Phospholipase C-gamma 2 couples Bruton's tyrosine kinase to the NF-kappaB signaling pathway in B lymphocytes

Mutations in the gene encoding Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) interfere with B cell proliferation and lead to an X-linked immunodeficiency in mice characterized by reduced B cell numbers. Recent studies have established that BTK transmits signals from the B cell antigen receptor (BCR) to transcription factor NF-kappaB, which in turn reprograms a set of genes required for normal B cell growth. We now demonstrate that induction of NF-kappaB via this pathway requires the intermediate action of the -gamma2 isoform of phospholipase C (PLC-gamma2), a potential phosphorylation substrate of BTK. Specifically, pharmacologic agents that block the action of either PLC-gamma2 or its second messengers prevent BCR-induced activation of IkappaB kinase. Moreover, activation of NF-kappaB in response to BCR signaling is completely abolished in B cells deficient for PLC-gamma2. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that PLC-gamma2 functions as an integral component of the BTK/NF-kappaB axis following BCR ligation. Interference with this NF-kappaB cascade may account for some of the B cell defects reported for plc-gamma2(-/-) mice, which develop an X-linked immunodeficiency-like phenotype.