| First Author | Fu G | Year | 2011 |
| Journal | Sci Signal | Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 202 | Pages | ra84 |
| PubMed ID | 22155788 | Mgi Jnum | J:186080 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5431010 | Doi | 10.1126/scisignal.2002058 |
| Citation | Fu G, et al. (2011) Protein kinase C eta is required for T cell activation and homeostatic proliferation. Sci Signal 4(202):ra84 |
| abstractText | Protein kinase C eta (PKCeta) is abundant in T cells and is recruited to the immunological synapse that is formed between a T cell and an antigen-presenting cell; however, its function in T cells is unknown. We showed that PKCeta was required for the activation of mature CD8+ T cells through the T cell receptor. Compared with wild-type T cells, PKCeta-/- T cells showed poor proliferation in response to antigen stimulation, a trait shared with T cells deficient in PKCtheta, which is the most abundant PKC isoform in T cells and was thought to be the only PKC isoform with a specific role in T cell activation. In contrast, only PKCeta-deficient T cells showed defective homeostatic proliferation, which requires self-antigen recognition. PKCeta was dispensable for thymocyte development; however, thymocytes from mice doubly deficient in PKCeta and PKCtheta exhibited poor development, indicating some redundancy between the PKC isoforms. Deficiency in PKCeta or PKCtheta had opposing effects on the relative numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. PKCeta-/- mice had a higher ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ T cells compared to that of wild-type mice, whereas PKCtheta-/- mice had a lower ratio. Mice deficient in both isoforms exhibited normal cell ratios. Together, these data suggest that PKCeta shares some redundant roles with PKCtheta in T cell biology and also performs nonredundant functions that are required for T cell homeostasis and activation. |
