Src family tyrosine kinases associate with and phosphorylate CTLA-4 (CD152).

CTLA-4 (CD152) transduces inhibitory signals for T cell activation. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of tyrosine residue (Y)-165 in the cytoplasmic region of CTLA-4 play an important role in the signal transduction and in the cell surface. While signaling molecules such as SHP-2 and the p85 subunit of PI3 kinase associate with this tyrosine residue through SH2 domains upon phosphorylation, the adapter complex AP-2 interacts with the same tyrosine when dephosphorylated, leading to clathrin-mediated endocytosis of CTLA-4. We searched for the tyrosine kinase responsible for the phosphorylation of CTLA-4. Src family tyrosine kinases Fyn, Lyn, and Lck associate with CTLA-4 and phosphorylate both Y-165 and Y-182 that are mainly responsible for interaction with Fyn through its SH2 domain. SHP-2 associates with CTLA-4, in a Fyn-dependent manner. Our observations show that src family tyrosine kinases associate with and phosphorylate CTLA-4 and thereby have an important role in the signal transduction and the endocytosis of CTLA-4.