1. A role for the Tec family tyrosine kinase Txk in T cell activation and thymocyte selection.
- Author
-
Sommers CL, Rabin RL, Grinberg A, Tsay HC, Farber J, and Love PE
- Subjects
- Animals, Calcium Signaling, Cells, Cultured, Leukocyte Common Antigens physiology, Mice, Mice, Transgenic, Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta physiology, Lymphocyte Activation, Protein-Tyrosine Kinases physiology, T-Lymphocytes immunology
- Abstract
Recent data indicate that several members of the Tec family of protein tyrosine kinases function in antigen receptor signal transduction. Txk, a Tec family protein tyrosine kinase, is expressed in both immature and mature T cells and in mast cells. By overexpressing Txk in T cells throughout development, we found that Txk specifically augments the phospholipase C (PLC)-gamma1-mediated calcium signal transduction pathway upon T cell antigen receptor (TCR) engagement. Although Txk is structurally different from inducible T cell kinase (Itk), another Tec family member expressed in T cells, expression of the Txk transgene could partially rescue defects in positive selection and signaling in itk(-)(/)(-) mice. Conversely, in the itk(+/+) (wild-type) background, overexpression of Txk inhibited positive selection of TCR transgenic thymocytes, presumably due to induction of cell death. These results identify a role for Txk in TCR signal transduction, T cell development, and selection and suggest that the Tec family kinases Itk and Txk perform analogous functions.
- Published
- 1999
- Full Text
- View/download PDF