Correlation between Src family member regulation by the protein-tyrosine-phosphatase CD45 and transmembrane signaling through the T-cell receptor.

Stimulation of tyrosine phosphorylation is an early and important event in antigen-induced T-cell activation. T-cell clones deficient in expression of CD45, a transmembrane protein-tyrosine-phosphatase (protein-tyrosine-phosphate phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.48), are impaired in their ability to respond to either antigen or T-cell receptor cross-linking. Analysis of the CD45-deficient CD8+ T-cell clone L3M-93 demonstrates that the Src family members p56lck and p59fyn show increased immunoreactivity with anti-phosphotyrosine antibody and exhibit decreased kinase activity. The site of increased tyrosine phosphorylation in Src family members was identified by comparison of cyanogen bromide peptide maps. Phosphorylation of the C-terminal phosphopeptide, containing the negative regulatory site of tyrosine phosphorylation, from the CD45-deficient cells was increased 8-fold for p56lck and 2-fold for p59fyn. These data suggest that CD45 dephosphorylates the negative regulatory site of multiple Src family members in the cytotoxic T-lymphocyte clone L3 and show a correlation between the ability to respond efficiently to antigen and the dephosphorylation of Src family members by CD45.