RESUMO
T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) engagement induces formation of multi-protein signalling complexes essential for regulating T-cell functions. Generation of a complex of SLP-76, Nck and VAV1 is crucial for regulation of the actin machinery. We define the composition, stoichiometry and specificity of interactions in the SLP-76, Nck and VAV1 complex. Our data reveal that this complex can contain one SLP-76 molecule, two Nck and two VAV1 molecules. A direct interaction between Nck and VAV1 is mediated by binding between the C-terminal SH3 domain of Nck and the VAV1 N-terminal SH3 domain. Disruption of the VAV1:Nck interaction deleteriously affected actin polymerization. These novel findings shed new light on the mechanism of actin polymerization after T-cell activation.
Assuntos
Actinas/metabolismo , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/metabolismo , Proteínas Oncogênicas/metabolismo , Fosfoproteínas/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-vav/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais/fisiologia , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/genética , Animais , Humanos , Células Jurkat , Ativação Linfocitária , Proteínas Oncogênicas/genética , Fosfoproteínas/genética , Ligação Proteica , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-vav/genética , Receptores de Antígenos de Linfócitos T/metabolismo , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/genética , Proteínas Recombinantes de Fusão/metabolismo , Linfócitos T/citologia , Linfócitos T/metabolismo , Domínios de Homologia de srcRESUMO
Protein-protein interactions regulate and control many cellular functions. A multimolecular complex consisting of the adaptor proteins SLP-76 (Src homology 2 domain-containing leukocyte protein of 76 kD), Nck, and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav1 is recruited to the T cell side of the interface with an antigen-presenting cell during initial T cell activation. This complex is crucial for regulation of the actin machinery, antigen recognition, and signaling in T cells. We studied the interactions between these proteins as well as the dynamics of their recruitment into a complex that governs cytoskeletal reorganization. We developed a triple-color Förster resonance energy transfer (3FRET) system to observe the dynamics of the formation of this trimolecular signaling complex in live human T cells and to follow the three molecular interactions in parallel. Using the 3FRET system, we demonstrated that dimers of Nck and Vav1 were constitutively formed independently of both T cell activation and the association between SLP-76 and Nck. After T cell receptor stimulation, SLP-76 was phosphorylated, which enabled the binding of Nck. A point mutation in the proline-rich site of Vav1, which abolishes its binding to Nck, impaired actin rearrangement, suggesting that Nck-Vav1 dimers play a critical role in regulation of the actin machinery. We suggest that these findings revise the accepted model of the formation of a complex of SLP-76, Nck, and Vav1 and demonstrate the use of 3FRET as a tool to study signal transduction in live cells.