Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1993 Jan;78(1):80–85.

Specific cleavage of the alpha 4 integrin associated with activation of peripheral T lymphocytes.

M L Blue 1, G Davis 1, P Conrad 1, K Kelley 1
PMCID: PMC1421787  PMID: 8436405

Abstract

The heterodimeric VLA-4 integrin has been implicated in lymphocyte migration to inflamed peripheral tissues, lympho-haemopoiesis and autoimmune disease. To determine the structure and function of VLA-4 in physiological processes, molecular forms of the VLA-4 alpha-chain were analysed during T-cell activation. The results showed that prolonged activation of human peripheral T cells was associated with increased cleavage of the 150,000 MW alpha 4 chain into 80,000 and 66,000 MW fragments. Similar-sized alpha 4 fragments could also be generated from 150,000 MW alpha 4 on intact resting T cells by brief trypsinization, whereas trypsin treatment of isolated 150,000 MW alpha 4 resulted in nearly complete protein degradation. Native 80,000 and 66,000 MW alpha 4 chains on activated T cells could not be digested further by trypsin. These results indicated that specific cleavage of 150,000 MW alpha 4 was largely dependent on the tertiary structure of native alpha 4 chains. To determine the specific cleavage site in alpha 4 on peripheral T cells, VLA-4 was isolated and purified from in vitro-activated T cells and the N-terminus of the 66,000 MW fragment was partially sequenced. The sequence SKR/STE was identified as the specific alpha 4 cleavage site on T cells. These results indicate that T cells, upon activation, acquire an enhanced dipeptidase processing activity, which cleaves alpha 4 at a specific site.

Full text

PDF
80

Images in this article

82Figure 1
on p.82
82Figure 2
on p.82
83Figure 3
on p.83

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Aune T. M., Pogue S. L. Generation and characterization of continuous lines of CD8+ suppressor T lymphocytes. J Immunol. 1989 Jun 1;142(11):3731–3739. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bednarczyk J. L., McIntyre B. W. A monoclonal antibody to VLA-4 alpha-chain (CDw49d) induces homotypic lymphocyte aggregation. J Immunol. 1990 Feb 1;144(3):777–784. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Blue M. L., Craig K. A., Anderson P., Branton K. R., Jr, Schlossman S. F. Evidence for specific association between class I major histocompatibility antigens and the CD8 molecules of human suppressor/cytotoxic cells. Cell. 1988 Jul 29;54(3):413–421. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(88)90204-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Campanero M. R., Pulido R., Ursa M. A., Rodríguez-Moya M., de Landázuri M. O., Sánchez-Madrid F. An alternative leukocyte homotypic adhesion mechanism, LFA-1/ICAM-1-independent, triggered through the human VLA-4 integrin. J Cell Biol. 1990 Jun;110(6):2157–2165. doi: 10.1083/jcb.110.6.2157. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clayberger C., Krensky A. M., McIntyre B. W., Koller T. D., Parham P., Brodsky F., Linn D. J., Evans E. L. Identification and characterization of two novel lymphocyte function-associated antigens, L24 and L25. J Immunol. 1987 Mar 1;138(5):1510–1514. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Damle N. K., Aruffo A. Vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 induces T-cell antigen receptor-dependent activation of CD4+T lymphocytes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1991 Aug 1;88(15):6403–6407. doi: 10.1073/pnas.88.15.6403. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Elices M. J., Osborn L., Takada Y., Crouse C., Luhowskyj S., Hemler M. E., Lobb R. R. VCAM-1 on activated endothelium interacts with the leukocyte integrin VLA-4 at a site distinct from the VLA-4/fibronectin binding site. Cell. 1990 Feb 23;60(4):577–584. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90661-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Freedman A. S., Munro J. M., Rice G. E., Bevilacqua M. P., Morimoto C., McIntyre B. W., Rhynhart K., Pober J. S., Nadler L. M. Adhesion of human B cells to germinal centers in vitro involves VLA-4 and INCAM-110. Science. 1990 Aug 31;249(4972):1030–1033. doi: 10.1126/science.1697696. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Graber N., Gopal T. V., Wilson D., Beall L. D., Polte T., Newman W. T cells bind to cytokine-activated endothelial cells via a novel, inducible sialoglycoprotein and endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1. J Immunol. 1990 Aug 1;145(3):819–830. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Guan J. L., Hynes R. O. Lymphoid cells recognize an alternatively spliced segment of fibronectin via the integrin receptor alpha 4 beta 1. Cell. 1990 Jan 12;60(1):53–61. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90715-q. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hemler M. E., Huang C., Schwarz L. The VLA protein family. Characterization of five distinct cell surface heterodimers each with a common 130,000 molecular weight beta subunit. J Biol Chem. 1987 Mar 5;262(7):3300–3309. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hynes R. O. Integrins: a family of cell surface receptors. Cell. 1987 Feb 27;48(4):549–554. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90233-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Marlor C. W., Webb D. L., Bombara M. P., Greve J. M., Blue M. L. Expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 in fibroblastlike synoviocytes after stimulation with tumor necrosis factor. Am J Pathol. 1992 May;140(5):1055–1060. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Meuer S. C., Hussey R. E., Fabbi M., Fox D., Acuto O., Fitzgerald K. A., Hodgdon J. C., Protentis J. P., Schlossman S. F., Reinherz E. L. An alternative pathway of T-cell activation: a functional role for the 50 kd T11 sheep erythrocyte receptor protein. Cell. 1984 Apr;36(4):897–906. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(84)90039-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pytela R., Pierschbacher M. D., Ginsberg M. H., Plow E. F., Ruoslahti E. Platelet membrane glycoprotein IIb/IIIa: member of a family of Arg-Gly-Asp--specific adhesion receptors. Science. 1986 Mar 28;231(4745):1559–1562. doi: 10.1126/science.2420006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ruoslahti E., Pierschbacher M. D. New perspectives in cell adhesion: RGD and integrins. Science. 1987 Oct 23;238(4826):491–497. doi: 10.1126/science.2821619. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shimizu Y., van Seventer G. A., Horgan K. J., Shaw S. Roles of adhesion molecules in T-cell recognition: fundamental similarities between four integrins on resting human T cells (LFA-1, VLA-4, VLA-5, VLA-6) in expression, binding, and costimulation. Immunol Rev. 1990 Apr;114:109–143. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-065x.1990.tb00563.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Sánchez-Madrid F., De Landázuri M. O., Morago G., Cebrián M., Acevedo A., Bernabeu C. VLA-3: a novel polypeptide association within the VLA molecular complex: cell distribution and biochemical characterization. Eur J Immunol. 1986 Nov;16(11):1343–1349. doi: 10.1002/eji.1830161106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Takada Y., Elices M. J., Crouse C., Hemler M. E. The primary structure of the alpha 4 subunit of VLA-4: homology to other integrins and a possible cell-cell adhesion function. EMBO J. 1989 May;8(5):1361–1368. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1989.tb03516.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Teixidó J., Parker C. M., Kassner P. D., Hemler M. E. Functional and structural analysis of VLA-4 integrin alpha 4 subunit cleavage. J Biol Chem. 1992 Jan 25;267(3):1786–1791. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Wayner E. A., Garcia-Pardo A., Humphries M. J., McDonald J. A., Carter W. G. Identification and characterization of the T lymphocyte adhesion receptor for an alternative cell attachment domain (CS-1) in plasma fibronectin. J Cell Biol. 1989 Sep;109(3):1321–1330. doi: 10.1083/jcb.109.3.1321. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Williams D. A., Rios M., Stephens C., Patel V. P. Fibronectin and VLA-4 in haematopoietic stem cell-microenvironment interactions. Nature. 1991 Aug 1;352(6334):438–441. doi: 10.1038/352438a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Yednock T. A., Cannon C., Fritz L. C., Sanchez-Madrid F., Steinman L., Karin N. Prevention of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by antibodies against alpha 4 beta 1 integrin. Nature. 1992 Mar 5;356(6364):63–66. doi: 10.1038/356063a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. van Seventer G. A., Newman W., Shimizu Y., Nutman T. B., Tanaka Y., Horgan K. J., Gopal T. V., Ennis E., O'Sullivan D., Grey H. Analysis of T cell stimulation by superantigen plus major histocompatibility complex class II molecules or by CD3 monoclonal antibody: costimulation by purified adhesion ligands VCAM-1, ICAM-1, but not ELAM-1. J Exp Med. 1991 Oct 1;174(4):901–913. doi: 10.1084/jem.174.4.901. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES