Regulation of Syk activity by antiviral adaptor MAVS in FcεRI signaling pathway

Abstract

Background: Mast cells are the major effector cell type for IgE-mediated allergic reactions. Recent studies revealed a role for mast cells in orchestrating the host response to viral infections.

Objective: We studied the relationship between FcεRI (high-affinity IgE receptor) and RIG-I-like receptor (RLR)-mediated antiviral signaling pathways.

Methods: Mast cells (BMMCs) were cultured from bone marrow cells from mice deficient in MAVS or other RLR signaling molecules. MAVS expression was restored by retroviral transduction of MAVS-deficient BMMCs. These cells were stimulated with IgE and antigen and their activation (degranulation and cytokine production/secretion) was quantified. FcεRI-mediated signaling events such as protein phosphorylation and Ca²⁺ flux were analyzed by western blotting and enzyme assays. WT and mutant mice as well as mast cell-deficient Kit^W-sh/W-sh mice engrafted with BMMCs were subjected to passive cutaneous anaphylaxis.

Results: Unexpectedly, we found that mast cells devoid of the adaptor molecule MAVS exhibit dramatically increased cytokine production upon FcεRI stimulation, despite near-normal degranulation. Consistent with these observations, MAVS inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation, thus catalytic activity of Syk kinase, the key signaling molecule for FcεRI-mediated mast cell activation. By contrast, mast cells deficient in RIG-I, MDA5 or IRF3, which are antiviral receptor and signaling molecules upstream or downstream of MAVS, exhibited reduced or normal mast cell activation. MAVS-deficient mice showed enhanced late-phase responses in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the adaptor MAVS in the RLR innate immune pathway uniquely intersects with the adaptive immune FcεRI signaling pathway.

Keywords: FcεRI; IRF3; IgE; MDA5; RIG-I; antiviral signaling; mast cells.