Inhibitors of serine/threonine phosphatases enhance phosphorylation of the interferon-gamma receptor while selectively attenuating interferon-gamma-induced gene expression in human peripheral-blood monocytes.

Since many events following ligand-induced receptor clustering are controlled by serine and threonine (Ser/Thr) phosphorylation, we initiated an investigation into the role of Ser/Thr phosphatases in both phosphorylation of the interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) receptor and IFN gamma-induced gene expression in human peripheral-blood monocytes. Whereas IFN gamma alone did not enhance phosphorylation of the IFN gamma receptor, treatment of monocytes with the Ser/Thr phosphatase inhibitors, okadaic acid and calyculin A, resulted in increased phosphorylation of the IFN gamma receptor. However, when these cells were analysed for IFN gamma-induced IP-10 gene expression, there was profound inhibition. Using three IFN gamma-induced early-response genes, IP-10, the Fc gamma receptor type I (Fc gamma RI) and ISG-54, we found selective sensitivity to pretreatment with okadaic acid and calyculin A. Whereas IFN gamma induction of IP-10 was blocked by both inhibitors, only calyculin A prevented Fc gamma RI-gene expression. Neither inhibitor prevented ISG-54 induction by IFN gamma. IFN-gamma-activated formation of the DNA-binding-protein complex FcRF gamma (which binds to the promoter of the Fc gamma RI gene) remained unaffected by okadaic acid or calyculin A. Therefore these data suggest that Ser/Thr phosphatases have no major part in IFN gamma-initiated signal transduction across the membrane, but selectively control the ultimate transcription of a set of early-response genes.