The Limited Contribution of Fyn and Gab2 to the High Affinity IgE Receptor Signaling in Mast Cells

Several studies with mast cells from knock-out mice have suggested that the tyrosine kinase Fyn and its downstream substrate Gab2 may play a role in high affinity IgE receptor (Fc epsilon RI)-mediated mast cell activation. To better understand the role of these two molecules and of Syk, we transiently transfected mast cells with small interference RNA (siRNA) targeted to Fyn, Gab2, or Syk to specifically decrease their expression. The siRNA suppression of Gab2 but not Fyn reduced activation of the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway as demonstrated by the change in phosphorylation of Akt; this indicates that Gab2 but not Fyn regulates this pathway. The decreased expression of Gab2 and Fyn had minor effects on degranulation. There were also some minor changes in activation of the NFAT or NF kappa B transcription factors in cells with reduced expression of Fyn or Gab2. Decreased Gab2 but not Fyn reduced the Fc epsilon RI-induced activation of the Erk, Jnk, and p38 MAP kinases and the release of TNF-alpha. In contrast, decreased expression of Syk dramatically reduced Fc epsilon RI-induced degranulation, activation of NFAT and NF kappa B. Therefore, the reduction in expression of these proteins in mast cells indicates that Syk is the major regulator of Fc epsilon RI-mediated reactions, whereas Fyn has minor if any effects and Gab2 regulates primarily late events including MAP kinase activation and release of cytokines.