T Cell Receptor-induced Activation of Phospholipase C-γ1 Depends on a Sequence-independent Function of the P-I Region of SLP-76

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry 2005-03, Vol.280 (9), p.8364
• Main Authors: Ronnie Gonen, Dvora Beach, Carmit Ainey, Deborah Yablonski
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M409437200

SLP-76 forms part of a hematopoietic-specific adaptor protein complex, and is absolutely required for T cell development and activation. T cell receptor (TCR)-induced activation of phospholipase C-γ1 (PLC-γ1) depends on three features of SLP-76: the N-terminal tyrosine phosphorylation sites, the Gads-binding site, and an intervening sequence, denoted the P-I region, which binds to the SH3 domain of PLC-γ1 (SH3 PLC ) via a low affinity interaction. Despite extensive research, the mechanism whereby SLP-76 regulates PLC-γ1 remains uncertain. In this study, we uncover and explore an apparent paradox: whereas the P-I region as a whole is essential for TCR-induced activation of PLC-γ1 and nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT), no particular part of this region is absolutely required. To better understand the contribution of the P-I region to PLC-γ1 activation, we mapped the PLC-γ1-binding site within the region, and created a SLP-76 mutant that fails to bind SH3 PLC , but is fully functional, mediating TCR-induced phosphorylation of PLC-γ1 at tyrosine 783, calcium flux, and nuclear factor of activated T cells activation. Unexpectedly, full functionality of this mutant was maintained even under less than optimal stimulation conditions, such as a low concentration of the anti-TCR antibody. Another SLP-76 mutant, in which the P-I region was scrambled to abolish any sequence-dependent protein-binding motifs, also retained significant functionality. Our results demonstrate that SLP-76 need not interact with SH3 PLC to activate PLC-γ1, and further suggest that the P-I region of SLP-76 serves a structural role that is sequence-independent and is not directly related to protein-protein interactions.