Src Binding Site Research Articles

Suppressor of cytokine signalling‐2 and epidermal growth factor regulate neurite outgrowth of cortical neurons

Factors that regulate neurite outgrowth are important in determining the wiring of the central nervous system. Here we describe that the intracellular regulator of cytokine signalling, suppressor of cytokine signalling-2 (SOCS2) and epidermal growth factor (EGF), both of which are expressed in the cortical plate during neural development, promote neurite outgrowth of cortical neurons. Cortical neurons derived from transgenic mice that over-express SOCS2 had an increased rate of neurite outgrowth and an increased length and number of primary neurites compared with wild-type neurons. EGF produced a similar effect in wild-type cortical neurons and further enhanced the SOCS2-induced neurite outgrowth. The mechanism of neurite outgrowth induction by SOCS2 and EGF at least partially overlapped as phosphorylation of the EGF receptor in SOCS2 over-expressing or EGF-stimulated neurons was increased on Tyrosine845, the Src binding site and neurite outgrowth in both protocols was blocked by inhibitors of the EGF receptor kinase and Src kinase.

SOCS2 Induces Neurite Outgrowth by Regulation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Activation

Suppressor of cytokine signaling (SOCS) 2 is a negative regulator of growth hormone (GH) signaling that regulates body growth postnatally and neuronal differentiation during development. SOCS2 binds to the GH receptor and inhibits GH signaling, including attenuation of STAT5 activation. Here we describe a new function and mechanism of action for SOCS2. Overexpression of SOCS2 in central nervous system neurons promoted neurite outgrowth, and in PC12 cells, neurite outgrowth was induced under nondifferentiating conditions, leading to inhibition of the neurite-inhibitory GTPase Rho and activation of the neurite-promoting GTPase Rac1. Addition of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors PP3 or AG490 or the Src kinase inhibitor PP2 blocked the SOCS2-induced neurite outgrowth. The overexpressed SOCS2 bound to the EGFR, which was constitutively phosphorylated at Tyr845, the Src binding site. Overexpression of the phosphatase SHP-2 reduced the constitutive EGFR phosphorylation and subsequent neurite outgrowth. SOCS2 expression also resulted in a modest 30% decrease in phosphorylation of STAT5b at Tyr699, which is the primary site on STAT5 phosphorylated by GH; however, total tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT5 was decreased by 75-80% under basal and epidermal growth factor-stimulated conditions. Our findings suggest that SOCS2 regulates EGFR phosphorylation, leading to regulation of neurite outgrowth through a novel pathway that is distinct from GH.

Src Kinase Activity Is Essential for Osteoclast Function

Deletion of the c-src gene impairs osteoclast bone resorbing activity, causing osteopetrosis. Although it has been concluded that restoring only the Src adaptor function at least partly rescues the cell attachment and skeletal phenotypes, the contribution of Src kinase activity remains controversial. Src forms a complex with Pyk2 and Cbl after adhesion-induced stimulation of alpha(V)beta(3) integrin. To demonstrate the importance of the Pyk2-Src association in osteoclasts and to distinguish the contributions of the Src adaptor and kinase activities in cytoskeletal organization and osteoclast function, we expressed mutants of Src and Pyk2 in osteoclasts using adenovirus vectors. Eliminating the Src-binding site on Pyk2 (Pyk2(Y402F)) markedly inhibited bone resorption by osteoclast-like cells, whereas kinase-dead Pyk2 had little effect. Kinase-dead Src, unlike kinase-dead Pyk2, markedly inhibited the bone-resorbing activity of wild type osteoclasts and failed to significantly restore bone-resorbing activity to Src(-/-) osteoclast-like cells. Activation of Src kinase by overexpressing kinase-dead Csk failed to reverse the inhibitory effect of Pyk2(Y402F), suggesting that osteoclastic bone resorption requires both c-Src kinase activity and the targeting of Src kinase by Pyk2. Src-catalyzed phosphorylation of Cbl on Tyr-731 is reported to induce the activation and recruitment of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase to the cell membrane in a signaling pathway that is critical for osteoclast function. Expressing the Cbl(Y731F) mutant in osteoclasts markedly reduced their bone resorbing activity, suggesting that phosphorylation of Cbl(Y731) and the subsequent recruitment and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase may be critical signaling events downstream of Src in osteoclasts.

RACK1 regulates integrin-mediated adhesion, protrusion, and chemotactic cell migration via its Src-binding site.

Mammalian cDNA expression cloning was used to identify novel regulators of integrin-mediated cell-substratum adhesions. Using a focal adhesion morphology screen, we identified a cDNA with homology to a receptor for activated protein kinase C (RACK1) that induced a loss of central focal adhesions and stress fibers in CHO-K1 cells. The identified cDNA was a C-terminal truncated form of RACK1 that had one of the putative protein kinase C binding sites but lacked the region proposed to bind the beta integrin cytoplasmic domain and the tyrosine kinase Src. To investigate the role of RACK1 during cell spreading and migration, we tagged RACK1, a C-terminal truncated RACK1 and a point mutant that does not bind Src (RACK Y246F) with green fluorescent protein and expressed them in CHO-K1 cells. We found that RACK1 regulates the organization of focal adhesions and that it localizes to a subset of nascent focal complexes in areas of protrusion that contain paxillin but not vinculin. We also found that RACK1 regulates cell protrusion and chemotactic migration through its Src binding site. Together, these findings suggest that RACK1 regulates adhesion, protrusion, and chemotactic migration through its interaction with Src.

The focal adhesion kinase amino-terminal domain localises to nuclei and intercellular junctions in HEK 293 and MDCK cells independently of tyrosine 397 and the carboxy-terminal domain

The function and intracellular localisation of the non-catalytic NH 2-terminal region of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) are unclear. We investigated the targetting of the FAK NH 2-terminal domain in HEK 293 and epithelial MDCK cells. Exogenous expression of a variety of GFP-fused and epitope-tagged NH 2 terminal domain constructs either including or lacking the major Tyr 397 autophosphorylation and Src-binding site targeted to nuclei and cell–cell junctions in HEK 293 cells and co-localised at junctions with occludin, and β1 integrin subunits at junctions. Mutation of Tyr 397 also had no effect on localisation of the NH 2-terminal domain. In contrast, constructs encoding either the kinase or focal adhesion targeting (FAT) domains but lacking the NH 2-terminal region failed to localise to intercellular junctions or nuclei. The NH 2-terminal domain was not associated with β1 integrin subunits as indicated by co-immunoprecipitation experiments, but did co-localise with cortical actin filaments. The NH 2-terminal domain also targetted to nuclei and intercellular junctions in MDCK cells, whereas full-length FAK localised only to focal adhesions in these cells. These results indicate that the FAK NH 2-terminal domain targets to epithelial intercellular junctions and nuclei and suggest novel functions for FAK NH 2-terminal domain fragments independent of Y397, kinase, and FAT domains.

Csk homologous kinase associates with RAFTK/Pyk2 in breast cancer cells and negatively regulates its activation and breast cancer cell migration

Our recent observations indicated that RAFTK (also termed Pyk2 and CAK-beta) participated in intracellular signaling upon heregulin (HRG) stimulation and promoted breast carcinoma invasion. Furthermore, studies from our group indicate that the Csk homologous kinase (CHK), a member of the Csk family, directly associates with HER2/Neu and down-regulates HER2/Neu-mediated Src kinase activation in breast cancer cells upon heregulin stimulation. Since activation of RAFTK is associated with the activity of Src family kinases, we analyzed whether CHK is capable of opposing HRG-induced activation of RAFTK. Stimulation of human T47D breast cancer cells with HRG induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of RAFTK and its association with CHK in vitro and in vivo. This interaction was mediated through the Src binding site (amino acid residue at 402) of RAFTK and the SH2 domain of CHK. RAFTK phosphorylation downstream of the activated HER2/Neu was greatly reduced in the presence of CHK. Maximal inhibition of RAFTK phosphorylation by CHK required the kinase activity of CHK. Furthermore, CHK inhibited the tyrosine phosphorylation of the focal adhesion-associated protein, paxillin, and inhibited HRG-induced T47D breast cancer cell migration. These findings indicate the role of CHK as a negative regulator in HRG- and RAFTK-mediated intracellular signaling in breast cancer cells.

RAFTK/Pyk2 tyrosine kinase mediates the association of p190 RhoGAP with RasGAP and is involved in breast cancer cell invasion.

Focal adhesions and actin cytoskeleton are involved in cell growth, shape and movement and in tumor invasion. Mitogen-induced changes in actin cytoskeleton are accompanied by changes in the tyrosine phosphorylation of several focal adhesion proteins. In this study, we have investigated the role of RAFTK, a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase related to focal adhesion kinase (FAK), in heregulin-mediated signal transduction in breast cancer cells. Stimulation of T47D cells with heregulin (HRG) induced the tyrosine phosphorylation of RAFTK and the formation of a multiprotein complex. Analyses of the members of the HRG-stimulated complex revealed that RAFTK is associated with p190 RhoGAP (p190), RasGAP and ErbB-2, and plays an essential role in mediating the tyrosine phosphorylation of p190 by Src. Mutation of the Src binding site within RAFTK (402) abolished the phosphorylation of p190. In addition, upon HRG stimulation of T47D cells, association of ErbB-2 with RAFTK was observed and found to be indirect and mediated by Src. Expression of wild-type RAFTK (WT) significantly increased MDA-MB-435 and MCF-7 breast cancer cell invasion, while expression of the kinase-mutated RAFTK-R457 (KM) or the Src binding site mutant RAFTK (402) did not affect this cell invasion. Furthermore, HRG leads to the activation of MAP kinase which is mediated by RAFTK. These findings indicate that RAFTK serves as a mediator and an integration point between the GAP proteins and HRG-mediated signaling in breast cancer cells, and implicate RAFTK involvement in the MAP kinase pathway and in breast cancer cell invasion.

Src-like adaptor protein (Slap) is a negative regulator of mitogenesis.

The Src-like adaptor protein (Slap) is a recently identified adaptor protein containing Src homology 3 (SH3) and SH2 domains. Slap is found in a wide range of cell types and was shown to interact with the Eck receptor tyrosine kinase in a yeast two-hybrid interaction screen [1]. Here, we found that Slap is expressed in NIH3T3 cells and could associate with the activated platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor. Using mutated versions of the PDGF receptor and phosphopeptide competition experiments, we determined that Slap has the highest affinity for the Src-binding site of the PDGF receptor. Our inability to produce cell lines that stably expressed Slap suggested that Slap inhibited cell growth. We further investigated this issue by transiently expressing Slap by microinjection. Overexpression of Slap by this method inhibited DNA synthesis induced by PDGF and serum, whereas overexpression of the adaptor proteins Grb2 and Shc did not. Finally, microinjection of a Slap antibody into NIH3T3 cells that had been stimulated with suboptimal doses of growth factors potentiated the effects of the growth factors. These data suggest that, unlike other adaptor proteins, Slap is a negative regulator of signalling initiated by growth factors.

Identification of p130Cas as a mediator of focal adhesion kinase-promoted cell migration.

Previously we have demonstrated that focal adhesion kinase (FAK)-promoted migration on fibronectin (FN) by its overexpression in CHO cells is dependent on FAK autophosphorylation at Y397 and subsequent binding of Src to this site. In this report, we have examined the role of FAK association with Grb2 and p130(Cas), two downstream events of the FAK/Src complex that could mediate integrin-stimulated activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (Erks). We show that a Y925F FAK mutant was able to promote cell migration as efficiently as FAK and that the transfected FAK demonstrated no detectable association with Grb2 in CHO cells. In contrast, cells expressing a FAK P712/715A mutant demonstrated a level of migration comparable to that of control cells. This mutation did not affect FAK kinase activity, autophosphorylation, or Src association but did significantly reduce p130(Cas) association with FAK. Furthermore, FAK expression in CHO cells increased tyrosine phosphorylation of p130(Cas) and its subsequent binding to several SH2 domains, which depended on both the p130(Cas) binding site and the Src binding site. However, we did not detect increased activation of Erks in cells expressing FAK, and the MEK inhibitor PD98059 did not decrease FAK-promoted cell migration. Finally, we show that coexpression of p130(Cas) further increased cell migration on FN and coexpression of the p130(Cas) SH3 domain alone functioned as a dominant negative mutant and decreased cell migration. Together, these results demonstrate that p130(Cas), but not Grb2, is a mediator of FAK-promoted cell migration and suggest that FAK/ p130(Cas) complex targets downstream pathways other than Erks in mediating FAK-promoted cell migration.

Regulation of integrin-mediated p130(Cas) tyrosine phosphorylation in human B cells. A role for p59(Fyn) and SHP2.

Engagement of beta1 integrins in terminally differentiated human B cell lines, such as ARH-77, leads to prominent tyrosine phosphorylation of the p130 Crk-associated substrate (Cas). Cas regulates the assembly of several SH2 and SH3 domain-containing proteins into signaling complexes, which are potentially involved in the propagation of downstream signals. We demonstrate here that immunoprecipitated Cas from beta1 integrin-stimulated ARH-77 cells was associated with tyrosine kinase and phosphatase activities and that integrin ligation led to the recruitment of at least p59(Fyn) tyrosine kinase and SHP2 tyrosine phosphatase in Cas immune complexes. Cotransfection studies in COS-7 cells further indicated that Fyn/Cas physical interaction and Fyn-mediated Cas phosphorylation required amino acids 638-889 in the C-terminal region of Cas. This sequence contains both c-Src SH2 and SH3 domain-binding motifs. In vitro binding studies using glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins derived from the SH2 or SH3 domains of Fyn suggested that both Fyn domains can participate in Fyn/Cas interaction. These data implicate Fyn and SHP2 as potential modulators of Cas signaling complexes in B cells.

Proline-rich sequences that bind to Src homology 3 domains with individual specificities.

To study the binding specificity of Src homology 3 (SH3) domains, we have screened a mouse embryonic expression library for peptide fragments that interact with them. Several clones were identified that express fragments of proteins which, through proline-rich binding sites, exhibit differential binding specificity to various SH3 domains. Src-SH3-specific binding uses a sequence of 7 aa of the consensus RPLPXXP, in which the N-terminal arginine is very important. The SH3 domains of the Src-related kinases Fyn, Lyn, and Hck bind to this sequence with the same affinity as that of the Src SH3. In contrast, a quite different proline-rich sequence from the Btk protein kinase binds to the Fyn, Lyn, and Hck SH3 domains, but not to the Src SH3. Specific binding of the Abl SH3 requires a longer, more proline-rich sequence but no arginine. One clone that binds to both Src and Abl SH3 domains through a common site exhibits reversed binding orientation, in that an arginine indispensable for binding to all tested SH3 domains occurs at the C terminus. Another clone contains overlapping yet distinct Src and Abl SH3 binding sites. Binding to the SH3 domains is mediated by a common PXXP amino acid sequence motif present on all ligands, and specificity comes about from other interactions, often ones involving arginine. The rules governing in vivo usage of particular sites by particular SH3 domains are not clear, but one binding orientation may be more specific than another.