Itk, a Tec family tyrosine kinase, plays an important but as yet undefined role in T cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Here we show that T cells from Itk-deficient mice have a TCR-proximal signaling defect, resulting in defective interleukin 2 secretion. Upon TCR stimulation, Itk−/− T cells release normal amounts of calcium from intracellular stores, but fail to open plasma membrane calcium channels. Since thapsigargin-induced store depletion triggers normal calcium entry in Itk−/− T cells, an impaired biochemical link between store depletion and channel opening is unlikely to be responsible for this defect. Biochemical studies indicate that TCR-induced inositol 1,4,5 tris-phosphate (IP3) generation and phospholipase C γ1 tyrosine phosphorylation are substantially reduced in Itk−/− T cells. In contrast, TCR-ζ and ZAP-70 are phosphorylated normally, suggesting that Itk functions downstream of, or in parallel to, ZAP-70 to facilitate TCR-induced IP3 production. These findings support a model in which quantitative differences in cytosolic IP3 trigger distinct responses, and in which only high concentrations of IP3 trigger the influx of extracellular calcium.
Orai1 regulates intracellular calcium, arrest, and shape polarization during neutrophil recruitment in shear flow