Tribbles 1 (TRB1), a member of the Tribbles family, is a pseudokinase that is conserved among species and implicated in various human diseases including leukemia, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic disorders. However, the role of TRB1 in the immune response is not understood. To evaluate this role, we examined regulation of TRB1 expression and the function of TRB1 in interleukin-2 (IL-2) induction in Jurkat cells, a human acute T cell leukemia cell line. We found that TRB1 was strongly induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin in these cells. IL-2 expression was induced in Jurkat cells activated by PMA and ionomycin; however, knockdown of TRB1 resulted in decreased induction of IL-2. TRB1 null Jurkat cells established using the CRISPR/Cas9 system also showed reduction of IL-2 expression on PMA/ ionomycin stimulation. TRB1 knockdown also markedly inhibited IL-2 promoter activation. To determine the mechanism of the stimulatory effect on IL-2 induction, we focused on histone deacetylases (HDACs), and found that HDAC1 preferentially interacts with TRB1. TRB1 suppressed the interaction of HDAC1 with nuclear factor of activated T cells 2 (NFAT2), which is a crucial transcription factor for IL-2 induction. These results indicate that TRB1 is a positive regulator of IL-2 induction in activated T cells.
Key words Tribbles 1 (TRB1); interleukin-2 (IL-2); histone deacetylase (HDAC); nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is a central factor in the immune system that affects various lymphocyte subsets during differentiation and in immune responses and homeostasis. 1) IL-2 is crucial for differentiation of CD4 + T cells into defined effector T cell subsets following antigen-mediated activation and for development and peripheral expansion of regulatory T (Treg) cells, which promote self-tolerance by suppressing T cell responses. For CD8 + T cells, IL-2 signaling optimizes effector T cell generation and differentiation into memory cells.
2) IL-2 is produced primarily in activated CD4+ T cells and is regulated at the mRNA level by signals from the T cell receptor (TCR) and CD28.3) Regulation of IL-2 transcription has been well characterized, and the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) and activator protein-1 (AP-1) transcription factors have been shown to be essential for inducible IL-2 expression in activated T cells. [4][5][6] Activation of NFATs is mainly regulated by calcium and calcineurin, while that of AP-1 is regulated by other pathways, including the protein kinase C (PKC) and Ras-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways. In response to TCR stimulation, phospholipase C γ1 (PLCγ1) is phosphorylated and activated, and subsequent hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) by PLCγ1 produces inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and diacylglycerol (DAG) as second messengers. IP3 mediated Ca 2+ release from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and sequential entry of extracellular Ca 2+ through calcium release-activated Ca 2+ (CRAC) channels activates calcineu...