CD28 co-stimulates TCR/CD3-induced phosphoinositide turnover in human T lymphocytes

Abstract

Upon engagement of TCR with peptide-MHC complexes displayed on the surface of antigen-presenting cells, T lymphocytes undergo a sustained elevation of intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), which is required for cytokine production. In the present work, we investigate how inositol lipid metabolism can be activated for a prolonged time to ensure a sustained link between receptor triggering and downstream signaling effectors. Four lines of evidence indicate that an extensive phosphoinositide turnover induced by TCR and CD28 engagement allows this task to be accomplished: (i) continuous phosphoinositide breakdown is required for a sustained [Ca2+]i increase in antigen-stimulated T cells; (ii) TCR triggering results in a continuous release of inositol phosphates from the cell membrane paralleled by a massive and sustained phosphoinositide re-synthesis due to free inositol reincorporation; (iii) TCR-induced phosphoinositide turnover is strongly increased by CD28 ligation; and (iv) CD28 engagement augments and sustains the TCR-induced [Ca2+]i increase. Our results show that the T cell pool of phosphoinositides is continuously reformed during T cell-APC cognate interaction, thereby explaining how sustained receptor triggering can transduce an equally sustained [Ca2+]i increase. Importantly, our data identify a novel step in the signaling cascade where co-stimulation converges with TCR-generated signals to sustain and amplify the activation process.