Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
J Immunol. 2012 Oct 1;189(7):3490-6. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1201785. Epub 2012 Aug 31.
The activity of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMK4) is increased in T cells from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and has been shown to reduce IL-2 production by promoting the effect of the transcriptional repressor cAMP responsive element modulator-α on the IL2 promoter. In this article, we demonstrate that T cells from MRL/lpr mice display increased levels of CaMK4 in the nucleus, and that genetic deletion of Camk4 results in improved survival. We demonstrate that absence of CaMK4 restores IL-2 production, curbs increased T cell activation, and augments the number and activity of regulatory T cells. Analogously, silencing of CaMK4 in T cells from patients with SLE increases the expression of FoxP3 on stimulation in the presence of TGF-β. Our results demonstrate the importance of the serine/threonine kinase CaMK4 in the generation and function of regulatory T cells in patients with SLE and lupus-prone mice, and its potential to serve as a therapeutic target.
钙/钙调蛋白依赖性蛋白激酶 IV(CaMK4)的活性在系统性红斑狼疮(SLE)患者的 T 细胞中增加,并且已被证明通过促进转录抑制因子 cAMP 反应元件调节剂-α对 IL2 启动子的作用来减少 IL-2 的产生。在本文中,我们证明 MRL/lpr 小鼠的 T 细胞在核内显示 CaMK4 水平升高,并且 Camk4 的基因缺失导致存活率提高。我们证明缺乏 CaMK4 可恢复 IL-2 的产生,抑制过度的 T 细胞活化,并增加调节性 T 细胞的数量和活性。类似地,沉默 SLE 患者 T 细胞中的 CaMK4 可增加 TGF-β存在下刺激时 FoxP3 的表达。我们的结果表明丝氨酸/苏氨酸激酶 CaMK4 在 SLE 患者和狼疮易感小鼠的调节性 T 细胞的产生和功能中的重要性,以及其作为治疗靶标的潜力。