According to a recently proposed hypothesis, initiation of signal transduction via immunoreceptors depends on interactions of the engaged immunoreceptor with glycosphingolipid-enriched membrane microdomains (GEMs). In this study, we describe a novel GEM-associated transmembrane adaptor protein, termed phosphoprotein associated with GEMs (PAG). PAG comprises a short extracellular domain of 16 amino acids and a 397-amino acid cytoplasmic tail containing ten tyrosine residues that are likely phosphorylated by Src family kinases. In lymphoid cell lines and in resting peripheral blood α/β T cells, PAG is expressed as a constitutively tyrosine-phosphorylated protein and binds the major negative regulator of Src kinases, the tyrosine kinase Csk. After activation of peripheral blood α/β T cells, PAG becomes rapidly dephosphorylated and dissociates from Csk. Expression of PAG in COS cells results in recruitment of endogenous Csk, altered Src kinase activity, and impaired phosphorylation of Src-specific substrates. Moreover, overexpression of PAG in Jurkat cells downregulates T cell receptor–mediated activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor of activated T cells. These findings collectively suggest that in the absence of external stimuli, the PAG–Csk complex transmits negative regulatory signals and thus may help to keep resting T cells in a quiescent state.

A novel system to study early hematopoietic development is described. This report documents the in vitro capacity of murine embryonic stem (ES) cells to differentiate into hematopoietic precursors of most, if not all, of the colony-forming cells found in normal bone marrow. This system is used to correlate the genetic expression of cytokines, their receptors, the 13-globins, and the hematopoietic cell surface markers throughout the time course of ES cell differentiation with the hematopoietic development that occurs in these cultures. Our results indicate that there is a strong transcriptional activation, in a well-defined temporal order, of most of these genes including erythropoietin (Epo), CSF-1, IL-4, IL-6, I~-globins, as well as the receptors for Epo, CSF-I, and IL-4. IL-3 and GM-CSF were not expressed during the first 24 days of ES cell differentiation. In contrast, the Steel (S/) factor (SLF) was expressed early and underwent substantial up-regulation during this differentiation, and its receptor, c-kit, was expressed relatively constantly throughout the culture period. Our results are consistent with the conclusion that SLF, Epo, IL-4, and IL-6 are important during the early stages of ES cell differentiation and hematopoietic development. Furthermore, these results argue strongly that IL-3 and GM-CSF are not critical to early hematopoiesis. This system offers a unique in vitro model for studying hematopoietic development at the earliest possible stages.

The molecular mechanisms regulating recruitment of intracellular signaling proteins like growth factor receptor–bound protein 2 (Grb2), phospholipase Cγ1, or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) to the plasma membrane after stimulation of the T cell receptor (TCR)– CD3–ζ complex are not very well understood. We describe here purification, tandem mass spectrometry sequencing, molecular cloning, and biochemical characterization of a novel transmembrane adaptor protein which associates and comodulates with the TCR–CD3–ζ complex in human T lymphocytes and T cell lines. This protein was termed T cell receptor interacting molecule (TRIM). TRIM is a disulfide-linked homodimer which is comprised of a short extracellular domain of 8 amino acids, a 19–amino acid transmembrane region, and a 159–amino acid cytoplasmic tail. In its intracellular domain, TRIM contains several tyrosine-based signaling motifs that could be involved in SH2 domain–mediated protein–protein interactions. Indeed, after T cell activation, TRIM becomes rapidly phosphorylated on tyrosine residues and then associates with the 85-kD regulatory subunit of PI3-kinase via an YxxM motif. Thus, TRIM represents a TCR-associated transmembrane adaptor protein which is likely involved in targeting of intracellular signaling proteins to the plasma membrane after triggering of the TCR.

Massively parallel signature sequencing (MPSS) is one of the newest tools available for conducting in-depth expression profiling. MPSS is an open-ended platform that analyses the level of expression of virtually all genes in a sample by counting the number of individual mRNA molecules produced from each gene. There is no requirement that genes be identified and characterised prior to conducting an experiment. MPSS has a routine sensitivity at a level of a few molecules of mRNA per cell, and the datasets are in a digital format that simplifies the management and analysis of the data. Therefore, of the various microarray and non-microarray technologies currently available, MPSS provides many advantages for generating the type of complete datasets that will help to facilitate hypothesis-driven experiments in the era of digital biology.