Role of Shc in T-cell development and function

Shc is a prototype adapter protein that is expressed from the earliest stages of T-cell development. Shc becomes rapidly tyrosine phosphorylated after T-cell receptor (TCR) engagement. Expression of dominant negative forms of Shc in T-cell lines had also suggested a role for this adapter downstream of the TCR. However, until recently, the relative significance of Shc compared to several other adapters in T cells was unclear. Mice lacking Shc expression specifically in the T-cell lineage together with inducible expression of dominant negative Shc in transgenic mice have revealed an essential and nonredundant role for Shc in thymic T-cell development. Functional defects in a Jurkat T-cell line lacking Shc expression also suggest a role for Shc in mature T-cell functions. While the requirement of Shc in T-cell signaling is now established, precisely what signaling pathways downstream of Shc make this adapter unique are less clear. Although the Shc-mediated activation of the extracellular signal regulated kinase (Erk)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway could be one component, Shc likely signals to other pathways in T cells that are not yet discovered. A better molecular understanding of Shc function in the future could provide insights into how multiple adapters coordinate the various outcomes downstream of the TCR.