Age-related defects in moesin/ezrin cytoskeletal signals in mouse CD4 T cells

GG Garcia, AAS Akha, RA Miller - The Journal of Immunology, 2007 - journals.aai.org
GG Garcia, AAS Akha, RA Miller
The Journal of Immunology, 2007journals.aai.org
Cytoskeletal proteins of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family contribute to T cell activation
in response to Ag, and also to T cell polarization in response to connective tissue matrix
proteins and chemokine gradients. Previous work has shown that T cells from aged mice are
defective in their ability to develop molecular linkages between surface macromolecules and
the underlying cytoskeletal framework, both for proteins that move to the synapse and those
that are excluded from the site of T cell-APC interaction. T cells from aged mice also show …
Abstract
Cytoskeletal proteins of the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) family contribute to T cell activation in response to Ag, and also to T cell polarization in response to connective tissue matrix proteins and chemokine gradients. Previous work has shown that T cells from aged mice are defective in their ability to develop molecular linkages between surface macromolecules and the underlying cytoskeletal framework, both for proteins that move to the synapse and those that are excluded from the site of T cell-APC interaction. T cells from aged mice also show defective cytoskeletal rearrangements and lamellipodia formation when placed in contact with slides coated with Abs to the TCR/CD3 complex. In this study, we show that old CD4 T cells differ from young CD4 T cells in several aspects of ERM biochemistry, including ERM phosphorylation and ERM associations with CD44, CD43, and EBP50. In addition, CD4 T cells from aged mice show defects in the Rho GTPase activities known to control ERM function.
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