PDLIM4 promotes dephosphorylation of STAT transcription factors by recruiting PTP-BL and inhibits Th1, Th2, and Th17 cell differentiation

STAT transcription factors are activated by tyrosine phosphorylation after cytokine stimulation and are critical for the differentiation of T-helper (Th) cells into particular Th lineage subsets. How STAT-mediated Th cell differentiation is negatively regulated, however, is not fully understood. Here, we report that PDLIM4 binds to STAT3, 4, and 6 and suppresses gene activation mediated by these STATs. PDLIM4 acts as an adaptor that recruits PTP-BL, a protein tyrosine phosphatase, through its LIM domain, facilitating dephosphorylation of STAT proteins. PDLIM4-deficiency in CD4+ T cells resulted in augmented tyrosine phosphorylation of these STAT proteins and consequently enhanced Th1, Th2 and Th17 cell differentiation, suggesting that PDLIM4 regulates the differentiation of multiple lineages of Th cells by suppressing STAT signaling. We further found that a non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (nsSNP) in PDLIM4, which causes the substitution of a glycine residue with a cysteine in the LIM domain, is associated with susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis and Graves' disease, both of which are known to be Th17 cell-driven autoimmune diseases. Notably, PDLIM4 containing this amino acid substitution in the LIM domain showed reduced binding to PTP-BL and was therefore partially impaired in its ability to dephosphorylate STAT3 and suppress STAT3 signaling. Our findings define an essential role of PDLIM4 in negatively regulating STAT-mediated T helper cell differentiation and preventing the onset of human autoimmune diseases.