title: Cyclic adenosine 5'-monophosphate response element binding protein plays a central role in mediating proliferation and differentiation downstream of the pre-TCR complex in developing thymocytes.
abstract: The roles played by specific transcription factors during the regulation of early T cell development remain largely undefined. Several key genes induced during the primary checkpoint of T cell development, beta-selection, contain cAMP response element sites within their enhancer-promoter region that are regulated by CREB activation. In this study, we show that CREB is constitutively phosphorylated in the thymus, but not the spleen. We also show that CREB is activated downstream of the pre-TCR complex, and that the induction of CREB activity is regulated by protein kinase C alpha- and ERK-MAPK-mediated signals. We addressed the importance of this activation by expressing a naturally occurring inhibitor of CREB, inducible cAMP early repressor in wild-type fetal liver-derived lymphoid progenitor cells, and assessed their developmental potential. Fetal thymic organ cultures reconstituted with cells constitutively expressing inducible cAMP early repressor displayed a delay in generating CD4(+)CD8(+) thymocytes and a decrease in cellularity compared with control fetal thymic organ cultures. Taken together, our studies establish that CREB plays a central role in relaying proliferation and differentiation signals from the pre-TCR complex into the nucleus in developing thymocytes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Immunology, Infection, and Inflammation, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gillian C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Grady
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stephen
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Zúñiga-Pflücker
authors.forename: Alison M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Michie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D017637:Clonal Deletion; D051786:Cyclic AMP Response Element Modulator; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000502:physiology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008099:Liver / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D009928:Organ Specificity; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011493:Protein Kinase C / Q000378:metabolism; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha; D011499:Protein Processing, Post-Translational; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D012045:Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology* / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: C492004:Creb1 protein, mouse; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C090377:pre-T cell receptor alpha; D051786:Cyclic AMP Response Element Modulator; C496630:Prkca protein, mouse; D011493:Protein Kinase C; D051571:Protein Kinase C-alpha