WIP-Mediated Mechanisms of Recruitment, Activation and Degradation of WASP in T Cells.

WASP, the product of the gene mutated in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), plays a critical role in T cell activation and actin reorganization. WIP is a WASP-interacting protein that binds to EVH1 domain of WASP, and negatively regulates WASP functions. WASP-mediated actin polymerization and cytoskeletal remodeling are critical for immunological synapse (IS) formation between T cells and antigen presenting cells. To clarify the functions of WIP in T cells, we investigated WIP-mediated mechanisms of recruitment, activation and degradation of WASP following T cell receptor (TCR) ligation and IS formation. WASP translocates to lipid rafts following TCR ligation and localizes at the IS between T cells and B cells presenting superantigen. WASP recruitment is regulated by several TCR signaling pathways mediated by ZAP70-CrkL-WIP and ZAP70-SLP76-Nck complexes. After the recruitment of WASP, WIP is serine-phosphorylated by PKCtheta localized at the IS, and phosphorylated WIP dissociates from WASP, releasing WASP from WIP inhibition. A fraction of WASP is fragmented by Ca-dependent protease calpain and ubiquitinated by Cbl-b, then degraded by the proteasome following TCR ligation. Inhibition of PKCtheta-mediated dissociation of the WASP-WIP complex inhibits WASP degradation. Inhibition of proteasomal degradation results in the accumulation of WASP fragments and enhanced TCR-induced actin polymerization in normal T cells. We demonstrate that WASP protein, but not mRNA, levels are severely diminished in T cells from WIP-deficient mice, but are restored by calpain and proteasome inhibitors. These inhibitors restore WASP protein levels and correct the defect in actin polymerization in response to TCR ligation in T cells from a WAS patient with a missense mutation that disrupts WIP binding. The similarity of the functional defects in WASP- and WIP-deficient mice and the observation that most missense mutations in WAS patients are in the WIP binding EVH1 domain of WASP suggest that WIP may function as a chaperone that controls WASP levels in T cells. These results suggest that WIP is involved in the recruitment and activation of WASP and that degradation of WASP freed from WIP may down-regulate actin polymerization following TCR ligation. More importantly, WIP regulates WASP protein stability in T cells from WAS patients with WASP missense mutations in WIP-binding site and impaired WASP-WIP interaction.