STAT-3 and ERK 1/2 phosphorylation are critical for T-cell alloactivation and graft-versus-host disease

Blood. 2008 Dec 15;112(13):5254-8. doi: 10.1182/blood-2008-03-147322. Epub 2008 Oct 6.

Abstract

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a serious complication of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, and donor T cells are indispensable for GVHD. Current therapies have limited efficacy, selectivity, and high toxicities. We used a novel flow cytometry technique for the analysis of intracellular phosphorylation events in single cells in murine BMT models to identify and validate novel GVHD drug targets.(1-7) This method circumvents the requirement for large numbers of purified cells, unlike western blots. We defined a signaling profile for alloactivated T cells in vivo and identified the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and STAT-3 as important events during T-cell (allo)activation in GVHD. We establish that interference with STAT-3 phosphorylation can inhibit T-cell activation and proliferation in vitro and GVHD in vivo. This suggests that phospho-specific flow cytometry is useful for the identification of promising drug targets, and ERK1/2 and STAT-3 phosphorylation in alloactivated T cells may be important for GVHD.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation / immunology*
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Graft vs Host Disease*
  • Lymphocyte Activation*
  • Mice
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / metabolism*
  • Phosphorylation / immunology
  • STAT3 Transcription Factor / metabolism*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Transplantation, Homologous

Substances

  • STAT3 Transcription Factor
  • Stat3 protein, mouse
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3