Phosphorylation of tyrosine in the carboxyl-terminal tryptic peptide of pp60c-src.

The major site of tyrosine phosphorylation of the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, pp60v-src (tyrosine-416), is different from the major site of tyrosine phosphorylation of its nontransforming normal cellular counterpart, pp60c-src. We have shown that antibodies against a synthetic peptide modeled on the carboxyl-terminal 13 residues of pp60c-src specifically immunoprecipitate the major phosphotyrosine tryptic peptide of pp60c-src from both chicken and rat fibroblasts. These experiments localize the major site of tyrosine phosphorylation to one or more of the three tyrosine residues in the carboxyl-terminal tryptic peptide at positions 511, 519, and 527 of the amino acid sequence of chicken pp60c-src. Tyrosines-519 and -527 are in the carboxyl-terminal 19-amino acid segment of pp60c-src that is deleted and replaced by an unrelated sequence in pp60v-src. It is possible that phosphorylation of tyrosine in the carboxyl-terminal tryptic peptide may be involved in the normal regulation of pp60c-src. The absence of this phosphorylation site in pp60v-src may, in part, contribute to its oncogenic properties.     

Selective binding of activated pp60c-src by an immobilized synthetic phosphopeptide modeled on the carboxyl terminus of pp60c-src.

Phosphorylation of the carboxyl terminus of pp60c-src, the product of the c-src protooncogene, at Tyr-527 suppresses its tyrosine kinase activity and transforming potential. It has been proposed that the phosphorylated carboxyl terminus of pp60c-src inhibits kinase activity by binding to the SH2 (src homology 2) domain. We have synthesized peptides corresponding to the carboxyl-terminal 13 residues of pp60c-src phosphorylated and nonphosphorylated at Tyr-527. A highly transforming mutant, pp60c-src(F527), in which Tyr-527 is mutated to Phe, bound to the phosphorylated peptide immobilized to Affi-Gel 10. Binding of the phosphorylated peptide was abolished by deletion of residues 144-175 in the SH2 domain but not by deletion of residues 93-143, which removes most of the SH3 domain. The phosphorylated peptide also bound to pp60v-src, the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus. Only traces of pp60v-src and pp60c-src(F527) bound to the corresponding nonphosphorylated c-src peptide. Normal pp60c-src bound much less efficiently to the phosphorylated peptide than did pp60c-src(F527). A phosphorylated peptide corresponding to the carboxyl terminus of the c-fgr protein also bound to pp60c-src(F527), but with weaker affinity. Furthermore, the phosphorylated synthetic carboxyl-terminal pp60c-src peptide markedly inhibited phosphorylation of pp60c-src(F527) during cytoskeletal kinase assays. These results provide direct evidence for models in which the phosphorylated carboxyl terminus of pp60c-src binds intramolecularly or intermolecularly to the SH2 domain of the c-src protein.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation within the amino-terminal domain of pp60c-src molecules associated with polyoma virus middle-sized tumor antigen.

We have examined the in vitro phosphorylation of cellular src protein (pp60c-src) molecules associated with the polyoma virus middle-sized tumor antigen in polyoma virus-transformed cells. These pp60c-src molecules possessed an enhanced tyrosyl kinase activity, migrated aberrantly on NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gels, and contained a novel site of tyrosine phosphorylation within the amino-terminal region of the molecule. The pp60c-src molecules not associated with the middle-sized tumor antigen were phosphorylated exclusively on a tyrosine residue within the carboxyl-terminal domain of pp60c-src. A similar modified form of the middle-sized tumor antigen-associated pp60c-src protein was detected in lysates from polyoma virus-transformed cells labeled in vivo with [32P]orthophosphate in the presence of sodium orthovanadate, an inhibitor of phosphotyrosyl phosphatases.     

Blood platelets express high levels of the pp60c-src-specific tyrosine kinase activity.

We have examined human and rabbit blood platelets for expression of pp60c-src, the normal cellular homolog of the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus. pp60c-src kinase activity was determined by an immune-complex kinase assay that uses enolase as the substrate, and pp60c-src protein levels were determined by an immunoblot assay. Lysates from platelets expressed high levels of pp60c-src-specific kinase activity and pp60c-src protein compared to the levels found in other tissues. pp60c-src was also found to be one of the major proteins phosphorylated in vitro in membranes isolated from platelets. Multiple protein species other than pp60c-src were also phosphorylated on tyrosine in the membrane phosphorylation reactions, and phosphotyrosine represented approximately equal to 80% of the total phosphoamino acid residues phosphorylated in the membranes. These results indicate that tyrosine kinases represent the major protein phosphorylating enzymes detected in isolated platelet membranes. Although the association of tyrosine kinase activity with many viral oncogene products and cellular growth hormone receptors has suggested a role for these enzymes in the regulation of cell proliferation, these results indicate that the expression of high levels of tyrosine kinase activity is not exclusively associated with proliferating cells.     

Characterization of avian and viral p60src proteins expressed in yeast.

Avian and viral p60src proteins were expressed from a galactose-inducible promoter in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Both the viral and cellular src proteins produced in yeast cells were myristoylated at their amino termini, as is the case for src proteins expressed in chicken embryo fibroblasts. The viral src protein produced in yeast autophosphorylated at tyrosine-416 in vivo and had approximately the same level of in vitro kinase activity as p60v-src expressed in Rous sarcoma virus-transformed cells. Unlike p60c-src expressed in chicken cells, which is phosphorylated on tyrosine in vivo almost exclusively at tyrosine-527, p60c-src expressed in yeast was phosphorylated 2.5-3 times more at tyrosine-416 than at tyrosine-527. The specific activity of the p60c-src produced in yeast was 2.5-5.0 times higher than that of p60c-src overexpressed from a retroviral vector in chicken cells, implicating the altered state of in vivo phosphorylation in modulation of the in vitro kinase activity. The expression of p60v-src substantially slowed down the growth of the yeast cells, suggesting that phosphorylation of yeast proteins essential for cell growth may have interfered with their proper functioning.     

HLA-A2 and HLA-B7 antigens are phosphorylated in vitro by rous sarcoma virus kinase (pp60v-src) at a tyrosine residue encoded in a highly conserved exon of the intracellular domain.

HLA-A2 and -B7 antigens are phosphorylated by Rous sarcoma kinase (pp60v-src) in vitro. The phosphate group is attached to the heavy chains as determined by NaDodSO4/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The site of phosphorylation was localized to the COOH-terminal intracellular domain by its susceptibility to limited trypsin proteolysis. Furthermore, the 32P-labeled amino acid is a single tyrosine residue located in the COOH terminus of the heavy chain. The protein sequences of known class I human and murine intracellular domains contain a highly conserved sequence -K-G-G-X-Y- located NH2-terminally to the single tyrosine residue of this domain. The DNA sequences that encode class I antigen intracellular domains were compared by computer with a homology matrix program. Exon 6 which encodes the conserved tyrosine-containing protein sequence in both human and mouse is 75% homologous across species and 90-100% homologous within species. The significance of the high degree of conservation within exon 6 is discussed.     

Heat-shock protein hsp90 governs the activity of pp60v-src kinase.

During or immediately after synthesis in vertebrate cells, the oncogenic protein-tyrosine kinase pp60v-src associates with the approximately 90-kDa heat-shock protein (hsp90). In this complex, pp60v-src is not functional as a kinase. When pp60v-src is subsequently found inserted into the plasma membrane, it is active as a kinase and is no longer associated with hsp90. We have taken advantage of genetic manipulations possible in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate the function and specificity of the association between hsp90 and pp60v-src. Expression of pp60v-src is known to be toxic to S. cerevisiae cells. We find that this toxicity is due to a very specific effect on growth, arrest at a particular point in the cell cycle. In cells expressing v-src, a mutation that lowers the level of hsp90 expression (i) relieves cell cycle arrest and rescues growth, (ii) reduces the level of tyrosine phosphorylation mediated by pp60v-src, (iii) changes the pattern of tyrosine phosphorylation, and (iv) reduces the concentration of pp60v-src. We conclude that hsp90 does not simply suppress pp60v-src kinase activity during transit to the plasma membrane, as previously suggested, but also stabilizes the protein and affects both its activity and specificity. This function of hsp90 is highly selective for pp60v-src: the same hsp90 mutation has no effect on the activity or specificity of the exogenous pp160v-abl tyrosine kinase; similarly, it does not affect the specificity and has only a very small effect on the activity of the exogenous pp60c-src kinase.     

The product of the protooncogene c-src is modified during the cellular response to platelet-derived growth factor.

We have observed a modification of the cellular protein kinase pp60c-src, elicited in murine 3T3 fibroblasts by platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). The modification occurred rapidly after addition of PDGF to the culture medium and was first detected as a reduction in the electrophoretic mobility of a portion of the pp60c-src molecules. A similarly modified form of the viral homologue pp60v-src occurs in vivo in the absence of stimulation by PDGF. The occurrence of modified forms of both pp60c-src and pp60v-src was associated with a novel phosphorylation at tyrosine in the amino-terminal domains of the proteins. The time-course and dose-response for this modification of pp60c-src paralleled PDGF-induced increases in phosphorylation of pp36, a major cellular substrate for several tyrosine-specific protein kinases. In parallel experiments, treatment of cells with PDGF increased the kinase activity of pp60c-src in an immunocomplex assay. These results suggest pp60c-src may play a role in the mitogenic response to PDGF.     

Phosphorylation and inactivation of protein phosphatase 1 by pp60v-src.

Protein phosphatase 1, one of four major protein phosphatases involved in cellular regulation, was phosphorylated in vitro by pp60v-src, the transforming gene product of Rous sarcoma virus. Phosphorylation was accompanied by a loss of protein phosphatase activity. The inactivation of protein phosphatase 1 was time-dependent and the extent of inactivation correlated closely with the stoichiometry of phosphorylation. Under optimal conditions, 0.34 +/- 0.01 mol of phosphate were incorporated per mol of protein phosphatase and the activity of the enzyme was decreased by 39 +/- 2%. The inactivation required the presence of both MgATP and pp60v-src. There was no loss of activity when adenosine 5'-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate was used in place of ATP. Phosphorylation of protein phosphatase 1 occurred exclusively on tyrosine residues and was blocked by specific antibodies to pp60v-src. During preincubation of pp60v-src at 41 degrees C, its protein kinase activity towards casein was lost rapidly. The ability of pp60v-src to phosphorylate and inactivate protein phosphatase 1 declined in parallel with the loss of casein kinase activity. Limited chymotryptic digestion of 32P-labeled protein phosphatase 1 (Mr 37,000) resulted in its quantitative conversion to a Mr 33,000 species. Conversion to this species was accompanied by the loss of 32P-labeling and by reactivation of the protein phosphatase. When various concentrations of chymotrypsin were used in the digestion, there was a close correlation between conversion to the Mr 33,000 species and the restoration of protein phosphatase activity. pp60v-src was unable to phosphorylate or inactivate a partially proteolyzed species of protein phosphatase 1 (Mr 33,000/34,000).     

GTPase-activating protein interactions with the viral and cellular Src kinases.

GTPase-activating protein (GAP), which regulates the activities of Ras proteins, is implicated in mitogenic signal transduction by growth-factor receptors and oncoproteins with tyrosine kinase activity. Oncogenic viral Src (p60v-src) encoded in Rous sarcoma virus possesses elevated tyrosine kinase activity compared with its nononcogenic normal homolog, cellular Src (p60c-src). To examine molecular interactions between GAP and the two Src kinases, immunoprecipitates of Src or GAP prepared from cell lystates were resolved by gel electrophoresis and analyzed by an immunoblot procedure with antibodies to GAP or Src used as probes. Results suggest that p60c-src is associated with a complex containing GAP in immunoprecipitates from lysates of normal rat and chicken cells. However, GAP is not phosphorylated in p60c-src immunoprecipitates subjected to in vitro kinase reactions. By contrast, GAP undergoes tyrosyl phosphorylation in vitro when immunoprecipitates of p60v-src prepared from transformed cell lysates are incubated with ATP. Our findings suggest that p60v-src and p60c-src associate with complexes containing GAP and provide a biochemical link between both kinases and GAP/Ras signal transduction pathways. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that GAP has a role in mediating normal functions of p60c-src as well as oncogenic activities of p60v-src.     

High pp60c-src level in human platelet dense bodies

Phosphoproteins phosphorylated in vivo were examined in resting and thrombin-activated human blood platelets. Thrombin-stimulation resulted in an overall increase in labeled proteins containing phosphotyrosine. The most prominent was a protein of 60 Kd. By electroblotting, the 60 Kd protein was identified as the pp60c-src, the normal cellular homolog of the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus. We have examined the intracellular distribution of the pp60c-src within platelets. Use of immunoprecipitation and electrotransfer to study isolated membranes, alpha-granules, lysosomes, and dense granules (also termed dense bodies) revealed that pp60c-src was highly enriched in dense bodies. In view of the prominent role of these granules in platelet function, We postulate that protein phosphorylation by activated pp60c-src is involved in early steps of platelet activation.     

Transit of pp60v-src to the plasma membrane.

The protein kinase (pp60v-src) encoded by the transforming gene (v-src) of Rous sarcoma virus is synthesized on free polyribosomes and then translocated to the plasma membrane of infected cells. Neither the mechanism of the translocation nor the physiological significance of the membrane localization has been elucidated. We have explored these problems by pursuing previous observations of a complex between pp60v-src and two cellular proteins with molecular weights of 50,000 and 89,000. We found the complex located entirely in the cytoplasm, where it appears to form immediately after the synthesis of pp60v-src. While in the complex, pp60v-src has little detectable kinase activity and is phosphorylated predominantly on serine. After transfer from the complex to the plasma membrane, pp60v-src becomes phosphorylated on tyrosine as well as serine and acquires kinase activity. Under restrictive conditions, temperature-sensitive pp60v-src is produced in normal quantities, but translocation to the plasma membrane is diminished. As an apparent consequence, the cytoplasmic complex accumulates to abnormal abundance. Alternatively, temperature-sensitive pp60v-src that has been synthesized and translocated to the plasma membrane under permissive conditions appears to be released from the membrane and returns to the cytoplasmic complex when the infected cells are shifted to the restrictive temperature. We conclude that the cytoplasmic complex may be the vehicle by which pp60v-src reaches the plasma membrane. It is possible that other proteins may follow a similar route to the membrane. Binding to plasma membrane appears to be a discrete step in the biogenesis of pp60v-src and may be essential to the function of the protein.     

pp125FAK a structurally distinctive protein-tyrosine kinase associated with focal adhesions.

Expression of the Rous sarcoma virus-encoded oncoprotein, pp60v-src, subverts the normal regulation of cell growth, which results in oncogenic transformation. This process requires the intrinsic protein-tyrosine kinase activity of pp60v-src and is associated with an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of cellular proteins, candidate substrates for pp60v-src. We report here the isolation of a cDNA encoding a protein, pp125, that is a major phosphotyrosine-containing protein in untransformed chicken embryo cells and exhibits an increase in phosphotyrosine in pp60v-src-transformed chicken embryo cells. This cDNA encodes a cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinase which, based upon its predicted amino acid sequence and structure, is the prototype for an additional family of protein-tyrosine kinases. Immunofluorescence localization experiments show that pp125 is localized to focal adhesions; hence, we suggest the name focal adhesion kinase.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation of G protein alpha subunits by pp60c-src.

A number of lines of evidence suggest that cross-talk exists between the cellular signal transduction pathways involving tyrosine phosphorylation catalyzed by members of the pp60c-src kinase family and those mediated by guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G proteins). In this study, we explore the possibility that direct interactions between pp60c-src and G proteins may occur with functional consequences. Preparations of pp60c-src isolated by immunoprecipitation phosphorylate on tyrosine residues the purified G-protein alpha subunits (G alpha) of several heterotrimeric G proteins. Phosphorylation is highly dependent on G-protein conformation, and G alpha(GDP) uncomplexed by beta gamma subunits appears to be the preferred substrate. In functional studies, phosphorylation of stimulatory G alpha (G alpha s) modestly increases the rate of binding of guanosine 5'-[gamma-[35S]thio]triphosphate to Gs as well as the receptor-stimulated steady-state rate of GTP hydrolysis by Gs. Heterotrimeric G proteins may represent a previously unappreciated class of potential substrates for pp60c-src.     

Amino-terminal sequence of p36 and associated p10: identification of the site of tyrosine phosphorylation and homology with S-100.

p36 is a major substrate of both viral and growth factor-receptor-associated tyrosine protein kinases. p36 can be isolated as a complex consisting of a subunit of Mr 36,000 (p36) and a subunit of Mr 10,000 (p10), and it represents an abundant cellular protein. We have isolated the p36-p10 complex from bovine intestinal epithelium and analyzed the amino terminus of both subunits. Sequence analysis of the first 56 amino acids of p10 demonstrates a striking sequence homology (48% identically placed residues) with the Mr 10,000 calcium-binding proteins from bovine brain, termed S-100. Intestinal p36 could be effectively labeled on a single tyrosine in vitro with immunoprecipitated pp60v-src and [gamma-32P]ATP. Mild proteolysis of p36 with chymotrypsin resulted in the cleavage into large (Mr, 33,000) and small domains (Mr, 3000), with the latter representing the phosphorylated amino terminus. Although the amino terminus is apparently blocked, sequence analysis of a secondary tryptic peptide of the Mr 3000 fragment as well as the amino-terminal sequence of the Mr 33,000 domain and overlapping peptides clearly established the site of tyrosine phosphorylation.     

Potential positive and negative autoregulation of p60c-src by intermolecular autophosphorylation.

The product of the protooncogene c-src is a protein-tyrosine kinase, p60c-src, that is normally inhibited by phosphorylation at a tyrosine residue close to the C terminus (Tyr-527). If activated by dephosphorylation of Tyr-527, or by other means, p60c-src becomes phosphorylated at a tyrosine residue in the catalytic domain (Tyr-416). To test whether either or both of these tyrosines can be phosphorylated by p60c-src itself, we have created four mutations in c-src. One mutant product can receive but cannot donate phosphate, and other mutants are capable of catalysis but lack phosphorylation sites. The mutant genes were expressed singly or in combination in yeast. Analysis of the phosphorylation of mutant p60c-src in the yeast cells and in immunoprecipitates showed that p60c-src molecules can phosphorylate each other at Tyr-416 and -527. Prohibiting intramolecular phosphorylation had little effect on reaction rates and extents, suggesting that intermolecular phosphorylation predominates. If the same situation pertains in the milieu of the vertebrate fibroblast, phosphorylation of one p60c-src by another at Tyr-416 or -527 could permit positive or negative autoregulation.     

Nonreceptor tyrosine protein kinase pp60c-src in spatial learning: synapse-specific changes in its gene expression, tyrosine phosphorylation, and protein-protein interactions

c-src is a nonreceptor tyrosine protein kinase that is highly concentrated in synaptic regions, including synaptic vesicles and growth cones. Here, we report that the mRNA signal of pp60c-src is widely distributed in the rat brain with particularly high concentrations in the hippocampus. After spatial maze learning, up-regulation of c-src mRNA was observed in the CA3 region of the hippocampus, which was accompanied by increases in pp60c-src protein in hippocampal synaptosomal preparations. Training also triggered an increase in c-src protein tyrosine kinase activity that was correlated with its tyrosine dephosphorylation in the synaptic membrane fraction. After training, pp60c-src from hippocampus showed enhanced interactions with synaptic proteins such as synapsin I, synaptophysin, and the type 2 N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor, as well as the cytoskeletal protein actin. The association of pp60c-src with insulin receptor in the synaptic membrane fraction, however, was temporally decreased after training. Furthermore, in vitro results showed that Ca(2+) and protein kinase C might be involved in the regulation of protein-protein interactions of pp60c-src. These results suggest, therefore, that pp60c-src participates in the regulation of hippocampal synaptic activity during learning and memory.     

Coinfection of insect cells with recombinant baculovirus expressing pp60v-src results in the activation of a serine-specific protein kinase pp90rsk.

A recombinant baculovirus was constructed for the production of the serine-specific protein kinase, pp90rsk (where rsk is ribosomal S6 kinase), in insect cells. The Xenopus pp90rsk expressed in the infected cells had nearly undetectable enzyme activity in contrast to the same enzyme coproduced with the v-src oncogene product pp60v-src. The transforming gene product pp60v-src very effectively activated pp90rsk, whereas the products of c-src and the myristoylation-minus nontransforming virus NY315 were markedly less effective. Only a fraction of the total pp90rsk population was activated, and it could be partially separated from unactivated protein by ion-exchange chromatography. When compared to the unactivated form, the activated enzyme displayed about a 4000-fold increase in the capacity to phosphorylate the ribosomal protein S6. The enhanced enzymatic activity appeared to be due to phosphorylation of pp90rsk.     

pp60c-src kinase expression in brain of adult rats in relation to age.

Although there is evidence of alterations in brain protein phosphorylation patterns with age, it is not known if the protein kinases that phosphorylate only at tyrosine residues are involved in these changes. For this reason, we examined the age-related expression of pp60c-src, a tyrosine protein kinase enriched in neural tissues, in whole brain of adult Fischer-344 rats. The pp60c-src kinase activity was immunoprecipitated using a monoclonal antibody and the incorporation of [32P] from radiolabeled ATP into an exogenous substrate (casein) measured. The results showed that there was a substantial amount of pp60c-src kinase activity in brain of the adult animals ranging in age from 4 to 23 months and that it was not significantly different among these groups. Also, immunoprecipitates obtained under conditions of monoclonal antibody excess and utilized for immunoblot analysis indicated that the relative levels of the pp60c-src protein were unchanged in the same animals. These results suggest that, at the whole brain level, the pp60c-src kinase has a stable turnover and that a high amount of activity is biologically important in brain of adult rats through early senescence.