Shimanami Leaf Intake Affects Bowel Movement and Intestinal Microbiota in Mice.

The Shimanami Leaf®, produced at Innoshima Island in Onomichi City, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan, is a leafy vegetable that does not require pesticide use and has a high nutritional value. Although the leaf has abundant dietary fiber and other nutrients, reports on its biological regulatory functions are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the effects of Shimanami leaf intake on bowel movement and gut microbiota in mice. We examined the effects of Shimanami leaves on fecal weight, fecal water content, and intestinal microbiota composition. On day 10 of administration, the Shimanami leaf-treated group exhibited significantly higher fecal weight and water content than the control group. Next-generation sequencing analysis revealed that the ingestion of Shimanami leaf increased the abundances and diversity of intestinal bacteria, including members from Lactococcus, Streptococcus, and Muribaculaceae. Our findings suggest that Shimanami leaf supplementation improves bowel movement and promotes defecation.

Nephronectin influences EAE development by regulating the Th17/Treg balance via reactive oxygen species.

Blood levels of the extracellular matrix protein nephronectin (Npnt), a protein critical for kidney development, are elevated in autoimmune experimental autoimmune encephalitis (EAE) mice, which are a model for multiple sclerosis. We found here that treatment with anti-Npnt antibody directed against the α8ß1 integrin-binding site (Npnt-blocking antibody) inhibits EAE development. The selenium transporter selenoprotein P (SeP) was identified as a novel Npnt-binding partner. In EAE, Npnt induced SeP and glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) expression, followed by reactive oxygen species (ROS) inhibition in CD4+ T cells; these changes were disturbed by Npnt-blocking antibody treatment, which also caused suppressed differentiation of interleukin (IL)-17-producing CD4+ T-helper cells (Th17s) and elevated differentiation of regulatory T cells (Tregs). Treatment of EAE mice with the ROS scavenger N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) blocked the Npnt-blocking antibody-induced decrease in Th17 differentiation and increase in Treg differentiation. In conclusion, the interaction between Npnt and SeP contributes to EAE development by regulating the Th17/Treg balance via the ROS level.

Targeting myeloid-cell specific integrin α9ß1 inhibits arterial thrombosis in mice.

Evidence suggests that neutrophils contribute to thrombosis via several mechanisms, including neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) formation. Integrin α9ß1 is highly expressed on neutrophils when compared with monocytes. It undergoes affinity upregulation on neutrophil activation, and stabilizes adhesion to the activated endothelium. The role of integrin α9 in arterial thrombosis remains unexplored. We generated novel myeloid cell-specific integrin α9-/- mice (α9fl/flLysMCre+) to study the role of integrin α9 in arterial thrombosis. α9fl/fl littermates were used as controls. We report that α9fl/flLysMCre+ mice were less susceptible to arterial thrombosis in ferric chloride (FeCl3) and laser injury-induced thrombosis models with unaltered hemostasis. Neutrophil elastase-positive cells were significantly reduced in α9fl/flLysMCre+ mice concomitant with reduction in neutrophil count, myeloperoxidase levels, and red blood cells in the FeCl3 injury-induced carotid thrombus. The percentage of cells releasing NETs was significantly reduced in α9fl/flLysMCre+ mouse neutrophils stimulated with thrombin-activated platelets. Furthermore, we found a significant decrease in neutrophil-mediated platelet aggregation and cathepsin-G secretion in α9fl/flLysMCre+ mice. Transfusion of α9fl/fl neutrophils in α9fl/flLysMCre+ mice restored thrombosis similar to α9fl/fl mice. Treatment of wild-type mice with anti-integrin α9 antibody inhibited arterial thrombosis. This study identifies the potential role of integrin α9 in modulating arterial thrombosis.

Targeting Myeloid-Specific Integrin α9ß1 Improves Short- and Long-Term Stroke Outcomes in Murine Models With Preexisting Comorbidities by Limiting Thrombosis and Inflammation.

RATIONALE: Currently, there is no effective intervention available that can reduce brain damage following reperfusion. Clinical studies suggest a positive correlation between the increased influx of neutrophils and severity of brain injury following reperfusion. Integrin α9ß1 is highly expressed on activated neutrophils and contributes to stable adhesion, but its role in stroke outcome has not been demonstrated to date. OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the mechanistic role of myeloid-specific α9ß1 in the progression of ischemic stroke in murine models with preexisting comorbidities. METHODS AND RESULTS: We generated novel myeloid-specific α9-deficient (α9-/-) wild type (α9fl/flLysMCre+/-), hyperlipidemic (α9fl/flLysMCre+/-Apoe-/-), and aged (bone marrow chimeric) mice to evaluate stroke outcome. Susceptibility to ischemia/reperfusion injury was evaluated at 1, 7, and 28 days following reperfusion in 2 models of experimental stroke: filament and embolic. We found that peripheral neutrophils displayed elevated α9 expression following stroke. Irrespective of sex, genetic deletion of α9 in myeloid cells improved short- and long-term stroke outcomes in the wild type, hyperlipidemic, and aged mice. Improved stroke outcome and enhanced survival in myeloid-specific α9-/- mice was because of marked decrease in cerebral thromboinflammatory response as evidenced by reduced fibrin, platelet thrombi, neutrophil, NETosis, and decreased phospho-NF-κB (nuclear factor-κB), TNF (tumor necrosis factor)-α, and IL (interleukin)-1ß levels. α9-/- mice were less susceptible to FeCl3 injury-induced carotid artery thrombosis that was concomitant with improved regional cerebral blood flow following stroke as revealed by laser speckle imaging. Mechanistically, fibronectin containing extra domain A, a ligand for integrin α9, partially contributed to α9-mediated stroke exacerbation. Infusion of a specific anti-integrin α9 inhibitor into hyperlipidemic mice following reperfusion significantly reduced infarct volume and improved short- and long-term functional outcomes up to 28 days. CONCLUSIONS: We provide genetic and pharmacological evidence for the first time that targeting myeloid-specific integrin α9ß1 improves short- and long-term functional outcomes in stroke models with preexisting comorbidities by limiting cerebral thrombosis and inflammation.

A Novel α9 Integrin Ligand, XCL1/Lymphotactin, Is Involved in the Development of Murine Models of Autoimmune Diseases.

The integrin α9ß1 is a key receptor involved in the development of autoimmune diseases. However, the detailed mechanism for the association of α9ß1 integrin with its ligands remains unclear. In this study, we introduce XCL1/lymphotactin, a member of the chemokine family, as a novel ligand for α9 integrin. Using α9 integrin-overexpressing NIH3T3 cells and endogenously α9 integrin-expressing human rhabdomyosarcoma cells, the interaction between XCL1 and α9 integrin was confirmed by pull-down assays. XCL1 enhanced α9 integrin-dependent cell migration of these cells, thus acting on α9 integrin as a chemoattractant. We also analyzed the in vivo function of XCL1 in the development of anti-type II collagen Ab-induced inflammatory arthritis (CAIA) in BALB/c mice and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57BL/6 mice, because α9 integrin is involved in these autoimmune disease models. In CAIA, recombinant XCL1 aggravated the disease and this exacerbation was inhibited by an anti-α9 integrin Ab. An XCL1-neutralizing Ab produced in this study also ameliorated CAIA. Furthermore, the XCL1-neutralizing Ab abrogated the disease progression in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Therefore, to our knowledge this study provides the first in vitro and in vivo evidence that the interaction between XCL1 and α9 integrin has an important role for autoimmune diseases.

Role of Nephronectin in Pathophysiology of Silicosis.

Silicosis is a typical form of pneumoconiosis and is characterized as a type of lung fibrosis. Silica particles are captured and recognized upon by alveolar macrophages via the macrophage receptor with collagenous structure (MARCO) scavenger receptor, and thereafter the inflammasome is activated. Thereafter, various chemokines/cytokines play their roles to eventually form fibrosis. Additionally, silica particles chronically activate T helper cells which sets the background for the formation of silicosis-associated autoimmune disturbances. The occurrence and progression of lung fibrosis, the extracellular matrix-related molecules such as integrins and their ligands including fibronectin, vitronectin, laminin, and collagens, all play important roles. Here, the roles of these molecules in silicosis-related lung fibrosis are reviewed from the literature. Additionally, the measurement of serum nephronectin (Npnt), a new member of the integrin family of ligands, is discussed, together with investigations attempting to delineate the role of Npnt in silica-induced lung fibrosis. Serum Npnt was found to be higher in silicosis patients compared to healthy volunteers and seems to play a role in the progression of fibrosis with other cytokines. Therefore, serum Npnt levels may be employed as a suitable marker to monitor the progression of fibrosis in silicosis patients.

A New STAT3-binding Partner, ARL3, Enhances the Phosphorylation and Nuclear Accumulation of STAT3.

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is involved in cell proliferation, differentiation, and cell survival during immune responses, hematopoiesis, neurogenesis, and other biological processes. STAT3 activity is regulated by a variety of mechanisms, including phosphorylation and nuclear translocation. To clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of STAT3 activity, we performed yeast two-hybrid screening. We identified ARL3 (ADP-ribosylation factor-like 3) as a novel STAT3-binding partner. ARL3 recognizes the DNA-binding domain as well as the C-terminal region of STAT3 in vivo, and their binding was the strongest when both proteins were activated. Importantly, small interfering RNA-mediated reduction of endogenous ARL3 expression decreased IL-6-induced tyrosine phosphorylation, nuclear accumulation, and transcriptional activity of STAT3. These results indicate that ARL3 interacts with STAT3 and regulates the transcriptional activation of STAT3 by influencing its nuclear accumulation of STAT3.

IL-17A plays a central role in the expression of psoriasis signature genes through the induction of IκB-ζ in keratinocytes.

In psoriasis lesions, a diverse mixture of cytokines is up-regulated that influence each other generating a complex inflammatory situation. Although this is the case, the inhibition of IL-17A alone showed unprecedented clinical results in patients, indicating that IL-17A is a critical inducer of psoriasis pathogenesis. To elucidate IL-17A-driven keratinocyte-intrinsic signaling pathways, we treated monolayers of normal human epidermal keratinocytes in vitro with a mixture of six cytokines (IL-17A, TNF-α, IL-17C, IL-22, IL-36γ and IFN-γ) involved in psoriasis to mimic the inflammatory milieu in psoriasis lesions. Microarray and gene set enrichment analysis revealed that this cytokine mixture induced similar gene expression changes with the previous transcriptome studies using psoriasis lesions. Importantly, we identified a set of IL-17A-regulated genes in keratinocytes, which recapitulate typical psoriasis genes exemplified by DEFB4A, S100A7, IL19 and CSF3, based on the differences in the expression profiles of cells stimulated with six cytokines versus cells stimulated with only five cytokines lacking IL-17A. Furthermore, a specific IL-17A-induced gene, NFKBIZ, which encodes IκB-ζ, a transcriptional regulator for NF-κB, was demonstrated to have a significant role for IL-17A-induced gene expression. Thus, we present novel in vitro data from normal human keratinocytes that would help elucidating the IL-17A-driven keratinocyte activation in psoriasis.

STAP-2 Protein Expression in B16F10 Melanoma Cells Positively Regulates Protein Levels of Tyrosinase, Which Determines Organs to Infiltrate in the Body.

Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer, with a highly metastatic phenotype. In this report, we show that signal transducing adaptor protein 2 (STAP-2) is involved in cell migration, proliferation, and melanogenesis as well as chemokine receptor expression and tumorigenesis in B16F10 melanoma cells. This was evident in mice injected with STAP-2 shRNA (shSTAP-2)-expressing B16F10 cells, which infiltrated organs in a completely different pattern from the original cells, showing massive colonization in the liver, kidney, and neck but not in the lung. The most important finding was that STAP-2 expression determined tyrosinase protein content. STAP-2 colocalized with tyrosinase in lysosomes and protected tyrosinase from protein degradation. It is noteworthy that B16F10 cells with knocked down tyrosinase showed similar cell characteristics as shSTAP-2 cells. These results indicated that tyrosinase contributed to some cellular events beyond melanogenesis. Taken together, one possibility is that STAP-2 positively regulates the protein levels of tyrosinase, which determines tumor invasion via controlling chemokine receptor expression.

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 controls the IgE-mediated, mast cell-mediated anaphylactic responses.

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 (STAP-2) is a recently identified adaptor protein that regulates immune and inflammatory responses through interactions with a variety of signaling and transcriptional molecules. In the current study, we clarified the physiological role of STAP-2 in mast cell function, a key mediator of IgE-associated allergic responses. STAP-2 is constitutively expressed in mast cells. STAP-2 deficiency in mast cells greatly enhances FcεRI-mediated signals, resulting in the increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the phospholipase C-γ isoform, calcium mobilization, and degranulation. Of importance, STAP-2-deficient mice challenged with DNP-BSA after passive sensitization with anti-DNP IgE show more severe rectal temperature decrease than do wild-type mice. STAP-2-deficient mice also show increased vascular permeability and more severe cutaneous anaphylaxis after DNP-BSA injection. These regulatory functions performed by STAP-2 indicate that there is an interaction between STAP-2 and FcεRI. In addition, our previous data indicate that STAP-2 binds to the phospholipase C-γ isoform and IκB kinase-ß. Therefore, our data described in this article strongly suggest that manipulation of STAP-2 expression in mast cells may control the pathogenesis of allergic diseases and have the potential for treating patients with allergy.

The novel α4B murine α4 integrin protein splicing variant inhibits α4 protein-dependent cell adhesion.

Integrins affect the motility of multiple cell types to control cell survival, growth, or differentiation, which are mediated by cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions. We reported previously that the α9 integrin splicing variant, SFα9, promotes WT α9 integrin-dependent adhesion. In this study, we introduced a new murine α4 integrin splicing variant, α4B, which has a novel short cytoplasmic tail. In inflamed tissues, the expression of α4B, as well as WT α4 integrin, was up-regulated. Cells expressing α4B specifically bound to VCAM-1 but not other α4 integrin ligands, such as fibronectin CS1 or osteopontin. The binding of cells expressing WT α4 integrin to α4 integrin ligands is inhibited by coexpression of α4B. Knockdown of α4B in metastatic melanoma cell lines results in a significant increase in lung metastasis. Expression levels of WT α4 integrin are unaltered by α4B, with α4B acting as a regulatory subunit for WT α4 integrin by a dominant-negative effect or inhibiting α4 integrin activation.

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 regulates macrophage migration into inflammatory sites during dextran sodium sulfate induced colitis.

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 (STAP-2) was cloned as a c-fms/M-CSF receptor interacting protein. STAP-2 is an adaptor protein carrying pleckstrin homology and Src homology 2 like domains, as well as a YXXQ motif. STAP-2 has been indicated to have an ability to bind and modulate a variety of signaling and transcriptional molecules. Especially, our previous in vitro studies showed that STAP-2 is crucial for immune and/or inflammatory responses. Here, we have investigated the role of STAP-2 in intestinal inflammation in vivo. The disruption of STAP-2 attenuates dextran sodium sulfate induced colitis via inhibition of macrophage recruitment. To study whether hematopoietic or epithelial cell derived STAP-2 is required for this phenomenon, we generated BM chimeric mice. STAP-2-deficient macrophages impair the ability of CXCL12-induced migration. Intriguingly, STAP-2 also regulates production of proinflammatory chemokines and cytokines such as CXCL1 and TNF-α from intestinal epithelial cells. Therefore, STAP-2 has a potential to regulate plural molecular events during pathological inflammatory responses. Furthermore, our findings not only indicate that STAP-2 is important in regulating intestinal inflammation, but also provide new insights toward the development of novel therapeutic approaches.

PML suppresses IL-6-induced STAT3 activation by interfering with STAT3 and HDAC3 interaction.

The promyelocytic leukemia protein PML acts as a tumor suppressor by forming transcription-regulatory complexes with a variety of repressor proteins. In the present study, we found that endogenous PML suppresses interleukin (IL)-6-induced gene expression as well as phosphorylation and transcriptional activation of STAT3 in hepatoma cells. We also found that PML-mediated suppression of IL-6-induced STAT3 activation by disrupting interactions between STAT3 and HDAC3. These results indicate that PML modulates IL-6-induced STAT3 activation and hepatoma cell growth by interacting with HDAC3.

CCR7 is involved in BCR-ABL/STAP-2-mediated cell growth in hematopoietic Ba/F3 cells.

Chronic myeloid leukemia is a clonal disease characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome and its oncogenic product, BCR-ABL, which activates multiple pathways involved in cell survival, growth promotion, and disease progression. We previously reported that in murine hematopoietic Ba/F3 cells, signal transducing adaptor protein-2 (STAP-2) binds to BCR-ABL and up-regulates BCR-ABL phosphorylation, leading to enhanced activation of its downstream signaling molecules. The binding of STAP-2 to BCR-ABL also influenced the expression levels of chemokine receptors, such as CXCR4 and CCR7. For the induction of CCR7 expression, signals mediated by the MAPK/ERK pathway were critical in Ba/F3 cells expressing BCR-ABL and STAP-2. In addition, STAP-2 cooperated with BCR-ABL to induce the production of CCR7 ligands, CCL19 and CCL21. Our results demonstrate a contribution of CCR7 to STAP-2-dependent enhancement of BCR-ABL-mediated cell growth in Ba/F3 cells.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus-encoded LANA associates with glucocorticoid receptor and enhances its transcriptional activities.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)-encoded latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANA), which interacts with cellular proteins, plays a central role in modification of viral and/or cellular gene expression. Here, we show that LANA associates with glucocorticoid receptor (GR), and that LANA enhances the transcriptional activity of GR. Co-immunoprecipitation revealed a physical interaction between LANA and GR in transiently transfected 293T and HeLa cells. In human B-lymphoma cells, LANA overexpression enhanced GR activity and cell growth suppression following glucocorticoid stimulation. Furthermore, confocal microscopy showed that activated GR was bound to LANA and accumulated in the nucleus, leading to an increase in binding of activated GR to the glucocorticoid response element of target genes. Taken together, KSHV-derived LANA acts as a transcriptional co-activator of GR. Our results might suggest a careful use of glucocorticoids in the treatment of patients with KSHV-related malignancies such as Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and multicentric Castleman disease.

Tyk2 is a therapeutic target for psoriasis-like skin inflammation.

Tyrosine kinase 2 (Tyk2), a member of the Jak kinase family, mediates signals triggered by various cytokines, which are related to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. In this study, we investigated the role of Tyk2 in IL-23-induced psoriasis-like skin inflammation. Tyk2(-/-) mice when injected with IL-23 showed significantly reduced ear skin swelling with epidermal hyperplasia and inflammatory cell infiltration compared with wild-type mice. In addition, Tyk2 deficiency reduced production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and psoriasis-relevant anti-microbial peptides. More noteworthy is that Tyk2 directly regulated IL-22-dependent inflammation and epidermal hyperplasia. Taken together with the inhibition of IL-23-induced inflammation by treatment with neutralizing antibodies against IL-17 or IL-22, Tyk2 participates in both IL-23 and IL-22 signal transduction to mediate psoriasis-like skin inflammation. On the basis of these findings, we demonstrated for the first time that a small-molecule Tyk2 inhibitor significantly inhibited IL-23-induced inflammation and cytokine production in the skin. These observations demonstrate the important role of Tyk2 in experimental skin inflammation and indicate the therapeutic potential of Tyk2 inhibition in human psoriasis.

Y14 positively regulates TNF-α-induced NF-κB transcriptional activity via interacting RIP1 and TRADD beyond an exon junction complex protein.

Although Y14 is known to be a component of the exon junction complex, we previously reported that Y14 regulates IL-6-induced STAT3 activation. In this study, we showed that endogenous Y14 positively regulated TNF-α-induced IL-6 expression in HeLa cells. Small interfering RNA-mediated Y14-knockdown reduced TNF-α-induced and NF-κB-mediated transcriptional activity, phosphorylation/degradation of IκBα, and nuclear localization of NF-κB/p65. As in the case of IL-6 stimuli, Y14 enhanced TNF-α-induced STAT3 phosphorylation, which is important for its nuclear retention. However, our manipulation of Y14 expression indicated that it is involved in TNF-α-induced IL-6 expression via both STAT3-dependent and -independent mechanisms. We screened signaling molecules in the TNF-α-NF-κB pathway and found that Y14 endogenously associated with receptor-interacting protein 1 (RIP1) and TNFR-associated death domain (TRADD). Overexpression of RIP1, but not TRADD, restored TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation in Y14-knockdown cells, and Y14 overexpression restored TNF-α-induced NF-κB activation in TRADD-knockdown cells, but not in RIP1-knockdown cells, indicating that Y14 lies downstream of TRADD and upstream of RIP1. Of importance, Y14 significantly enhanced the binding between RIP1 and TRADD, and this is a possible new mechanism for Y14-mediated modification of TNF-α signals. Although Y14 associates with MAGOH in the exon junction complex, Y14's actions in the TNF-α-NF-κB pathway are unlikely to require MAGOH. Therefore, Y14 positively regulates signals for TNF-α-induced IL-6 production at multiple steps beyond an exon junction complex protein.

Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) is required for the optimal response to interferons.

Degradation of IFN receptor (IFNR) protein is one of the mechanisms to limit the extent of cellular responses to interferons. Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK2), a JAK family kinase, has been reported to bind to and stabilize IFNR, indicating that TYK2 is a fundamental component of IFNR complex. Herein, we identified Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) as a new TYK2 binding partner and investigated its role in the regulation of IFN responses. siRNA knockdown of JAB1 resulted in suppression of IFN-induced phosphorylation of STAT proteins and their transcriptional activation. Importantly, JAB1 knockdown induced the activation of SCF ubiquitin ligase complex containing Cullin 1 (CUL1), as judged by the enhancement of covalent modification of CUL1 with the ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8, and markedly reduced the basal protein level of IFNR. In contrast, NEDD8 knockdown or inhibition of NEDD8 modification by NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor resulted in increased IFNR protein concomitantly with a reduction of NEDD8-modified CUL1. Furthermore, NEDD8-activating enzyme inhibitor treatment enhanced the susceptibility to IFN-α in HeLa cells. These data suggest that the NEDD8 modification pathway is involved in the proteolysis of IFNR and that JAB1 acts as a positive regulator of IFN responses by stabilizing IFNR through antagonizing the NEDD8 pathway.

α9ß1 integrin acts as a critical intrinsic regulator of human rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE: The role of the joint tissue microenvironment in the pathogenesis of human RA has recently attracted much attention. The present study investigated the roles of α9ß1 integrin and its ligands in synovial specimens of human RA patients in generating the unique human arthritic tissue microenvironment. METHODS: Synovial fibroblasts and macrophages were isolated from the synovial tissue of patients with RA or OA. The expression of α9ß1 integrin was analysed using FACS with multicolour staining. The production of MMPs and proinflammatory cytokines was analysed in cultures of synovial fibroblasts and macrophages with α9ß1 integrin ligands. RESULTS: Synovial fibroblasts and macrophages derived from arthritic joints spontaneously secreted tenascin-C and osteopontin. Synovial fibroblasts and macrophages obtained from patients with RA expressed α9ß1 integrins, a common receptor for osteopontin and tenascin-C. In the synovial fibroblasts of RA, the amount of tenascin-C protein produced was much greater than that of osteopontin in synovial fibroblasts of RA. Importantly, autocrine and paracrine interactions of α9ß1 integrin and tenascin-C induced the expression of MMPs and IL-6 in synovial fibroblasts, as well as TNF-α and IL-1ß in synovial macrophages. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that autocrine and paracrine interaction of α9ß1 integrin and tenascin-C in the joint tissue microenvironment contributes to the pathogenesis of RA. Therefore α9ß1 integrin may become a potential therapeutic target for RA.

Signal-transducing adaptor protein-2 modulates Fas-mediated T cell apoptosis by interacting with caspase-8.

We found that an adaptor protein, signal-transducing adaptor protein (STAP)-2, is a new member of the Fas-death-inducing signaling complex and participates in activation-induced cell death in T cells. STAP-2 enhanced Fas-mediated apoptosis and caspase-8 aggregation and activation in Jurkat T cells. Importantly, STAP-2 directly interacted with caspase-8 and Fas, resulting in enhanced interactions between caspase-8 and FADD in the Fas-death-inducing signaling complex. Moreover, STAP-2 protein has a consensus caspase-8 cleavage sequence, VEAD, in its C-terminal domain, and processing of STAP-2 by caspase-8 was crucial for Fas-induced apoptosis. Physiologic roles of STAP-2 were confirmed by observations that STAP-2-deficient mice displayed impaired activation-induced cell death and superantigen-induced T cell depletion. Therefore, STAP-2 is a novel participant in the regulation of T cell apoptosis after stimulation.