ToxSci Advance Access originally published online on October 26, 2005
Toxicological Sciences 2006 89(1):145-153; doi:10.1093/toxsci/kfj029
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Inorganic Mercury Inhibits the Activation of LAT in T-Cell Receptor-Mediated Signal Transduction


* Department of Immunology & Microbiology,
Department of Pharmacology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan 48201; and
Department of Environmental Medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York 14642
Received June 13, 2005; accepted October 17, 2005
Little is known as to the molecular mechanisms involved with mercury intoxication at very low levels. Although the mechanism is not known, animal studies have nevertheless shown that low levels of mercury may target the immune system. Inorganic mercury (Hg2+) at very low (but non-toxic) levels can disrupt immune system homeostasis, in that genetically susceptible rodents develop idiosyncratic autoimmune disease, which is associated with defective T-cell function. T lymphocyte function is intimately coupled to the T-cell receptor. We have previously reported that on a molecular level, low concentrations of Hg2+ disrupt signaling from the T-cell receptor by interfering with activation of Ras and ERK MAP kinase. In this report we expand upon those results by showing that in T lymphocytes exposed to low concentration of Hg2+, Ras fails to become properly activated because upstream of Ras in the T cell signal transduction pathway, the important scaffolding element Linker for Activation of T Cells (LAT) fails to become properly phosphorylated. Hypo-phosphorylation of LAT occurs, because upstream of LAT, the LAT reactive tyrosine kinase ZAP-70 is also not properly activated in Hg2+ treated cells.
Key Words: LAT; T-cell receptor; mercury; signalosome.
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