CD47 plays a critical role in T-cell recruitment by regulation of LFA-1 and VLA-4 integrin adhesive functions

Mol Biol Cell. 2013 Nov;24(21):3358-68. doi: 10.1091/mbc.E13-01-0063. Epub 2013 Sep 4.

Abstract

CD47 plays an important but incompletely understood role in the innate and adaptive immune responses. CD47, also called integrin-associated protein, has been demonstrated to associate in cis with β1 and β3 integrins. Here we test the hypothesis that CD47 regulates adhesive functions of T-cell α4β1 (VLA-4) and αLβ2 (LFA-1) in in vivo and in vitro models of inflammation. Intravital microscopy studies reveal that CD47(-/-) Th1 cells exhibit reduced interactions with wild-type (WT) inflamed cremaster muscle microvessels. Similarly, murine CD47(-/-) Th1 cells, as compared with WT, showed defects in adhesion and transmigration across tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-activated murine endothelium and in adhesion to immobilized intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion protein 1 (VCAM-1) under flow conditions. Human Jurkat T-cells lacking CD47 also showed reduced adhesion to TNF-α-activated endothelium and ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. In cis interactions between Jurkat T-cell β2 integrins and CD47 were detected by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy. Unexpectedly, Jurkat CD47 null cells exhibited a striking defect in β1 and β2 integrin activation in response to Mn(2+) or Mg(2+)/ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid treatment. Our results demonstrate that CD47 associates with β2 integrins and is necessary to induce high-affinity conformations of LFA-1 and VLA-4 that recognize their endothelial cell ligands and support leukocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • CD47 Antigen / genetics
  • CD47 Antigen / immunology*
  • CD47 Antigen / metabolism
  • Cell Adhesion / immunology
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Endothelial Cells / drug effects
  • Endothelial Cells / immunology
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunoblotting
  • Integrin alpha4beta1 / immunology*
  • Integrin alpha4beta1 / metabolism
  • Jurkat Cells
  • Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / immunology*
  • Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Protein Binding / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Transendothelial and Transepithelial Migration / immunology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / immunology
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / pharmacology

Substances

  • CD47 Antigen
  • Integrin alpha4beta1
  • Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1
  • Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha