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  • Protein kinase C-[eta] cont...
    Kong, Kok-Fai; Fu, Guo; Zhang, Yaoyang; Yokosuka, Tadashi; Casas, Javier; Canonigo-Balancio, Ann J; Becart, Stephane; Kim, Gisen; Yates, John R., III; Kronenberg, Mitchell; Saito, Takashi; Gascoigne, Nicholas R.J; Altman, Amnon

    Nature immunology, 05/2014, Volume: 15, Issue: 5
    Journal Article

    Regulatory T (Treg) cells, which maintain immune homeostasis and self-tolerance, form an immunological synapse (IS) with antigen-presenting cells (APCs). However, signaling events at the Treg cell IS remain unknown. Here we show that the kinase PKC-η associated with CTLA-4 and was recruited to the Treg cell IS. PKC-η-deficient Treg cells displayed defective suppressive activity, including suppression of tumor immunity but not of autoimmune colitis. Phosphoproteomic and biochemical analysis revealed an association between CTLA-4-PKC-η and the GIT2-αPIX-PAK complex, an IS-localized focal adhesion complex. Defective activation of this complex in PKC-η-deficient Treg cells was associated with reduced depletion of CD86 from APCs by Treg cells. These results reveal a CTLA-4-PKC-η signaling axis required for contact-dependent suppression and implicate this pathway as a potential cancer immunotherapy target.