Dual regulation of mast cell degranulation through IgE receptor-mediated modulation of M2-type pyruvate kinase.

It was reported that mast cell degranulation is inversely related to the enzymatic activity of M2-type pyruvate kinase (M2PK). This study shows that activation of high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI) evokes a sequential dual regulation of M2PK, i.e., an immediate decrement followed by slow phase increment of enzymatic activities. Changes in the activities of M2PK and mast cell degranulation showed similar time course after antigenic stimulation of FcεRI. The immediate inhibition of M2PK involved tyrosine phosphorylation, and subsequently led to a cellular accumulation of glycolytic intermediates, including fructose 1,6-biphosphate (FBP), a feedforward activator of M2PK. As the cellular levels of FBP were increased, both the enzymatic acitivity of M2PK and mast cell degranulation slowly returned to near basal levels. A-Raf, when exogenously introduced into RBL-2H3 cells, phosphorylated M2PK on the serine residues, elevated enzyme activities of M2PK, and resulted in the inhibition of degranulation. These results suggest that dual regulation of M2PK which involves the phosphorylation of M2PK and accumulation of a feedforward activator of M2PK plays important roles in the control of mast cell degranulation.