IL-2 induces β2-integrin adhesion via a wortmannin/LY294002-sensitive, rapamycin-resistant pathway. Phosphorylation of a 125-kilodalton protein correlates with induction of adhesion, but not mitogenesis

Abstract

Besides its function as a growth factor, IL-2 induces β2-integrin-dependent, homotypic adhesion of IL-2R-positive T cells. In this study, we investigated how IL-2R are functionally and biochemically linked to the β2-integrin adhesion pathway. After a lag period of 15 to 20 min, IL-2 induces β2-integrin-dependent, homotypic adhesion in Ag-specific, human T cell lines. The IL-2 adhesion response is blocked by wortmannin and LY294002, inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol-3 (PI-3) kinase activity. In contrast, rapamycin strongly inhibits IL-2-induced proliferation without inhibiting IL-2-induced adhesion. Herbimycin A and genestein, inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases, inhibit cytokine-induced adhesion and mitogenesis in parallel, whereas cytochalasin E, an inhibitor of actin polymerization, almost completely blocks the adhesion response at concentrations that have little effect on mitogenesis. IL-2R ligation rapidly (<5 min) induces tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins, the most prominent being signal transducer and activator of transcription (Stat) proteins, the p85 subunit of the PI-3 kinase, and an as yet unidentified 125-kDa protein (p125). Wortmannin, LY294002, and cytochalasin E almost completely inhibit cytokine-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of p125, whereas tyrosine phosphorylation of PI-3 kinase, Janus kinases, Stat3, Stat5, and other proteins is unaffected. In contrast, rapamycin has little effect on IL-2-induced phosphorylation of p125. Taken together, these data suggest that 1) IL-2R ligation induces homotypic adhesion through a wortmannin/LY294002-sensitive, rapamycin-resistant pathway, 2) tyrosine kinases play a critical role in cytokine-induced adhesion, and 3) adhesion, but not mitogenesis, correlates with enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of an as yet unidentified protein of 125 kDa.