CD45 is a key protein tyrosine phosphatase regulating Src-family protein tyrosine kinases (Src-PTKs) in lymphocytes; precisely how it exerts its effect remains controversial, however. We previously demonstrated that CD45 negatively regulates Lyn in the WEHI-231 B-cell line. Here we show that negative regulation by CD45 is physiologically significant in B cells and that some CD45 is constitutively associated with glycolipid-enriched mi-
IntroductionUpon B-cell receptor (BCR) ligation, signals are transmitted downstream through multiple pathways, ultimately leading to cell activation, proliferation, death, or anergy. [1][2][3][4] Initiation of such immune responses is driven primarily by activation of Src-family protein tyrosine kinases (Src-PTKs) whose activity is regulated, in part, by phosphorylation of 2 tyrosine residues: the autophosphorylation site, located in the activation loop of the catalytic domain, and the COOH-terminal negative regulatory site. 5 Phosphorylation of the former is a prerequisite for Src-PTK activation. Phosphorylation of the latter by COOH-terminal Src kinase (Csk) results in the intramolecular binding of the phosphotyrosine (PY) in the COOHterminal tail to the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain, yielding a closed conformation in which Src-PTK activity is attenuated. Thus, phosphorylation of the respective regulatory tyrosine residues has opposing effects on Src-PTK activity.CD45, a receptor-type protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) exclusively expressed in nucleated hematopoietic cells, is known to be a major regulator of Src-PTK activation and of lymphocyte fate, 6-8 though its precise role in the regulation of Src-PTKs remains controversial. [9][10][11][12][13] One conventional model holds that when Csk phosphorylates the negative regulatory COOH-terminal tyrosine residue, leading to the aforementioned closed and inactive conformation, the dominant role of CD45 is to dephosphorylate this site, setting the stage for antigen receptor signaling to activate Src-PTKs by autophosphorylation. 14,15 This scenario is based on the findings that the COOH-terminal tyrosine residues of Lck and Fyn are hyperphosphorylated and T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling is attenuated in CD45-deficient T-cell lines and in thymocytes from Ptprc-targeted mice. [16][17][18][19][20] Moreover, similar results have also been obtained in B cells. [21][22][23] However, CD45 is also shown to dephosphorylate both of Src-PTK's regulatory tyrosine residues in both T cells 24-26 and B cells, 27,28 thereby inactivating it.We previously showed that CD45 exerts a negative regulatory effect on BCR-induced Ca 2ϩ mobilization, activation of c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK) and p38, and growth arrest in immature WEHI-231 cells, 29,30 but exerts a positive regulatory effect on these processes in mature BAL-17 cells. 30,31 We further showed that, in WEHI-231 cells, CD45 constitutively inhibits Lyn by dephosphorylating both the COOH-terminal and autophosphorylation sites, but that BCR ligation induces phosphorylation of the 2 sites. 27, 2...