Function of tyk2 on ifn alpha/beta receptor complex

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Project objective

Tyk2 is a member of the JAK family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases implicated in signalling pathways utilized by the family of cytokine receptors. Cells lacking tyk2 possess IFN alpha/beta receptors defective in ligand binding, suggesting that the kinase plays a role in the formation of receptor complexes. To characterize the physiological role of tyk2 in the IFN alpha/beta receptor complex formation, many interrelated aspects will be analyzed: -association of receptor components: before or after to reach cell surface, -maturation of IFNAR: study of the glycosilation state of IFNAR in tyk2-minus cells, -receptor internalization: role of receptor components on the stability of the receptor complex at the membrane. The absence of any one of the components would generate unstable complexes, unable to reach or to stay on the surface. Tyk2 and JAK1 appear to play an important role in maturation, assembly and/or cell surface stability of the receptor complex, consequently, in their absence, cell surface expression of a functional complex does not occur. To my knowledge, this is the first example of the contribution of an intracellular kinase to the binding activity of a membrane receptor complex.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

• Aristotle University of Thessaloniki · ThessalonikiCoordinatorGreece

Links

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