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Interleukin-2 Receptor Signaling in Regulatory T Cell
Development and Homeostasis
Matthew A. Burchill, Jianying Yang, Kieng B. Vang, and Michael A. Farrar1
Center for Immunology, The Cancer Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology,
University of Minnesota, 312 Church Street SE, 6-116 Nils Hasselmo Hall, Minneapolis, MN 55455
USA
Abstract
Interleukin-2 (IL2) was initially identified from supernatants of activated lymphocytes over 30 years
ago [1]. In the ensuing 15 years, the cDNAs for both IL2 and the three chains of the interleukin-2
receptor (IL2R) were cloned [2–7]. Subsequently, many of the downstream biochemical pathways
activated by the IL2 receptor complex were identified [8] and the structure of IL2 bound to this
tripartite receptor complex was solved [9]. Thus, we now have a very good understanding of how
each chain contributes to high affinity IL2 binding and signal transduction [10,11]. In contrast, over
the past 30 years the role that IL2 plays in regulating lymphocyte function has involved many
surprising twists and turns. For example, IL2 has been shown, paradoxically, to regulate both
lymphocyte proliferation and lymphocyte death. In this review, we briefly outline the original
findings suggesting a role for IL2 as a T cell growth factor, as well as subsequent studies pointing
to its function as an initiator of Activation-induced Cell Death, but then focus on the newly
appreciated role for IL2 and IL2R signaling in the development and homeostasis of regulatory T
cells.
Interleukin-2 plays an important role in multiple aspects of T cell biology. Binding of IL2 to
its receptor was initially demonstrated to be critical for inducing the proliferation of T cells in
vitro [12]. Subsequent studies demonstrated that IL2R signaling leads to the activation of many
genes associated with cell proliferation such as c-myc and fos [13]. These findings led to the
idea that signaling via the IL2R complex would be critical for mounting effective immune
responses in vivo and established IL2 as a T cell growth factor. However, the concept of IL2
as a critical factor required for T cell proliferation was essentially overturned in the early 1990s
when mice lacking the IL2 gene were first developed. The initial characterization of these mice
demonstrated that in vitro proliferation of ConA-stimulated IL2−/− T cells was impaired, but
much more modestly than one would have predicted, suggesting the presence of alternative T
cell growth factors [14]. It also was readily apparent that in vivo, T cell proliferation was clearly
not impaired; IL2−/− mice exhibited massive lympho-proliferation resulting in splenomegaly
and lymphoadenopathy. In addition, IL2−/− mice rapidly developed signs of autoimmunity
including, most prominently, a disease resembling ulcerative colitis [15]. These autoimmune
manifestations ultimately resulted in death of 100% of IL2−/− mice between 12–25 weeks of
age. The reasons for this surprising onset of autoimmunity were at first unclear, but one
potential explanation was provided by Michael Leonardo who demonstrated that IL2 plays an
important role in sensitizing T cells for Activation-induced cell death [16]. When mice lacking
the IL2Rα or IL2Rβ chain were generated, they too exhibited multi-organ autoimmune disease
1Address Correspondence to M.A.F., farra005@tc.umn.edu, 612-625-0401 (tel.), 612-625-2199 (fax).
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Author Manuscript
Immunol Lett. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2008 November 30.
Published in final edited form as:
Immunol Lett. 2007 November 30; 114(1): 1–8.
NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript
resulting in early death [17,18]. Moreover, examination of IL2Rα−/− mice demonstrated a
significant defect in activation-induced cell death [17] suggesting that the primary mechanism
that accounted for deregulated T cell homeostasis, and the onset of autoimmunity, was a failure
of IL2-induced T cell death.
The data suggesting that IL2 prevents autoimmunity via an effect on activation-induced cell
death was compelling. However, new discoveries regarding a novel subset of CD4+ T cells
began to shed doubt on whether the failure of IL2-induced T cell death was sufficient to account
for the defects seen in IL2 deficient mice. Specifically, in the mid 1990s Sakaguchi and
colleagues identified a population of CD4+ T cells that expressed high levels of CD25 and
potently suppressed the proliferation of activated T cells in vitro. Moreover, they found that
injection of CD4+CD25− T cells into T-cell depleted host mice rapidly induced autoimmune
disease; importantly, disease could be prevented or even reversed by the transfer of CD4+CD25
+ T cells [19]. These studies established CD4+CD25+ T cells as the elusive suppressor T cells,
more commonly referred to now as regulatory T cells (or Tregs), that were initially proposed
over 35 years ago [20,21]. The discovery of this novel T cell subset characterized by high level
IL2R expression, in conjunction with the observation that IL2−/− and IL2Rβ−/− mice lacked
CD4+CD25+ T cells, suggested that IL2-dependent signals were required for either Treg
development, homeostasis, or function. Subsequent studies aimed at identifying genes involved
in autoimmune disease have found distinct alleles of IL2 or IL2Rα associated with
autoimmunity and defects in Tregs. For example, the insulin-dependent diabetes susceptibility
locus 3 (idd3) in the NOD mouse has been shown to map to the IL2 gene; importantly, Tregs
from susceptible mice were found to have decreased regulatory T cell function [22]. Likewise,
the idd4 locus in NOD mice has been suggested to map to alterations in the downstream IL2
effector STAT5 [23]. Finally, studies of human diabetes, multiple sclerosis and Graves’ Disease
have been mapped to distinct alleles for IL2Rα [24–26]. These observations led to an explosive
interest in regulatory T cells resulting in significant insights to all aspects of Treg biology. In
the ensuing few pages we will specifically focus on the role IL2 plays in the differentiation
and homeostasis of so-called natural Tregs that develop in the thymus.
Role of IL2 in the Development of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+Tregs
Seminal studies from three separate labs eventually established that the critical defect in IL2-
or IL2R-deficient mice resulted from the absence of functional Tregs [27–30]. Compellingly,
Malek and colleagues demonstrated that transfer of limited numbers of CD4+CD25+ T cells
into IL2Rβ−/− mice prevented autoimmune disease. These findings clearly demonstrated that
the defect in IL2Rβ−/− mice was not cell autonomous, but rather due to the absence of a
functional Treg population [28]. These studies pointed to a critical role for the IL2R in Treg
biology. However, whether the effect of the IL2R was on Treg development, homeostasis, or
function remained unclear and has been quite controversial.
Malek and colleagues initially proposed that the IL2R was uniquely required for Treg
development. Specifically, they developed a transgenic mouse model in which transcription
of the IL2Rβ-chain was driven by the lck-proximal promoter, resulting in a thymic-restricted
expression pattern. Crossing this transgene onto the IL2Rβ−/− background restored a
population of CD4+CD25+ T cells in the thymus and periphery that suppressed
lymphoproliferation and the lethal autoimmune disease normally observed in IL2Rβ−/− mice
[31]. These findings suggested that IL2Rβ-dependent signals were required for Treg
development in the thymus, but were dispensable for their homeostasis and function in the
periphery. Subsequent studies in which neutralizing antibodies to IL2 were injected into
neonatal mice demonstrated a reduction in numbers of CD4+CD25+ Tregs in the thymus
[32], further supporting a role for IL2 in Treg development. In contrast, work by LaFaille and
colleagues demonstrated that both splenocytes and purified CD4+CD8− thymocytes from IL2
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−/− mice could suppress the induction of disease in a mouse model of EAE [33]. This effect
was not observed when CD4+ T cells were obtained from IL2Rα−/− mice. These studies
indicated that there is a population of CD4+ T cells in both the thymus and spleen of IL2−/−
mice that can exert regulatory activity when IL2 is restored. The initial explanation for these
findings was that IL2 was required for Treg function. However, an alternative possibility was
that IL2 was required for Treg homeostasis and that potentially reduced numbers of Tregs
found in IL2−/− mice were rapidly expanded following transfer into IL2-competent host mice.
Thus, early studies on the role of IL2 and the IL2R in Treg development led to apparently
contradictory findings.
A major problem with the initial studies on the role of IL2 in Treg development was the use
of CD25 as a surrogate marker for this cell population. Although relatively selective, CD25 is
also upregulated on activated effector T cells [34]. Moreover, it was not clear whether all Tregs
would be found within the CD25+ subset of CD4+ T cells. To more accurately dissect the role
of IL2 in Treg biology, a unique marker was needed that could be utilized to track developing
regulatory T cells in the thymus and mature Tregs in the periphery. Recent pioneering work
by several groups identified a member of the forkhead-box family of transcription factors called
Foxp3 which fulfills such a role. Specifically, the naturally occurring scurfy mouse mutant,
which develops lethal multi-organ autoimmune disease, was found to have mutations in the
foxp3 gene that were predicted to disrupt Foxp3 function; restoration of wild type Foxp3 in
these mice prevented disease [35]. Likewise, the genetic defect in human patients suffering
from the autoimmune disease IPEX (immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy,
X-linked) were found to stem from mutations in the human foxp3 gene [36,37]. Subsequent
studies by the Ramsdell, Rudensky and Sakaguchi labs independently demonstrated that Foxp3
was both necessary and sufficient for Treg development [38–40]. Importantly, these studies
also established Foxp3 as a unique marker for Tregs in the mouse. More recently, the Rudensky
and Flavell labs generated mouse models in which cells that express Foxp3 can be directly
identified using the fluorescent proteins GFP or DsRed respectively [41,42]. Using these mouse
models and recent advances in intracellular flow cytometry for Foxp3, the controversial role
of IL2 and IL2R signaling in Treg development and homeostasis is beginning to be clarified.
Using a Foxp3-GFP fusion knock-in mouse model Fontenot et al observed that CD4+Foxp3+
cells were clearly present in IL2−/− mice, although they failed to express CD25. Identical
results were obtained in IL2Rα−/− mice. In both IL2−/− and IL2Rα−/− mice, numbers of thymic
Tregs in young animals were slightly reduced (~2-fold) while peripheral Tregs were present
in relatively normal numbers [43]. Similar conclusions were simultaneously reached by D’Cruz
and Klein using a transgenic TCR system and intracellular staining for Foxp3 protein. In these
studies, they found that thymic selection into the Treg lineage was not impaired in IL2−/− mice,
but the peripheral maintenance of these cells was dramatically affected [44]. Although the
studies by Fontenot et al and D’Cruz and Klein appeared to contradict the original findings of
Malek and colleagues regarding the role of IL2Rβ in Treg development, more recent work
examining Tregs in IL2Rβ−/− mice appears to have resolved this discrepancy. Specifically,
using intracellular staining for Foxp3 we too have found that young IL2−/− and IL2Rα−/− mice
have relatively normal numbers of thymic and peripheral Tregs. In contrast, mice in which
IL2Rβ signaling is disrupted have a more dramatic defect in the population of regulatory T
cells in the thymus and secondary lymphoid organs [45]. Similar results using IL2Rβ−/− mice
have recently been obtained by Ziegler and colleagues [46]. To examine this in more detail,
we generated IL2−/− x IL15−/− mice and observed that they had a comparable decrease in
regulatory T cell numbers to that seen in IL2Rβ−/− mice [45]. These results demonstrate that
IL2 and IL15 act as redundant factors, which are both capable of regulating Treg development
via interactions involving the IL2Rβ chain. Importantly, these results provide an explanation
for the earlier apparently discrepant findings of Malek and Lafaille. Namely, IL2 by itself is
not required for Treg development due to the redundant role of IL15. However, the IL2Rβ
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chain is required for efficient Treg development as it is a critical component of both the IL2
and IL15 receptors. Finally, it is important to point out that other γc-dependent cytokines, such
as IL7, may allow for inefficient Treg development. This is based on the observation that while
IL2Rβ−/− mice show a clear reduction in Tregs in both the thymus and peripheral lymphoid
organs, a residual population of these cells can still be seen. In contrast, γc−/− mice are devoid
of Tregs [43,45]. Taken together, these studies illustrate a predominant role for the IL2Rβ chain
in driving the development of Tregs.
Role of IL2 in the Homeostasis of CD4+Foxp3+ Tregs
The initial findings that thymic restricted expression of the IL2Rβ chain was sufficient to
restore peripheral Treg numbers suggested that IL2Rβ-dependent signals might not be required
for homeostasis of peripheral Tregs [31]. A potential caveat to these studies was the observation
that the IL2Rβ transgene was weakly expressed in peripheral T cells. IL2Rβ expression levels
were sufficient for the induction of very transient STAT5 activation but, importantly, did not
induce clear biological responses [47]. Perhaps more tellingly, when regulatory T cells from
these mice were transferred into IL2Rβ−/− mice (which lack Tregs but do produce IL2) they
did not survive nor did they prevent autoimmunity [28]. Subsequent studies found that mature
Tregs in mice expressing the thymic-restricted IL2Rβ chain proliferated poorly when compared
to WT Tregs. Mixed bone marrow chimera experiments, in which the ability of cells expressing
the thymic-restricted IL2Rβ chain versus WT cells were compared, were also carried out. In
those studies, cells expressing the thymic restricted IL2Rβ chain contributed well to the thymic
Treg compartment but were not effective at repopulating peripheral lymphoid organs when
compared to WT Tregs [48]. Taken together, these studies suggested that IL2Rβ-dependent
signals are required for homeostasis of Tregs as well.
A remaining question is whether IL2, as opposed to the IL2R (which can bind both IL2 and
IL15), is also required for Treg homeostasis. As mentioned above, relatively normal numbers
of Tregs are found in both IL2−/− and IL2Rα−/− mice indicating that IL2 may not be critical
for Treg homeostasis [43–45]. In addition, purified Tregs injected into rag2−/− mice underwent
homeostatic proliferation that was not affected by IL2 neutralization, indicating that under
lymphopenic conditions IL2 is not critical for Treg homeostasis [49]. However, it is important
to note that Tregs do disappear in older IL2−/− and IL2Rα−/− mice (>8 weeks of age).
Furthermore, gene microarray studies comparing Tregs from WT and IL2−/− mice suggested
that IL2 plays a predominant role in regulating metabolic activity and survival of Tregs [43].
Supporting these findings, Setoguchi et al carried out studies in which they injected Balb/c
mice with IL2 neutralizing antibodies. In these studies they found a modest reduction of CD4
+CD25+ T cells in the thymus, but a profound reduction in CD4+CD25+ T cells in secondary
lymphoid organs such as the spleen and lymph nodes. Furthermore, this reduction of CD4
+CD25+ T cells resulted in the spontaneous induction of autoimmune gastritis in BALB/c
mice; similarly, IL2 neutralization in NOD mice led to an exacerbation of the diabetes
phenotype that naturally develops in these animals [49]. We have obtained similar results when
injecting neutralizing IL2 antibodies into C57Bl/6 mice; peripheral CD4+Foxp3+ Treg
numbers were clearly reduced. Importantly, however, we found that this treatment only
affected the CD4+CD25+ subset of Tregs, suggesting that other cytokines may play a role in
maintaining homeostasis of CD4+CD25−Foxp3+ Tregs (MAB and MAF, unpublished
observations). Taken together we believe the available data suggest a model (Fig. 1) in which
IL2 plays a critical role in governing normal homeostasis of Tregs. This most likely reflects
the downregulation of the IL7Rα [50,51] and IL15Rα chain (KBV and MAF, submitted) on
mature Tregs, which renders them more dependent on IL2 for survival and expansion.
Importantly, we have found that Tregs in IL2−/−mice have upregulated expression of both the
IL15Rα and IL7Rα chains (KBV and MAF, submitted); this most likely accounts for the ability
of Tregs to survive (at least initially) in IL2−/− mice. Likewise, under lymphopenic conditions,
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IL15 and IL7 appear to be sufficient to maintain Treg homeostasis [49]. However, in wild type
mice, in which Tregs express very low levels of the IL7Rα and IL15Rα chains and thus compete
quite poorly with naïve and effector T cell subsets for endogenous IL7 and IL15, homeostasis
of Tregs is predominately governed by IL2.
IL2R Signaling and Tregs
The IL2 receptor-signaling complex is composed of three distinct subunits, the α-chain (CD25),
β-chain (CD122), and γ-chain (CD132) each of which have unique roles in facilitating IL2-
dependent signal transduction. The IL2Rα chain has a very short cytoplasmic domain and does
not transmit intracellular signals [52]. Instead, IL2Rα acts to confer high affinity binding of
IL2 to the IL2R complex (Kd for IL2Rβ/γ c = 10−9 M versus 10−11 M for the IL2Rα/β/γc
tripartite receptor)[10,34]. In contrast, the IL2Rβ and γc chains play the predominate role in
transducing intracellular signals. Neither of these chains has intrinsic enzymatic function;
rather, they associate with the intracellular tyrosine kinases Jak1 and Jak3, respectively [53–
56]. Ligand binding results in the activation of Jak1 and Jak3 which then phosphorylate
multiple tyrosine residues found in the cytoplasmic tail of the IL2Rβ chain [57]. Therefore,
the primary component of the IL2R complex that functions to convert extracellular ligand
binding into intracellular signals is the IL2Rβ chain.
Taniguchi and colleagues first identified three distinct regions of the IL2Rβ-chain that were
critical for IL2-dependent signal transduction using expression of mutant IL2 receptor
constructs in the mouse pro-B cell line BAF-BO3 [58]. These regions include a serine rich
region, an acidic region, and a carboxy-terminal region, referred to as the S, A, and H regions,
respectively (Fig. 2). Numerous studies have shown that the primary role of the S-region in
IL2R signaling is binding of JAK-1 to conserved motifs referred to as box1 and box 2 [59,
60]. The association of Jak-1 with the IL2Rβ chain, along with the association of JAK-3 with
the γc chain, leads to phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in the A and H-regions following
receptor activation. Thus, the primary role of the A- and H-regions in IL2R signaling is to serve
as docking sites for SH2-domain-containing adaptor or effector molecules. Three of these
intracellular tyrosine residues, which are conserved across multiple species, appear to play
particularly important roles. The first of these is the most membrane-proximal tyrosine residue
(Tyr-338 in the human receptor; Tyr-341 in the murine receptor). Several groups demonstrated
that Tyr-338 is critical for the recruitment of the adaptor protein Shc to the receptor complex
[61–63]. This leads to recruitment of the adaptor protein Grb2 and activation of the Ras/Raf/
Mek/Erk signaling cascade. In addition, the adaptor protein Gab2 is also recruited via SHC,
and results in the recruitment and activation of PI3K [64]. These findings indicate that the A
region is utilized to induce MAPK and PI3K signaling pathways. In contrast, the H-region,
which contains two tyrosine resides, Tyr-392 and Tyr-510, appears to be responsible for
activation of STAT5. Expression of IL2R mutants lacking either the A or H regions
demonstrated that either receptor was capable of preventing autoimmunity when introduced
into IL2Rβ−/− T cells in vivo [65,66]. This led to the suggestion that the Ras/PI3K and STAT5
pathways were redundant with regard to Treg development and homeostasis. However,
subsequent work cast some doubt on this interpretation. Specifically, the role of the tyrosine
residues in both the A- and the H-regions were further dissected using IL2R constructs
containing various tyrosine to phenylalanine mutations. Using this strategy, Gaffen et al
demonstrated that the transcription factor STAT5 could be activated by three tyrosine residues
in the IL2Rβ-chain (Tyr-338 in the A-region, Tyr-392, and Tyr-510 in the H-region)[67].
Consistent with the initial studies examining IL2R signal transduction, STAT5 appears to bind
most avidly to phosphorylated Tyr-510 and to a lesser extent to Tyr-392. Supporting these
findings, IL2Rβ mutants containing just Tyr-392 or Tyr-510 were capable of activating STAT5.
However, although direct binding of STAT5 to Tyr-338 based phospho-peptides has not yet
been demonstrated, an IL2Rβ-mutant containing just Tyr-338 was capable of activating
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STAT5. Thus, both the A- and H-regions are capable of activating STAT5 suggesting that
perhaps STAT5 plays a key role in Treg development.
Given that IL2 induces multiple signal transduction pathways, it is important to know which
of these pathways are actually active in Tregs. A key study by Bensinger et al demonstrated
that activated CD4+CD25+ effector T cells induced the PI3K, Ras and STAT5 signaling
pathways in response to IL2 stimulation. In contrast, freshly purified CD4+CD25+ Tregs
exclusively activated STAT5 when stimulated with exogenous IL2 [68]. Supporting a role for
STAT5 in Treg development and homeostasis, Burchill et al reported that transgenic mice
expressing a constitutively active form of STAT5 in lymphocytes exhibit a significant increase
in Tregs in both the thymus and secondary lymphoid organs [69]. In contrast, Treg numbers
are reduced in mice expressing a STAT5 hypomorphic allele [69–71]. These studies pointed
to a key role for STAT5 in promoting Treg homeostasis but did not address whether STAT5
regulated Treg development.
The generation of mice in which both STAT5a and STAT5b were completely deleted was
required to examine the role of STAT5 in Treg development. Mice in which the STAT5a and
STAT5b genes were flanked by loxP sites were ultimately generated by Hennighausen and
colleagues [72]. Deletion of STAT5 in all tissues led to multiple defects, including impaired
erythropoesis, and perinatal lethality [72]. To examine the role of STAT5 in T cells, we crossed
STAT5a/b floxed mice to CD4-Cre transgenic animals thereby allowing for selective ablation
of STAT5 in T cells. We found that T cells lacking STAT5 were incapable of differentiating
into Tregs, strongly supporting a role for STAT5 in Treg development [45]. Similar findings
were reported by O’Shea and colleagues [73]. Thus, STAT5 is necessary for Treg development.
To determine whether IL2Rβ-dependent STAT5 signaling was sufficient to drive Treg
development and survival, Yang and colleagues generated a series of IL2Rβ mutants which
selectively activated just the STAT5 or Ras/PI3K pathways [45]. Hematopoietic stem cells
from IL2Rβ−/− mice were transduced with retroviruses expressing these mutants and then used
to generate bone marrow chimeras to examine the role of these two pathways in Treg
development. These studies demonstrated that activation of STAT5 alone was sufficient to
restore Treg development while activation of the Ras/PI3K pathway was not ([45] and JY and
MAF, unpublished results). Supporting these studies, we found that expression of a
constitutively active STAT5 transgene restored Treg development in both IL2Rβ−/− and γc−/
− mice [45]. Taken together, these findings illustrate that IL2Rβ-dependent activation of
STAT5 is both necessary and sufficient for the development and homeostasis of Tregs.
Although mouse models in which levels of STAT5 activation are manipulated indicate a critical
role for STAT5 in Treg development, the exact means by which STAT5 directs this process
has yet to be fully elucidated. One possible mechanism by which STAT5 signaling could
influence Treg biology is through the induction or maintenance of the Treg lineage
specification factor Foxp3. Recently Zorn et al identified a consensus STAT5 binding motif
in the first intron of the human foxp3 gene locus that is conserved throughout evolution.
Introduction of luciferase constructs containing this motif into fibroblasts, in the presence of
a constitutively active form of STAT5 or STAT3, resulted in the induction of luciferase activity
[74]. These findings demonstrated that this motif was potentially functional, but did not
demonstrate whether STAT5 or STAT3 actually bound these sites in vivo. We independently
identified the same consensus STAT5 binding motif in the first intron of the foxp3 gene, as
well as several closely spaced evolutionarily conserved STAT5 binding motifs in the 5′ region
of the murine foxp3 promoter (Fig. 3). Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we
detected binding of STAT5 to the promoter site, but not the intronic sites in sorted CD4+CD25
+ T cells [45]. A recent report by O’Shea and colleagues confirmed our chromatin
immunoprecipitation studies with regard to STAT5 binding to the foxp3 promoter site.
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However, they also reported significant binding of STAT5 to the conserved intronic STAT5
binding sites, as well as a site located several kb 5′ of the foxp3 transcription start site. These
latter studies also demonstrated that STAT3 was completely dispensable for foxp3 transcription
and Treg development [73]. Taken together, these studies clearly demonstrate that STAT5 can
bind to the foxp3 gene. However, additional experiments are required to determine the
biological significance of these STAT5 binding sites.
In summary, studies over the last few years have helped illuminate the key role that IL2 and
IL2Rβ-dependent signals play in Treg development and homeostasis. However, many
questions still remain. For example, although STAT5 has been shown to bind to distinct sites
in the foxp3 gene, the functional relevance of these binding sites remains to be determined.
Likewise, transcription factors that potentially cooperate with STAT5 to promote foxp3
transcription remain to be identified. Finally, how TCR-dependent and IL2Rβ-dependent
signals interact to promote Treg development remains to be established. The answer to these
questions will provide a more complete picture of how IL2Rβ-dependent signals entrain
regulatory T cell development and homeostasis.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by grants from the NIH (AI061165) and by a Pew Scholar Award, a Cancer Research
Investigator Award and a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Scholar Award to M.A.F. M.A.B. was supported by an
NIH training grant (2T32-AI07313).
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Figure 1. Model of Cytokine-dependent Treg Development and Homeostasis
In the thymus, IL2 plays the predominant role in driving Treg development. In the absence of
IL2, IL15 is sufficient for regulatory T cell development. Other γc-dependent cytokines such
as IL7 may play a minor role in this process and most likely account for the few Tregs found
in IL2Rβ−/− mice as compared to γc−/− mice in which Tregs are absent. In the spleen of wild
type mice, IL2-dependent signals lead to the downregulation of both the IL7Rα and IL15Rα
chains. This renders mature Tregs primarily dependent on IL2 for their survival and expansion.
In contrast, in IL2−/− mice, IL15Rα and IL7Rα remain expressed at high levels and allow for
survival of mature Tregs. Likewise, under lymphopenic conditions, such as occurs upon
introduction of Tregs into rag2−/− mice, Tregs do survive and expand. This most likely occurs
due the absence of other T cell subsets thereby leading to increased amounts of available IL15
and IL7 that can stimulate Treg survival despite lower expression of IL15Rα and IL7Rα
receptors by those cells. In addition, the absence of IL2 signals may lead to re-expression of
the IL15Rα and IL7Rα rendering these cells more sensitive to IL15 and IL7.
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Figure 2. Signaling Components of the IL2 Receptor Complex
The IL2R is composed of three distinct subunits - IL2Rα, IL2Rβ, and IL2Rγ. The IL2Rβ-chain
consists of three previously identified signaling domains, the A-, H-, and S-regions. The
tyrosine-containing A and H regions are labeled, while the JAK1 binding domain or S-region
is shaded in gray. Phosphorylation of Tyr-338 in the A region recruits the adaptor protein SHC;
SHC then binds Grb2 and Gab2, leading to activation of the Ras-Raf-MAPK and PI3K/Akt
signaling pathways, respectively. Phosphorylation of Tyr-392 and Tyr-510 in the H region
recruits STAT5 and leads to its activation; in the absence of these two tyrosine residues Tyr-338
can also induce STAT5 activation.
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Figure 3. STAT Binding Motifs in the Murine foxp3 gene
The murine foxp3 gene locus contains many motifs to which activated STAT molecules can
bind. Black boxes represent exons while vertical lines represent consensus STAT binding
motifs. The three closely linked sites (separated by 7 base pairs) in the promoter and the three
sites labeled intronic are conserved across species.
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