Regulation of T-cell lymphokine gene transcription by the accessory molecule CD28

T-cell activation results in the production of multiple lymphokines. Efficient lymphokine gene expression appears to require both T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) signal transduction and an uncharacterized second or costimulatory signal. CD28 is a T-cell differentiation antigen that can generate intracellular signals that synergize with those of the TCR to increase T-cell activation and interleukin-2 (IL-2) gene expression. In these studies, we have examined the effect of CD28 signal transduction on granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), interleukin 3 (IL-3), and gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) promoter activity. Stimulation of CD28 in the presence of TCR-like signals increases the activity of the GM-CSF, IL-3, and IFN-gamma promoters by three- to sixfold. As previously demonstrated for the IL-2 promoter, the IL-3 and GM-CSF promoters contain distinct elements of similar sequence which specifically bind a CD28-induced nuclear complex. Mutation of the CD28 response elements in the IL-3 and GM-CSF promoters abrogates the CD28-induced activity without affecting phorbol ester- and calcium ionophore-induced activity. UV cross-linking indicates that the CD28-induced nuclear complex contains polypeptides of approximately 35, 36, and 44 kDa. These studies indicate that the TCR and CD28-regulated signal transduction pathways coordinately regulate the transcription of several lymphokines and that the influence of CD28 signals on transcription is mediated by a common complex.