Phosphoantigens glue butyrophilin 3A1 and 2A1 to activate Vγ9Vδ2 T cells.

In both cancer and infections, diseased cells are presented to human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells through an 'inside out' signalling process whereby structurally diverse phosphoantigen (pAg) molecules are sensed by the intracellular domain of butyrophilin BTN3A11-4. Here we show how-in both humans and alpaca-multiple pAgs function as 'molecular glues' to promote heteromeric association between the intracellular domains of BTN3A1 and the structurally similar butyrophilin BTN2A1. X-ray crystallography studies visualized that engagement of BTN3A1 with pAgs forms a composite interface for direct binding to BTN2A1, with various pAg molecules each positioned at the centre of the interface and gluing the butyrophilins with distinct affinities. Our structural insights guided mutagenesis experiments that led to disruption of the intracellular BTN3A1-BTN2A1 association, abolishing pAg-mediated Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation. Analyses using structure-based molecular-dynamics simulations, 19F-NMR investigations, chimeric receptor engineering and direct measurement of intercellular binding force revealed how pAg-mediated BTN2A1 association drives BTN3A1 intracellular fluctuations outwards in a thermodynamically favourable manner, thereby enabling BTN3A1 to push off from the BTN2A1 ectodomain to initiate T cell receptor-mediated γδ T cell activation. Practically, we harnessed the molecular-glue model for immunotherapeutics design, demonstrating chemical principles for developing both small-molecule activators and inhibitors of human γδ T cell function.

A Structural Change in Butyrophilin upon Phosphoantigen Binding Underlies Phosphoantigen-Mediated Vγ9Vδ2 T Cell Activation.

Human Vγ9Vδ2 T cells respond to microbial infections and malignancy by sensing diphosphate-containing metabolites called phosphoantigens, which bind to the intracellular domain of butyrophilin 3A1, triggering extracellular interactions with the Vγ9Vδ2 T cell receptor (TCR). Here, we examined the molecular basis of this "inside-out" triggering mechanism. Crystal structures of intracellular butyrophilin 3A proteins alone or in complex with the potent microbial phosphoantigen HMBPP or a synthetic analog revealed key features of phosphoantigens and butyrophilins required for γδ T cell activation. Analyses with chemical probes and molecular dynamic simulations demonstrated that dimerized intracellular proteins cooperate in sensing HMBPP to enhance the efficiency of γδ T cell activation. HMBPP binding to butyrophilin doubled the binding force between a γδ T cell and a target cell during "outside" signaling, as measured by single-cell force microscopy. Our findings provide insight into the "inside-out" triggering of Vγ9Vδ2 T cell activation by phosphoantigen-bound butyrophilin, facilitating immunotherapeutic drug design.

Correction: Farnesyl pyrophosphate is a new danger signal inducing acute cell death.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001134.].

Farnesyl pyrophosphate is a new danger signal inducing acute cell death.

Cell death is a vital event in life. Infections and injuries cause lytic cell death, which gives rise to danger signals that can further induce cell death, inflammation, and tissue damage. The mevalonate (MVA) pathway is an essential, highly conserved and dynamic metabolic pathway. Here, we discover that farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP), a metabolic intermediate of the MVA pathway, functions as a newly identified danger signal to trigger acute cell death leading to neuron loss in stroke. Harboring both a hydrophobic 15-carbon isoprenyl chain and a heavily charged pyrophosphate head, FPP leads to acute cell death independent of its downstream metabolic pathways. Mechanistically, extracellular calcium influx and the cation channel transient receptor potential melastatin 2 (TRPM2) exhibit essential roles in FPP-induced cell death. FPP activates TRPM2 opening for ion influx. Furthermore, in terms of a mouse model constructing by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), FPP accumulates in the brain, which indicates the function of the FPP and TRPM2 danger signal axis in ischemic injury. Overall, our data have revealed a novel function of the MVA pathway intermediate metabolite FPP as a danger signal via transient receptor potential cation channels.