Identification of invariant chain CD74 as a functional receptor of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1).

Multifunctionality of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) comprising antiproteolytic as well as cytokinic activity has been attributed to its N-terminal and C-terminal domains, respectively. The molecular basis of the emerging proinflammatory cytokinic activity of TIMP-1 is still not completely understood. The cytokine receptor invariant chain (CD74) is involved in many inflammation-associated diseases and is highly expressed by immune cells. CD74 triggers zeta chain-associated protein kinase-70 (ZAP-70) signaling-associated activation upon interaction with its only known ligand, the macrophage migration inhibitory factor. Here, we demonstrate TIMP-1-CD74 interaction by coimmunoprecipitation and confocal microscopy in cells engineered to overexpress CD74. In silico docking in HADDOCK predicted regions of the N-terminal domain of TIMP-1 (N-TIMP-1) to interact with CD74. This was experimentally confirmed by confocal microscopy demonstrating that recombinant N-TIMP-1 lacking the entire C-terminal domain was sufficient to bind CD74. Interaction of TIMP-1 with endogenously expressed CD74 was demonstrated in the Namalwa B lymphoma cell line by dot blot binding assays as well as confocal microscopy. Functionally, we demonstrated that TIMP-1-CD74 interaction triggered intracellular ZAP-70 activation. N-TIMP-1 was sufficient to induce ZAP-70 activation and interference with the cytokine-binding site of CD74 using a synthetic peptide-abrogated TIMP-1-mediated ZAP-70 activation. Altogether, we here identified CD74 as a receptor and mediator of cytokinic TIMP-1 activity and revealed TIMP-1 as moonlighting protein harboring both cytokinic and antiproteolytic activity within its N-terminal domain. Recognition of this functional TIMP-1-CD74 interaction may shed new light on clinical attempts to therapeutically target ligand-induced CD74 activity in cancer and other inflammatory diseases.

The CD19 signal transduction complex of B lymphocytes. Deletion of the CD19 cytoplasmic domain alters signal transduction but not complex formation with TAPA-1 and Leu 13.

CD19 expressed on the surface of B lymphocytes is a key member of a cell surface signal transduction complex that includes TAPA-1, Leu 13 and CD21. The human CD19 protein is composed of 540 amino acids with a cytoplasmic domain of 242 amino acids. Although the cytoplasmic domain of CD19 has no sequence homology with other proteins, the cytoplasmic domain of human, mouse, and guinea pig CD19 is highly conserved suggesting that this region of CD19 is at least partially responsible for signaling activity. In this study, the regions of CD19 required for intermolecular associations and signal transduction were determined by comparing a series of carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic tail deletion mutants and a CD19/L-selectin chimera with native CD19. CD19 expressed in the human Rex T cell line and the K562 erythroleukemia cell line generated transmembrane signals and also associated with endogenous TAPA-1. Deletion of 95% of the CD19 cytoplasmic domain did not affect the ability of CD19 to be expressed or to associate with TAPA-1. However, replacement of the CD19 transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains with those of L-selectin (CD19-LAM) resulted in the loss of CD19 complex formation, suggesting that the membrane spanning domain is critical for this association. Similarly, the induction of homotypic adhesion through CD19 or truncated CD19 was equivalent, whereas homotypic adhesion was not induced via the CD19-LAM chimera. In addition, the cytoplasmic domain was not necessary for CD19 mAb-mediated growth inhibition or internalization. In contrast, the CD19 cytoplasmic domain was required for optimal mAb-induced increases in [Ca2+]i in CD19 cDNA-transfected Rex cells. Thus, the CD19 cytoplasmic domain is responsible for the induction of increased [Ca2+]i, and the transmembrane region is required for cell surface associations with the other members of the CD19 complex and most signaling events. Therefore, mAb binding to CD19 is likely to initiate multiple intracellular signal transduction cascades either through CD19 directly, or through other members of the CD19 complex.

Extensive polymorphism in the extracellular domain of the mouse B cell differentiation antigen Lyb-2/CD72.

Lyb-2/CD72 is a 45-kDa mouse B cell surface protein that binds CD5 and has been shown to play a role in B cell proliferation and differentiation. Using the polymerase chain reaction we have isolated and sequenced cDNA clones encoding the serologically defined mouse Lyb-2a, Lyb-2b, and Lyb-2c alleles. We confirmed that our full length cDNA clones encode the Lyb-2a, -2b, and -2c alleles, respectively, by transfecting the isolated Lyb-2/CD72 cDNA clones into L cells and demonstrating that the transfectants bind only the appropriate allele specific anti-Lyb-2/CD72 antibodies. Sequence comparisons demonstrate that the Lyb-2/CD72 allels are highly conserved in their cytoplasmic and transmembrane domains but exhibit a high degree of polymorphism in their extracellular domains. This polymorphism in the extracellular region involves amino acid substitutions at a minimum of 20 residues and is concentrated primarily in the membrane distal region. cDNA sequence comparisons also demonstrate two distinct seven amino acid insertion/deletions among these allelic variants. A form of Lyb-2b cDNA lacking the sequence encoding the transmembrane region was isolated from a C57B1/6 mouse and a CH12.LX subline. The Lyb-2/CD72 PCR products from mRNA of mice expressing Lyb-2a and Lyb-2c contain a DNA fragment that corresponds in size to the transmembraneless form, suggesting that these mouse strains also express this mRNA.

[Cytokines and allergy]. / Cytokines et allergie.

The immune system is a homeostatic system adaptating the internal self to the variations of the external non-self and allowing us to get on well together with the environment. Intercellular communications are necessary for the system well operating and are mediated by either direct contacts or by soluble factors called cytokines. Allergy is the upshot of a disregulation of the immune response that does not discriminate between a potentially harmful antigen (tetanus toxoid) and a rather harmless antigen (pigeon droppings). This could be the result of an imbalance between two helper T lymphocytes subsets called TH1 and TH2: their main produced cytokines, respectively IFN-gamma and IL-4, have opposite effects on IgE synthesis whereas other cytokines (IL-3, IL-5) are more directly involved in the differentiation of eosinophil and mast cells lineages.