Phosphorylation of collapsin response mediator protein 2 on Tyr-479 regulates CXCL12-induced T lymphocyte migration

J Biol Chem. 2009 May 8;284(19):13265-76. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M807664200. Epub 2009 Mar 10.

Abstract

In the central nervous system, collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP2) is a transducer protein that supports the semaphorin-induced guidance of axons toward their cognate target. However, we previously showed that CRMP2 is also expressed in immune cells and plays a crucial role in T lymphocyte migration. Here we further investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying CRMP2 function in chemokine-directed T-cell motility. Examining Jurkat T-cells treated with the chemokine CXCL12, we found that 1) CXCL12 induces a dynamic re-localization of CRMP2 to uropod, the flexible structure of migrating lymphocyte, and increases its binding to the cytoskeletal protein vimentin; 2) CXCL12 decreases phosphorylation of the glycogen synthase kinase-3beta-targeted residues CRMP2-Thr-509/514; and 3) tyrosine Tyr-479 is a new phosphorylation CRMP2 residue and a target for the Src-family kinase Yes. Moreover, phospho-Tyr-479 increased under CXCL12 signaling while phospho-Thr-509/514 decreased. The functional importance of this tyrosine phosphorylation was demonstrated by Y479F mutation that strongly reduced CXCL12-mediated T-cell polarization and motility as tested in a transmigration model and on neural tissue. We propose that differential phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase-3beta and Yes modulates the contribution of CRMP2 to cytoskeletal reorganization during chemokine-directed T-cell migration. In addition to providing a novel mechanism for T lymphocyte motility, our findings reveal CRMP2 as a transducer of chemokine signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Cell Movement*
  • Chemokine CXCL12 / genetics
  • Chemokine CXCL12 / metabolism*
  • Chemokines / metabolism
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5
  • Cytoskeleton / metabolism
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / metabolism
  • Hippocampus / cytology
  • Hippocampus / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / genetics
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism*
  • Jurkat Cells
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Conformation
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-yes / metabolism
  • Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
  • Signal Transduction
  • T-Lymphocytes / cytology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Tyrosine / metabolism*
  • src-Family Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • Chemokine CXCL12
  • Chemokines
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • collapsin response mediator protein-2
  • Tyrosine
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-yes
  • YES1 protein, human
  • src-Family Kinases
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase 5
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3