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J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 283, Issue 29, 20181-20185, July 18, 2008
Selenoproteins Mediate T Cell Immunity through an Antioxidant Mechanism*
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| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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Many of the physiological roles of selenium are thought to be derived from selenium-containing proteins (selenoproteins) (1). Selenium makes its way into protein as selenocysteine (Sec),3 the 21st amino acid in the genetic code, which is decoded by UGA (5, 6). Although numerous studies have elucidated various aspects of the incorporation of Sec into protein (5–7), the complete biosynthesis of this amino acid on its tRNA in eukaryotes and archaea was only determined recently (8).
One of the principal activities of selenoproteins is related to scavenging physiological oxidants and thereby protecting redox-sensitive biological processes (9). Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and other forms of oxidants have long been considered deleterious byproducts of mitochondrial and endosomal metabolic activities. However, their regulatory roles in cellular signaling have begun to be unveiled in the study of growth factor-stimulated cells (10, 11). The effects of selenium on immunity and other aspects of human health may be achieved through selenoprotein action in ROS regulation. In this paper, we describe our study focused on the function of selenoproteins in T cell development and activation and propose a model wherein their antioxidant activity links selenium to T cell immunity.
| EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
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trspT Mice—A C57BL/6 mouse line carrying floxed trsp (trspfl/fl, designated as the control) was described previously (12). A transgenic C57BL/6 line carrying the LckCre transgene (13) was from The Jackson Laboratory. These lines were mated to obtain
trspT mice. The maintenance and care of all mice were in accordance with the National Institutes of Health institutional guidelines. 75S Labeling and Analysis of Selenoproteins—Mice were injected with 50 µCi of 75Se/g and sacrificed after 24 h. T cells were isolated (see below) and lysed; the resulting protein extractions were electrophoresed on gels; and the gels were stained with Coomassie Blue R-250, vacuum-dried, and exposed to a PhosphorImager as described (12, 14).
Isolation and Analysis of T Cells—CD3+ T cells were purified by negative selection using the Mouse T Cell Negative Isolation Kit (Dynal). Cell purity and marker expression (CD3, CD4, CD8, and IL-2R
) were determined by flow cytometry using fluorescence-conjugated antibodies and a FACScan (BD Biosciences).
T Cell Activation—1 x 106 T cells were placed into 96-well plates in triplicate and stimulated with 10 µg/ml each anti-mouse CD3
(145-2C11) and anti-CD28 (37.51) antibodies (BD Biosciences). Culture supernatants were assayed for IL-2 production using the Searchlight Assay (Pierce). To measure cell proliferation, cells were pulsed with 1 µCi/well of [3H]thymidine at various time points after T cell receptor (TCR) stimulation, and the amount of [3H]thymidine incorporation was measured in a scintillation counter. Cells were preincubated with NAC (Sigma) in some experiments as described under "Results".
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Antibody Response in Vivo—Mice were immunized with 100 µg of NP-OVA (Biosearch Technologies). NP-specific immunoglobulin levels were determined in all serum samples (diluted 1:100) by standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on NP-bovine serum albumin-coated plates.
| RESULTS |
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trspT), exhibited trsp deletion, whereas other non-lymphoid tissues did not (Fig. 1A). Northern blot analysis of Sec RNA[Ser]Sec in purified T cells showed that trsp ablation resulted in the loss of this tRNA (Fig. 1B), whereas Western blot analysis of glutathione peroxidase 1, which is among the selenoproteins highly expressed in T cells (see below), showed that this selenoprotein was virtually absent in T cells of
trspT mice (Fig. 1C). To further examine selenoprotein expression in T cells, control (genotype trspfl/fl) and
trspT mice were labeled with 75Se, the T cells were isolated from thymus, and labeled selenoproteins were examined by gel electrophoresis. The level of 75Se-labeled selenoproteins was substantially reduced in T cells from the
trspT mouse as compared with the corresponding control cells (Fig. 1D). The pattern of labeling is similar to that observed in human T cells wherein the various selenoproteins were identified (14).
Analysis of Lymphoid Organs and T Cell Differentiation in
trspT Mice—We examined thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes of
trspT mice and found that they exhibited moderate to severe atrophy compared with their control counterparts; the mass and cellularity of the thymus, spleen, and lymph nodes were decreased to varying extents ranging between 50 and 80% of those of control organs. We further investigated the T cell population of
trspT lymphoid organs by flow cytometry. The level of CD4/CD8 double positive cells was slightly higher, and those of single positive CD4+ and CD8+ cells were significantly less in the
trspT thymocytes relative to control thymocytes (Fig. 2A). CD4- and CD8- thymocytes were unaffected by selenoprotein loss. We next examined splenic T cells in control and
trspT mice. The CD3+ population in
trspT splenocytes was about 50% as compared with that in control splenocytes (Fig. 2B), suggesting that trsp deficiency brings about a reduction in the mature and functional pool of T cells in lymphoid tissues. The relative fraction of CD4+ cells among the CD3+ population in
trspT spleen was similar to that in control spleen (Fig. 2C). However, it should be noted that the absolute numbers of splenic CD3+ and CD4+ cells in
trspT mice are lower than in control mice at ratios similar to those of thymic CD4+ cells (Fig. 2A). The CD8+ T cell subpopulation was more substantially reduced in the same
trspT CD3+ splenocytes. The partial loss of functional T cells, particularly CD8+ T cells, that results from T cell-specific selenoprotein deficiency may affect the responsiveness of the immune system to external as well as self antigens.
It is unclear at present how T cell-specific trsp deficiency leads to defects in the development and/or maintenance of mature T cell populations. Nonetheless, the decrease in the CD8+ T cell population in
trspT mice may result in inadequate cytotoxic T cell immunity. Of note, several studies showed that selenium deficiency in diet, a condition that also causes loss or reduction of selenoprotein function, exacerbates viral pathogenesis and impairs antiviral immunity (19, 20).
Activation of Selenoprotein-deficient T Cells by T Cell Receptor Signaling—Antigenic stimulation of the TCR-CD3 complex induces proliferation and functional activation of T cells. These responses are greatly potentiated by concomitant activation of costimulatory receptors such as CD28. To test whether TCR-triggered responses require selenoprotein function, T cells were purified from control and
trspT lymph nodes and were cultured in the presence of anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies, a condition that mimics TCR and costimulatory receptor activation. We first investigated the ability of the T cells to proliferate in response to TCR activation by measuring the rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation. Control T cells that were incubated with anti-CD3 antibody alone or together with anti-CD28 antibody showed greatly enhanced levels of proliferation compared with unstimulated cells. The TCR-induced proliferation of T cells from
trspT lymph nodes was dramatically lower under the same conditions (Fig. 3A). We also examined splenic T cells from control and
trspT mice and obtained similar results (data not shown; also see Fig. 4B). Therefore, selenoprotein expression in T cells appears to be crucial for their ability to proliferate in response to TCR stimulation.
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trspT mice following CD3/CD28 stimulation. Both groups of T cells produced similar amounts of IL-2 in response to TCR activation (Fig. 3B). The IL-2R induction, on the other hand, occurred to a much lesser extent in T cells lacking trsp (Fig. 3C). Therefore, we expect that selenoproteins in activated T cells function to enhance their IL-2 responsiveness. TCR is coupled to multiple intracellular signaling modules. It was shown that the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK links TCR activation to T cell proliferation (21). We therefore analyzed ERK activation in T cells in response to CD3/CD28 stimulation. T cells from control but not
trspT mice showed rapid appearance of the active (phosphorylated) forms of ERK following treatment with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies (Fig. 3D).
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trspT mice with NP-OVA, an antigen that elicits antibody production in a T cell-dependent fashion. At different time points after immunization, the serum levels of antigen-specific immunoglobulins were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Regardless of the immunoglobulin classes, the serum levels of antigen-specific antibodies were poorly raised in
trspT mice (Fig. 3E). This in vivo finding reveals a link between selenoprotein loss and defective T cell immunity in mice.
A Role for Reactive Oxygen Species in the Impaired Proliferation of Selenoprotein-deficient T Cells—Many selenoproteins serve as antioxidant enzymes and possess Sec residues at their catalytic center. Such selenoenzymes eliminate ROS within and outside the cell and thereby protect ROS-sensitive molecular events against oxidative inactivation. It was shown that TCR activation leads to rapid production of ROS (15) and also that an NADPH oxidase is involved in this process (16). Most importantly, ROS production in TCR-stimulated cells was found to inhibit ERK signaling in T cells (17). These pieces of information prompted us to test whether selenoprotein-deficient T cells produce higher ROS than control cells and, if so, how this relates to T cell defects in
trspT mice.
We first determined the level of basal and TCR-stimulated ROS generation by labeling cells with cell-permeant, oxidation-sensitive DCFDA dye. Intriguingly, DCFDA oxidation due to ROS generation occurred at higher rates in T cells from
trspT mice than in control cells even without TCR stimulation (Fig. 4A). TCR stimulation resulted in increased ROS production in control T cells up to a level comparable with that of basal ROS production in trsp-deficient T cells (Fig. 4A). T cells from
trspT mice did not show further increases in ROS production upon TCR stimulation. These data suggest that selenoproteins are indeed important for suppressing ROS production in T cells. Therefore, loss of selenoprotein function may render T cells defective in TCR-induced and ROS-sensitive responses.
The action of endogenously produced ROS can be blocked by pharmacological antioxidants such as NAC. We tested whether NAC can reverse the effect of selenoprotein deficiency in T cells. Incubation of trsp-deficient T cells with NAC restored the ability of the cell to proliferate in response to TCR stimulation (Fig. 4B). NAC also increases the proliferation response of control T cells. However, NAC alone did not induce T cell proliferation (Fig. 4B). Taken together, these findings indicate that selenoproteins are critically required for limiting ROS production in T cells and thus preventing ROS-mediated suppression of T cell activation.
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| DISCUSSION |
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It was previously shown that dietary selenium deprivation in mice led to reductions in T cell marker expression in muscle (22) and T cell proliferation (23). Intriguingly, replenishment of selenium reversed those changes in both studies. Furthermore, selenium supplementation has been found to be an effective treatment in delaying the progression of viral replication and boosting host defense in immunocompromised patients (19, 20). The data presented in this report provide first-hand molecular evidence that selenoproteins indeed have essential and non-redundant functions in T cell immunity. Our
trspT mouse model can open up new horizons of research in immune regulation by dietary trace elements and antioxidants.
| FOOTNOTES |
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The on-line version of this article (available at http://www.jbc.org) contains supplemental "Experimental Procedures," Fig. S1, Table 1, and references. ![]()
1 To whom correspondence may be addressed. Tel.: 617-643-2328; Fax: 617-726-4453; E-mail: jmpark{at}cbrc2.mgh.harvard.edu. 2 To whom correspondence may be addressed. Tel.: 301-496-2797; Fax: 301-435-4957; E-mail: hatfield{at}mail.nih.gov.
3 The abbreviations used are: Sec, selenocysteine; ROS, reactive oxygen species; IL, interleukin; TCR, T cell receptor; ERK, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; DCFDA, dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate; NAC, N-acetyl cysteine; NP, 4-hydroxy-3-nitrophenyl; OVA, ovalbumin. ![]()
| REFERENCES |
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