Association of CD147 and Calcium Exporter PMCA4 Uncouples IL-2 Expression from Early TCR Signaling

The Ig superfamily member CD147 is upregulated following T cell activation and was shown to serve as a negative regulator of T cell proliferation. Thus, Abs targeting CD147 are being tested as new treatment strategies for cancer and autoimmune diseases. How CD147 mediates immunosuppression and whether association with other coreceptor complexes is needed have remained unknown. In the current study, we show that silencing of CD147 in human T cells increases IL-2 production without affecting the TCR proximal signaling components. We mapped the immunosuppressive moieties of CD147 to its transmembrane domain and Ig-like domain II. Using affinity purification combined with mass spectrometry, we determined the domain specificity of CD147 interaction partners and identified the calcium exporter plasma membrane calcium ATPase isoform 4 (PMCA4) as the interaction partner of the immunosuppressive moieties of CD147. CD147 does not control the proper membrane localization of PMCA4, but PMCA4 is essential for the CD147-dependent inhibition of IL-2 expression via a calcium-independent mechanism. In summary, our data show that CD147 interacts via its immunomodulatory domains with PMCA4 to bypass TCR proximal signaling and inhibit IL-2 expression.