Functional evaluation of activation-dependent alterations in the sialoglycan composition of T cells [Immunology]
December 2nd, 2013 by Naito-Matsui, Y., Takada, S., Kano, Y., Iyoda, T., Sugai, M., Shimizu, A., Inaba, K., Nitschke, L., Tsubata, T., Oka, S., Kozutsumi, Y., Takematsu, H.
Sialic acids (Sias) are often conjugated to the termini of cellular glycans and are key mediators of cellular recognition. Sias are nine-carbon acidic sugars, and, in vertebrates, the major species are N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) and N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), differing in structure at the C5 position. Previously, we described a positive feedback loop involving regulation of Neu5Gc expression in mouse B cells. In this context, Neu5Gc negatively regulated B-cell proliferation and Neu5Gc expression was suppressed upon activation. Similarly, resting mouse T cells expressed principally Neu5Gc, and Neu5Ac was induced upon activation. In the present work, we used various probes to examine sialoglycan expression by activated T cells in terms of the Sia species expressed and the linkages of Sias to glycans. Upon T-cell activation, sialoglycan expression shifted from Neu5Gc to Neu5Ac and the linkage from α2,6 to α2,3. These changes altered the expression levels of siglec (sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins) ligands. Expression of sialoadhesin and Siglec-F ligands increased, and that of CD22 ligands decreased. Neu5Gc exerted a negative effect on T-cell activation, both in terms of the proliferative response and in the context of activation-marker expression. Suppression of Neu5Gc expression in mouse T and B cells prevented the development of nonspecific CD22-mediated T cell-B cell interactions. Our results suggest that an activation-dependent shift from Neu5Gc to Neu5Ac and replacement of α2,6 by α2,3 linkages, may regulate immune cell interactions at several levels.