Mechanism of Bruton's tyrosine kinase-mediated recruitment and regulation of TFII-I

TFII-I is a ubiquitously expressed multifunctional transcription factor with broad biological roles in transcription and signal transduction in a variety of cell types. We and others have shown that TFII-I can interact physically and functionally with Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk), a hematopoietic non-receptor protein tyrosine kinase that is critical for B lymphocyte development. Although TFII-I-Btk interactions are impaired in B cells from X-linked immunodeficient mice, the precise molecular determinants governing TFII-I-Btk complex formation remain unknown. To this end, we have conducted a structural analysis of TFII-I-Btk interactions by using a panel of TFII-I mutants. These studies have revealed that a region within the N-terminal 90 amino acids of TFII-I, which includes a putative leucine zipper motif, is primarily responsible for its interaction with Btk. Mutations in the leucine zipper region itself were not sufficient to abrogate binding of TFII-I to Btk, suggesting that regions/residues outside the leucine zipper are responsible for such interactions. Because the first 90 amino acids of TFII-I are required for its dimerization, we propose that Btk tethers TFII-I to the cytoplasm by preventing its dimerization and its subsequent nuclear localization. We further examined the requirement of tyrosine phosphorylation for TFII-I-Btk complex formation. Our data showed that Src-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation sites in TFII-I are not targeted by Btk, suggesting that multiple kinases can independently target TFII-I via distinct signaling pathways. Our results provide a beginning step toward understanding the functional importance of the TFII-I-Btk pathway in B cell signaling and gene expression.