Effect of rapamycin on the cyclosporin A-resistant CD28-mediated costimulatory pathway

The consequences of T-cell activation depend exclusively on costimulation during antigen-T-cell receptor interaction. Interaction between the T-cell coreceptor CD28 and its ligand B7 during antigen-antigen receptor engagement results in full activation of T cells, the outcomes of which are proliferation and effector functions. The ability of CD28 to costimulate the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2) explains the importance of this costimulation. The signaling event mediated by CD28 engagement has been proposed to have 2 components: one is sensitive to the immunosuppressive drug cyclosporin A (CsA), and the other one is CsA-resistant. In this report, we demonstrate that the CsA-resistant pathway is sensitive to the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin. Treatment with rapamycin blocked IL-2 production after activation of human peripheral blood T cells with phorbol ester (PMA) and anti-CD28 (CsA-resistant pathway), whereas this drug did not have any effect on PMA plus ionomycin stimulation (CsA-sensitive pathway). The inhibitory effect of rapamycin was on messenger RNA stability and translation, rather than on IL-2 transcription or protein turnover.