Abstract
Engagement of the T-cell receptor (TCR) in human primary T cells activates a cyclic AMP (cAMP)-protein kinase A (PKA)-Csk inhibitory pathway that prevents full T-cell activation in the absence of a coreceptor stimulus. Here, we demonstrate that stimulation of CD28 leads to recruitment to lipid rafts of a β-arrestin/phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) complex that serves to degrade cAMP locally. Redistribution of the complex from the cytosol depends on Lck and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) activity. Protein kinase B (PKB) interacts directly with β-arrestin to form part of the supramolecular complex together with sequestered PDE4. Translocation is mediated by the PKB plextrin homology (PH) domain, thus revealing a new role for PKB as an adaptor coupling PI3K and cAMP signaling. Functionally, PI3K activation and phosphatidylinositol-(3,4,5)-triphosphate (PIP3) production, leading to recruitment of the supramolecular PKB/β-arrestin/PDE4 complex to the membrane via the PKB PH domain, results in degradation of the TCR-induced cAMP pool located in lipid rafts, thereby allowing full T-cell activation to proceed.
We are grateful to J. Solheim, G. Tjørhom, O. Blingsmo, and G. Opsahl for excellent technical assistance.
This work was supported by grants from the Norwegian Functional Genomics Program, the Research Council of Norway, the Norwegian Cancer Society and European Union (grant no. LSHB-CT-2006-037189-thera-cAMP to K.T. and M.D.H.); by the Medical Research Council (United Kingdom) (grant G0600765 to M.D.H. and G.S.B.); and by the Fondation Leducq (grant 06CVD02 to M.D.H. and G.S.B.).