Background and purpose: RANTES is an inflammatory chemokine with a critical role in T-lymphocyte activation and proliferation. Its effects are mediated through G protein-coupled heptahelical receptors (GPCRs). We show for the first time that RANTES activates the orphan G protein-coupled receptor 75 (GPR75).
Experimental approach: To identify a ligand for GPR75 we have used three different and independent methods, namely luciferase assay, bioluminescence assay and IP3 accumulation assay.
Key results: Treatment of cells expressing GPR75 with subnanomolar concentrations of RANTES led to stimulation of the luciferase activity in a reporter-gene assay, an increase in inositol trisphosphate, and intracellular Ca2+. The latter effect was blocked by the phospholipase-C inhibitor (PLC) U73122 indicating that Gq proteins mediate GPR75 signaling. RANTES enhanced the phosphorylation of AKT and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in GPR75-transfected cells and this effect was blocked by the PLC inhibitor U73122 and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, wortmannin. The hippocampal cell line HT22, which expresses GPR75 endogenously, but not the other known RANTES receptors, was used to study the effects of RANTES and GPR75 on neuronal survival. Treatment of HT22 cells with RANTES significantly reduced the neurotoxicity of amyloid-beta peptides, by activating PLC and PI3K.
Conclusions and implications: This demonstrate clearly and undoubtedly the ability of RANTES to act on GPR75. Defects in the RANTES/GPR75-signaling pathway may contribute to neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes as observed in Alzheimer's disease.