T Cell Activation In Vivo Targets Diacylglycerol Kinase α to the Membrane: A Novel Mechanism for Ras Attenuation

Abstract

Diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) phosphorylates diacylglycerol to produce phosphatidic acid, leading to decreased and increased levels, respectively, of these two lipid messengers that play a central role in T cell activation. Nine DGK isoforms, grouped into five subtypes, are found in higher organisms; all contain a conserved C-terminal domain and at least two cysteine-rich motifs of unknown function. In this study, we have researched in vivo the regulation of DGKα, using a transgenic mouse model in which injection of an antigenic peptide activates the majority of peripheral T cells. We demonstrate that DGKα, highly expressed in resting T lymphocytes, is subject to complex control at the mRNA and protein levels during in vivo T cell activation. Subcellular fractionation of T lymphocytes shortly after in vivo engagement of the TCR shows rapid translocation of cytosolic DGKα to the membrane fraction. At early time points, DGKα translocation to the membrane correlates with rapid translocation of Ras guanyl nucleotide-releasing protein (RasGRP), a nucleotide exchange activator for Ras that associates to the membrane through a diacylglycerol-binding domain. To demonstrate a causal relationship between DGKα activity and RasGRP relocation to the membrane, we determined RasGRP translocation kinetics in a T cell line transiently transfected with constitutive active and dominant-negative DGKα mutants. We show that membrane localization of DGKα is associated with a negative regulatory signal for Ras activation by reversing RasGRP translocation. This study is the first demonstration of in vivo regulation of DGKα, and provides new insight into the functional role of a member of this family of lipid kinases in the regulation of the immune response.