The Role of LAT–PLCγ1 Interaction in γδ T Cell Development and Homeostasis

Abstract

LAT is a transmembrane adaptor protein that is vital for integrating TCR-mediated signals to modulate T cell development, activation, and proliferation. Upon T cell activation, LAT is phosphorylated and associates with Grb2, Gads, and PLCγ1 through its four distal tyrosine residues. Mutation of one of these tyrosines, Y136, abolishes LAT binding to PLCγ1. This results in impaired TCR-mediated calcium mobilization and Erk activation. CD4 αβ T cells in LATY136F knock-in mice undergo uncontrolled expansion, resulting in a severe autoimmune syndrome. In this study, we investigated the importance of the LAT–PLCγ1 interaction in γδ T cells by crossing LATY136F mice with TCRβ−/− mice. Our data showed that the LATY136F mutation had no major effect on homeostasis of epithelial γδ T cells, which could be found in the skin and small intestine. Interestingly, a population of CD4+ γδ T cells in the spleen and lymph nodes underwent continuous expansion and produced elevated amounts of IL-4, resulting in an autoimmune syndrome similar to that caused by αβ T cells in LATY136F mice. Development of these hyperproliferative γδ T cells was not dependent on MHC class II expression or CD4, and their proliferation could be suppressed, in part, by regulatory T cells. Our data indicated that a unique subset of CD4 γδ T cells can hyperproliferate in LATY136F mice and suggested that LAT–PLCγ1 signaling may function differently in various subsets of γδ T cells.