Mechanism of Activation-Induced Downregulation of Mitofusin 2 in Human Peripheral Blood T Cells

J Immunol. 2015 Dec 15;195(12):5780-6. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1501023. Epub 2015 Nov 13.

Abstract

Mitofusin 2 (Mfn2), a mitochondrial protein, was shown to have antiproliferative properties when overexpressed. In this article, we show that activation of resting human peripheral blood T cells caused downregulation of Mfn2 levels. This downregulation of Mfn2 was blocked by different inhibitors (mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, PI3K inhibitor LY294002, and Akt inhibitor A443654), producing cells that were arrested in the G0/G1 stage of the cell cycle. Furthermore, the activation-induced downregulation of Mfn2 preceded the entry of the cells into the cell cycle, suggesting that Mfn2 downregulation is a prerequisite for activated T cell entry into the cell cycle. Accordingly, small interfering RNA-mediated knockdown of Mfn2 resulted in increased T cell proliferation. Overexpression of constitutively active AKT resulted in the downregulation of Mfn2, which can be blocked by a proteasome inhibitor. Akt-mediated downregulation of Mfn2 was via the mTORC1 pathway because this downregulation was blocked by rapamycin, and overexpression of wild-type, but not kinase-dead mTOR, caused Mfn2 downregulation. Our data suggested that activation-induced reactive oxygen species production plays an important role in the downregulation of Mfn2. Collectively, our data suggest that the PI3K-AKT-mTOR pathway plays an important role in activation-induced downregulation of Mfn2 and subsequent proliferation of resting human T cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Cell Cycle / genetics
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / genetics
  • Chromones / pharmacology
  • Down-Regulation / drug effects
  • Down-Regulation / genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / genetics
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Indazoles / pharmacology
  • Indoles / pharmacology
  • Leukocytes, Mononuclear / immunology*
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / genetics
  • Mitochondrial Proteins / metabolism*
  • Morpholines / pharmacology
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • RNA, Small Interfering / genetics
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / genetics
  • Sirolimus / pharmacology
  • T-Lymphocytes / drug effects
  • T-Lymphocytes / physiology*
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism

Substances

  • A 443654
  • Chromones
  • Indazoles
  • Indoles
  • Mitochondrial Proteins
  • Morpholines
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one
  • MTOR protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • MFN2 protein, human
  • Sirolimus