which neutrophils kill pathogens. The oxidase is composed of a membrane-bound cytochrome and 4 soluble proteins (p67(phox), p40(phox), p47(phox), and GTP-Rac). These components form an active complex at the correct time and subcellular location through a series of incompletely understood mutual interactions, regulated, in part, by GTP/GDP exchange on Rac, protein phosphorylation, and binding to lipid messengers. We have used a variety of assays to follow the spatiotemporal assembly of the oxidase in genetically engineered primary mouse neutrophils, during phagocytosis of both serum- and immunoglobulin G-opsonized targets. The oxidase assembles directly on serum-Staphylococcus aureus-containing phagosomes within seconds of phagosome formation; this process is only partially dependent (∼ 30%) on PtdIns3P binding to p40(phox), but totally dependent on Rac1/2 binding to p67(phox). In contrast, in response to immunoglobulin G-targets, the oxidase first assembles on a tubulovesicular compartment that develops at sites of granule fusion to the base of the emerging phagosome; oxidase assembly and activation is highly dependent on both PtdIns3P-p40(phox) and Rac2-p67(phox) interactions and delivery to the phagosome is regulated by Rab27a. These results define a novel pathway for oxidase assembly downstream of FcR-activation.

Phosphorylation of threonine 154 in p40phox is an important physiological signal for activation of the neutrophil NADPH oxidase

The neutrophil nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-oxidase is a multisubunit enzyme (comprising gp91(phox), p22(phox), p67(phox), p40(phox), p47(phox), and Rac) that plays a vital role in microbial killing. The recent discovery of a chronic granulomatous disease patient who expresses a mutant p40(phox) subunit, together with the development of mouse models of p40(phox) function, indicate phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate binding to the PX domain of p40(phox) is an important signal for oxidase activation. However, the presence of other conserved residues and domains in p40(phox) suggest further regulatory roles for this protein. To test this, we introduced wild-type and mutated versions of p40(phox) into fully differentiated mouse neutrophils by retroviral transduction of p40(phox)(-/-) bone marrow progenitors and repopulation of the bone marrow compartment in radiation chimaeras. Phosphorylation of p40(phox) on threonine 154, but not serine 315, was required for full oxidase activation in response to formylated bacterial peptide fMLP, serum-opsonized S aureus, and immunoglobulin-opsonized sheep red blood cells. A functional SH3 domain was not required for oxidase activation, and deletion of the entire domain resulted in enhanced oxidase responses. Phosphorylation of threonine 154 in response to S aureus was mediated by protein kinase Cδ and was required for full translocation of p47(phox) to phagosomes. These results define an important new element in the physiological activation of the oxidase.

PTEN Regulates PI(3,4)P2 Signaling Downstream of Class I PI3K

Summary The PI3K signaling pathway regulates cell growth and movement and is heavily mutated in cancer. Class I PI3Ks synthesize the lipid messenger PI(3,4,5)P3. PI(3,4,5)P3 can be dephosphorylated by 3- or 5-phosphatases, the latter producing PI(3,4)P2. The PTEN tumor suppressor is thought to function primarily as a PI(3,4,5)P3 3-phosphatase, limiting activation of this pathway. Here we show that PTEN also functions as a PI(3,4)P2 3-phosphatase, both in vitro and in vivo. PTEN is a major PI(3,4)P2 phosphatase in Mcf10a cytosol, and loss of PTEN and INPP4B, a known PI(3,4)P2 4-phosphatase, leads to synergistic accumulation of PI(3,4)P2, which correlated with increased invadopodia in epidermal growth factor (EGF)-stimulated cells. PTEN deletion increased PI(3,4)P2 levels in a mouse model of prostate cancer, and it inversely correlated with PI(3,4)P2 levels across several EGF-stimulated prostate and breast cancer lines. These results point to a role for PI(3,4)P2 in the phenotype caused by loss-of-function mutations or deletions in PTEN.

Coincident signals from GPCRs and receptor tyrosine kinases are uniquely transduced by PI3Kβ in myeloid cells

PI3Kβ mediates synergistic signaling upon costimulation of GPCRs and receptor tyrosine kinases in immune cells. Mediating synergistic signaling Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) family members contain one of four different catalytic subunits and generate the second messenger PIP3 in response to stimulation. Whereas some PI3K isoforms mediate signaling from receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and one isoform mediates signals from GPCRs, PI3Kβ transduces signals from both receptor types. Houslay et al. generated knock-in mice expressing a mutant PI3Kβ unable to transduce GPCR signals and measured the PIP3 responses of macrophages and neutrophils to RTK and GPCR agonists individually or in combination. Of all the PI3K isoforms, PI3Kβ uniquely induced synergistic increases in PIP3 concentration in response to simultaneous stimulation of both receptor types. Furthermore, effective responses of neutrophils to inflammatory stimuli depended on the ability of PI3Kβ to activate G proteins. Class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) catalyze production of the lipid messenger phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3), which plays a central role in a complex signaling network regulating cell growth, survival, and movement. This network is overactivated in cancer and inflammation, and there is interest in determining the PI3K catalytic subunit (p110α, p110β, p110γ, or p110δ) that should be targeted in different therapeutic contexts. Previous studies have defined unique regulatory inputs for p110β, including direct interaction with Gβγ subunits, Rac, and Rab5. We generated mice with knock-in mutations of p110β that selectively blocked the interaction with Gβγ and investigated its contribution to the PI3K isoform dependency of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and G protein (heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein)–coupled receptor (GPCR) responses in primary macrophages and neutrophils. We discovered a unique role for p110β in supporting synergistic PIP3 formation in response to the coactivation of macrophages by macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) and the complement protein C5a. In contrast, we found partially redundant roles for p110α, p110β, and p110δ downstream of M-CSF alone and a nonredundant role for p110γ downstream of C5a alone. This role for p110β completely depended on direct interaction with Gβγ, suggesting that p110β transduces GPCR signals in the context of coincident activation by an RTK. The p110β-Gβγ interaction was also required for neutrophils to generate reactive oxygen species in response to the Fcγ receptor–dependent recognition of immune complexes and for their β2 integrin–mediated adhesion to fibrinogen or poly-RGD+, directly implicating heterotrimeric G proteins in these two responses.

Signaling via Class IA Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases (PI3K) in Human, Breast-Derived Cell Lines

We have addressed the differential roles of class I Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K) in human breast-derived MCF10a (and iso-genetic derivatives) and MDA-MB 231 and 468 cells. Class I PI3Ks are heterodimers of p110 catalytic (α, β, δ and γ) and p50–101 regulatory subunits and make the signaling lipid, phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P3) that can activate effectors, eg protein kinase B (PKB), and responses, eg migration. The PtdIns(3,4,5)P3-3-phosphatase and tumour-suppressor, PTEN inhibits this pathway. p110α, but not other p110s, has a number of onco-mutant variants that are commonly found in cancers. mRNA-seq data shows that MCF10a cells express p110β>>α>δ with undetectable p110γ. Despite this, EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of PKB depended upon p110α-, but not β- or δ- activity. EGF-stimulated chemokinesis, but not chemotaxis, was also dependent upon p110α, but not β- or δ- activity. In the presence of single, endogenous alleles of onco-mutant p110α (H1047R or E545K), basal, but not EGF-stimulated, phosphorylation of PKB was increased and the effect of EGF was fully reversed by p110α inhibitors. Cells expressing either onco-mutant displayed higher basal motility and EGF-stimulated chemokinesis.This latter effect was, however, only partially-sensitive to PI3K inhibitors. In PTEN−/− cells, basal and EGF-stimulated phosphorylation of PKB was substantially increased, but the p110-dependency was variable between cell types. In MDA-MB 468s phosphorylation of PKB was significantly dependent on p110β, but not α- or δ- activity; in PTEN−/− MCF10a it remained, like the parental cells, p110α-dependent. Surprisingly, loss of PTEN suppressed basal motility and EGF-stimulated chemokinesis. These results indicate that; p110α is required for EGF signaling to PKB and chemokinesis, but not chemotaxis; onco-mutant alleles of p110α augment signaling in the absence of EGF and may increase motility, in part, via acutely modulating PI3K-activity-independent mechanisms. Finally, we demonstrate that there is not a universal mechanism that up-regulates p110β function in the absence of PTEN.

Class (I) Phosphoinositide 3-Kinases in the Tumor Microenvironment

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a diverse family of enzymes which regulate various critical biological processes, such as cell proliferation and survival. Class (I) PI3Ks (PI3Kα, PI3Kβ, PI3Kγ and PI3Kδ) mediate the phosphorylation of the inositol ring at position D3 leading to the generation of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 can be dephosphorylated by several phosphatases, of which the best known is the 3-phosphatase PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog). The Class (I) PI3K pathway is frequently disrupted in human cancers where mutations are associated with increased PI3K-activity or loss of PTEN functionality within the tumor cells. However, the role of PI3Ks in the tumor stroma is less well understood. Recent evidence suggests that the white blood cell-selective PI3Kγ and PI3Kδ isoforms have an important role in regulating the immune-suppressive, tumor-associated myeloid cell and regulatory T cell subsets, respectively, and as a consequence are also critical for solid tumor growth. Moreover, PI3Kα is implicated in the direct regulation of tumor angiogenesis, and dysregulation of the PI3K pathway in stromal fibroblasts can also contribute to cancer progression. Therefore, pharmacological inhibition of the Class (I) PI3K family in the tumor microenvironment can be a highly attractive anti-cancer strategy and isoform-selective PI3K inhibitors may act as potent cancer immunotherapeutic and anti-angiogenic agents.

Localizing the lipid products of PI3Kγ in neutrophils

Class I phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are important regulators of neutrophil migration in response to a range of chemoattractants. Their primary lipid products PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and PtdIns(3,4)P2 preferentially accumulate near to the leading edge of migrating cells and are thought to act as an important cue organizing molecular and morphological polarization. We have investigated the distribution and accumulation of these lipids independently in mouse neutrophils using eGFP-PH reportersand electron microscopy (EM). We found that authentic mouse neutrophils rapidly polarized their Class I PI3K signalling, as read-out by eGFP-PH reporters, both at the up-gradient leading edge in response to local stimulation with fMLP as well as spontaneously and randomly in response to uniform stimulation. EM studies revealed these events occurred at the plasma membrane, were dominated by accumulation of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, but not PtdIns(3,4)P2, and were dependent on PI3Kγ and its upstream activation by both Ras and Gβγs.