Activation signals of lymphocytes are negatively regulated by the membrane molecules carrying the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motif (ITIM). Upon tyrosine phosphorylation, ITIMs recruit SH2-containing phosphatases such as SHP-1, resulting in down-modulation of cell activation. We showed that the cytoplasmic domain of the CD72 molecule carries an ITIM and is associated in vitro with SHP-1 upon tyrosine phosphorylation. Moreover, cross-linking of B cell Ag receptor (BCR) enhances both tyrosine phosphorylation of CD72 and association of CD72 with SHP-1 in B cell line WEHI-231. These results indicate that CD72 recruits SHP-1 upon tyrosine phosphorylation induced by BCR signaling, suggesting that CD72 is a negative regulator of BCR signaling.

Although immobility is a common cause of muscle atrophy, the mechanism underlying this causality is unclear. We here show that Krüppel-like factor 15 (KLF15) and IL-6 are upregulated in skeletal muscle of limb-immobilized mice and that mice with KLF15 deficiency in skeletal muscle or with systemic IL-6 deficiency are protected from immobility-induced muscle atrophy. A newly developed Ca²⁺ bioimaging revealed that the cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_i) of skeletal muscle is reduced to below the basal level by immobilization, which is associated with the downregulation of Piezo1. Acute disruption of Piezo1 in skeletal muscle induced Klf15 and Il6 expression as well as muscle atrophy, which was prevented by antibodies against IL-6. A role for the Piezo1/KLF15/IL-6 axis in immobility-induced muscle atrophy was validated in human samples. Our results thus uncover a paradigm for Ca²⁺ signaling in that a decrease in [Ca²⁺]_i from the basal level triggers a defined biological event.

Signaling through the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) is negatively regulated by the SH2 domain-containing protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP-1, which requires association with tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins for activation. Upon BCR ligation, SHP-1 has been shown to associate with the BCR, the cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinases Lyn and Syk, and the inhibitory co-receptors CD22 and CD72. How SHP-1 is activated by BCR ligation and regulates BCR signaling is, however, not fully understood. Here we demonstrate that, in the BCR-expressing myeloma line J558L mu 3, CD72 expression reduces the BCR ligation-induced phosphorylation of the BCR component Ig alpha/Ig beta and its cytoplasmic effectors Syk and SLP-65. Substrate phosphorylation was restored by expression of dominant negative mutants of SHP-1, whereas the SHP-1 mutants failed to enhance phosphorylation of the cellular substrates in the absence of CD72. This indicates that SHP-1 is efficiently activated by CD72 but not by other pathways in J558L mu m3 cells and that inhibition of SHP-1 specifically activated by CD72 reverses CD72-induced dephosphorylation of cellular substrates in these cells. Taken together, BCR-induced SHP-1 activation is likely to require inhibitory co-receptors such as CD72, and SHP-1 appears to mediate the negative regulatory effect of CD72 on BCR signaling by dephosphorylating Ig alpha/Ig beta and its downstream signaling molecules Syk and SLP-65.

Objective: Although immunoglobulin A (IgA) is abundantly expressed in the gut and known to be an important component of mucosal barriers against luminal pathogens, its precise function remains unclear. Therefore, we tried to elucidate the effect of IgA on gut homeostasis maintenance and its mechanism. Design: We generated various IgA mutant mouse lines using the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system. Then, we evaluated the effect on the small intestinal homeostasis, pathology, intestinal microbiota, cytokine production, and immune cell activation using intravital imaging. Results: We obtained two lines, with one that contained a <50 base pair deletion in the cytoplasmic region of the IgA allele (IgA tail-mutant; IgA ^tm/tm ) and the other that lacked the most constant region of the IgH α chain, which resulted in the deficiency of IgA production (IgA ^−/− ). IgA ^−/− exhibited spontaneous inflammation in the ileum but not the other parts of the gastrointestinal tract. Associated with this, there were significantly increased lamina propria CD4 ⁺ T cells, elevated productions of IFN-γ and IL-17, increased ileal segmented filamentous bacteria and skewed intestinal microflora composition. Intravital imaging using Ca ²⁺ biosensor showed that IgA ^−/− had elevated Ca ²⁺ signalling in Peyer’s patch B cells. On the other hand, IgA ^tm/tm seemed to be normal, suggesting that the IgA cytoplasmic tail is dispensable for the prevention of the intestinal disorder. Conclusion: IgA plays an important role in the mucosal homeostasis associated with the regulation of intestinal microbiota and protection against mucosal inflammation especially in the ileum.

CD22 (Siglec‐2) is a B‐cell membrane‐bound lectin that recognizes glycan ligands containing α2,6‐linked sialic acid (α2,6Sia) and negatively regulates signaling through the B‐cell Ag receptor (BCR). Although CD22 has been investigated extensively, its precise function remains unclear due to acting multiple phases. Here, we demonstrate that CD22 is efficiently activated in trans by complexes of Ag and soluble IgM (sIgM) due to the presence of glycan ligands on sIgM. This result strongly suggests sIgM as a natural trans ligand for CD22. Also, CD22 appears to serve as a receptor for sIgM, which induces a negative feedback loop for B‐cell activation similar to the Fc receptor for IgG (FcγRIIB).