Laboratory of Pharmacotherapy of Life-Style Related Diseases, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8578, Miyagi, Japan.
Division of Liberal Arts and Science, Kyoto Pharmaceutical University, 607-8414 Kyoto, Japan.
Biochim Biophys Acta Biomembr. 2024 Oct;1866(7):184359. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamem.2024.184359. Epub 2024 Jun 10.
Cytokine receptor-like factor 2 (CRLF2) and interleukin-7 receptor α (IL-7Rα) form a receptor for thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP). A somatic mutation consisting of the substitution of five amino acids (SLLLL) in the transmembrane domain of CRLF2 with three amino acids, including glutamic acid, isoleucine, and methionine (insEIM), which has been identified in acute lymphocytic leukemia, causes the TSLP-independent dimerization with IL-7Rα and activation. However, the dimerization mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we examined the involvement of the amino acids in the transmembrane domains of EIM CRLF2 and IL-7Rα in TSLP-independent activation. HEK293 cells were transfected with vectors encoding CRLF2 and IL-7Rα, or their mutants, in which the amino acid of the transmembrane domain was replaced with alanine. STAT5 phosphorylation was detected using western blotting, and receptor dimerization was analyzed using the NanoBiT assay. The substitution of glutamic acid within the insEIM mutation for alanine failed to cause the STAT5 phosphorylation in the absence of TSLP. Moreover, the alanine substation of the specific leucine residues in the transmembrane domains of both CRLF2 and IL-7Rα abrogated the TSLP-independent signal transduction and dimerization. The mutation of IL-7Rα W264 partially reduced the phosphorylation of STAT5 without affecting receptor dimerization. These results suggest that the amino acids in the transmembrane domains of EIM CRLF2 and IL-7Rα play at least three possible functions: interaction through hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interaction, and signal transduction. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the function of the transmembrane domains of cytokine receptors in their dimerization and signal transduction.
细胞因子受体样因子 2(CRLF2)和白细胞介素-7 受体α(IL-7Rα)形成胸腺基质淋巴细胞生成素(TSLP)的受体。在急性淋巴细胞白血病中发现了一种体细胞突变,该突变在 CRLF2 的跨膜结构域中包含五个氨基酸(SLLLL)的取代,变成三个氨基酸,包括谷氨酸、异亮氨酸和蛋氨酸(insEIM),导致与 IL-7Rα的 TSLP 非依赖性二聚化和激活。然而,二聚化机制仍不清楚。在这项研究中,我们研究了 EIM CRLF2 和 IL-7Rα 的跨膜结构域中的氨基酸在 TSLP 非依赖性激活中的作用。用编码 CRLF2 和 IL-7Rα或其突变体的载体转染 HEK293 细胞,其中跨膜结构域的氨基酸被替换为丙氨酸。使用 Western blot 检测 STAT5 磷酸化,使用 NanoBiT 测定分析受体二聚化。在不存在 TSLP 的情况下,突变体中的谷氨酸被丙氨酸取代未能导致 STAT5 磷酸化。此外,CRLF2 和 IL-7Rα 的跨膜结构域中的特定亮氨酸残基的丙氨酸取代消除了 TSLP 非依赖性信号转导和二聚化。IL-7Rα W264 的突变部分降低了 STAT5 的磷酸化而不影响受体二聚化。这些结果表明,EIM CRLF2 和 IL-7Rα 的跨膜结构域中的氨基酸至少发挥了三种可能的功能:通过氢键、疏水相互作用和信号转导相互作用。我们的发现有助于更好地理解细胞因子受体的跨膜结构域在其二聚化和信号转导中的功能。
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