Phosphorylation of CD19 Y484 and Y515, and Linked Activation of Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase, Are Required for B Cell Antigen Receptor-Mediated Activation of Bruton’s Tyrosine Kinase

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) plays a critical role in B cell Ag receptor (BCR) signaling, as indicated by the X-linked immunodeficiency and X-linked agammaglobulinemia phenotypes of mice and men that express mutant forms of the kinase. Although Btk activity can be regulated by Src-family and Syk tyrosine kinases, and perhaps by phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate, BCR-coupled signaling pathways leading to Btk activation are poorly understood. In view of previous findings that CD19 is involved in BCR-mediated phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) activation, we assessed its role in Btk activation. Using a CD19 reconstituted myeloma model and CD19 gene-ablated animals we found that BCR-mediated Btk activation and phosphorylation are dependent on the expression of CD19, while BCR-mediated activation of Lyn and Syk is not. Wortmannin preincubation inhibited the BCR-mediated activation and phosphorylation of Btk. Btk activation was not rescued in the myeloma by expression of a CD19 mutant in which tyrosine residues previously shown to mediate CD19 interaction with PI3-K, Y484 and Y515, were changed to phenylalanine. Taken together, the data presented indicate that BCR aggregation-driven CD19 phosphorylation functions to promote Btk activation via recruitment and activation of PI3-K. Resultant phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate probably functions to localize Btk for subsequent phosphorylation and activation by Src and Syk family kinases.

Activation of Lyn, Blk, and Btk But Not Syk in CD72-Stimulated B Lymphocytes

CD72 is a B cell-specific glycoprotein that has been shown to be important for activation of mature B cells. Previously we showed that some of the early signaling events, such as calcium mobilization and phospholipase-γ activation, were similar in B cell Ag receptor (BCR)- and CD72-stimulated B cells and that BCR- but not CD72-mediated early signaling events were blocked by protein kinase A activation. The present report shows that CD72 ligation induces a variety of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins, most of which were of the same molecular mass as those seen in anti-IgM-treated B cells, except for a 72-kDa protein. Further analysis showed that the tyrosine kinases lyn and blk were activated in CD72-ligated B cells. Interestingly, the non-src kinase syk was not activated in CD72-stimulated cells whereas the tec family kinase btk was activated in both CD72- and BCR-stimulated B cells. Furthermore, B cells from xid mice were unresponsive to CD72-induced proliferation, indicating an essential role for btk in CD72-induced signaling events. Surprisingly, tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C-γ2 was normal in CD72-stimulated cells in spite of a lack of activation of syk. Furthermore, B cell proliferation through CD72 was blocked by the immunosuppressive agents cyclosporin A and FK506, indicating the important role for Ca2+-regulated activation events similar to BCR-stimulated cells. We propose that btk can substitute for syk in inducing phospholipase C-γ2 tyrosine phosphorylation and initiating calcium mobilization in CD72-stimulated B lymphocytes.