DUSP4 deficiency enhances CD25 expression and CD4+ T-cell proliferation without impeding T-cell development

The differentiation and activation of T cells are critically modulated by MAP kinases, which are in turn feed-back regulated by dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) to determine the duration and magnitude of MAP kinase activation. DUSP4 (also known as MKP2) is a MAP kinase-induced DUSP member that is dynamically expressed during thymocyte differentiation. We generated DUSP4-deficient mice to study the function of DUSP4 in T-cell development and activation. Our results show that thymocyte differentiation and activation-induced MAP kinase phosphorylation were comparable between DUSP4-deficient and WT mice. Interestingly, activated DUSP4-/- CD4+ T cells were hyperproliferative while DUSP4-/- CD8+ T cells proliferated normally. Further mechanistic studies suggested that the hyperproliferation of DUSP4-/- CD4+ T cells resulted from enhanced CD25 expression and IL-2 signaling through increased STAT5 phosphorylation. Immunization of DUSP4-/- mice recapitulated the T-cell hyperproliferation phenotype in antigen recall responses, while the profile of Th1/Th2-polarized antibody production was not altered. Overall, these results suggest that other DUSPs may compensate for DUSP4 deficiency in T-cell development, MAP kinase regulation, and Th1/Th2-mediated antibody responses. More importantly, our data indicate that DUSP4 suppresses CD4+ T-cell proliferation through novel regulations in STAT5 phosphorylation and IL-2 signaling.