Interaction of the protein kinase Raf-1 with 14-3-3 proteins.

Members of a family of highly conserved proteins, termed 14-3-3 proteins, were found by several experimental approaches to associate with Raf-1, a central component of a key signal transduction pathway. Optimal complex formation required the amino-terminal regulatory domain of Raf-1. The association of 14-3-3 proteins and Raf-1 was not substantially affected by the activation state of Raf.

Tyrosine phosphorylation of the proto-oncoprotein Raf-1 is regulated by Raf-1 itself and the phosphatase Cdc25A.

There is a growing body of evidence demonstrating that Raf-1 is phosphorylated on tyrosines upon stimulation of a variety of receptors. Although detection of Raf-1 tyrosine phosphorylation has remained elusive, genetic analyses have demonstrated it to be important for Raf-1 activation. Here we report new findings which indicate that Raf-1 tyrosine phosphorylation is regulated in vivo. In both a mammalian and baculovirus expression system, a kinase-inactive allele of Raf-1 was found to be tyrosine phosphorylated at levels much greater than that of wild-type Raf-1. The level of tyrosine phosphate on Raf-1 was markedly increased upon treatment with phosphatase inhibitors either before or after cell lysis. Cdc25A was found to dephosphorylate Raf-1 on tyrosines that resulted in a significant decrease in Raf-1 kinase activity. In NIH 3T3 cells, coexpression of wild-type Raf-1 and phosphatase-inactive Cdc25A led to a marked increase in Raf-1 tyrosine phosphorylation in response to platelet-derived growth factor. These data suggest that the tyrosine phosphorylation of Raf-1 is regulated not only by itself but also by Cdc25A.

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) stimulates the tyrosine kinase activity of the receptor encoded by the proto-oncogene c-MET.

The human proto-oncogene c-MET encodes a heterodimeric 190 kDa transmembrane protein (p190c-met) with structural features of a tyrosine kinase receptor. The ligand for this putative receptor has not yet been identified. By Northern blot hybridization we found that, among a restricted number of human tissues, c-MET is highly expressed in the liver. This prompted us to test the hypothesis of a functional interaction between the c-MET receptor and Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF), a heparin-binding polypeptide consisting of heavy and light chains of 65 and 35 kDa. Nanomolar concentrations of highly purified HGF added to GTL-16 cells, which overexpress the c-MET receptor, enhanced the phosphorylation on tyrosine of the p190c-met kinase. Addition of other known growth factors or serum was ineffective. The kinase activity of the c-MET receptor was also stimulated by HGF in an in vitro assay, after detergent solubilization and partial purification of p190c-met. Moreover, elution of immunoprecipitates obtained with anti-MET antibodies from GTL-16 cell lysates yielded an HGF-responsive kinase activity. These results suggest that HGF, or a growth factor structurally related to HGF, is a candidate ligand for the receptor encoded by c-MET.

Biosynthesis of the protein encoded by the c-met proto-oncogene.

The proto-oncogene c-met encodes a transmembrane protein with structural features of a growth factor receptor. We have previously shown that the c-met protein (c-Met) is a heterodimer of two disulphide linked chains of 50 kd (alpha) and 145 kd (beta). In this work we have studied the biosynthesis of the c-met product in a gastric carcinoma cell line (GTL-16) where the c-met gene is amplified and overexpressed. Following metabolic labelling of the cells in the presence of tunicamycin, anti-met antibodies immunoprecipitate a protein of 150 kd. In pulse-chase experiments carried out in the absence of tunicamycin, a 170 kd product appears first. Within the next few minutes, this precursor modifies its SDS migration, probably as a consequence of modification(s) of its intra-chain disulphide bonds. After 45 min of chase, this single polypeptide precursor is cleaved to form a 50 kd alpha subunit and a 145 kd beta subunit that are joined by disulphide bonds in an alpha beta complex with an apparent molecular weight of 190 kd. The presence of N-linked oligosaccharides in both the precursor and the mature protein was shown by enzymatic de-glycosylation of the immunoprecipitated proteins. The half-life of the mature protein was calculated to be approximately 5h. The c-met protein has similar structure and biosynthesis in other human cell lines.

Expression of the Met/HGF receptor in normal and neoplastic human tissues.

The MET oncogene encodes a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor. Recently, hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a potent growth factor for hepatocytes involved in liver regeneration, has been proposed as a ligand. In this paper, the physiological role of the human Met/HGF receptor is investigated by studying its specific distribution in normal and neoplastic tissues. Northern blot analysis has shown that the MET gene is selectively expressed in several epithelial tissues. High levels of MET mRNA have been found in liver, gastrointestinal tract, thyroid and kidney. Western blot analysis has shown that the levels of the Met protein generally correspond to those of the mRNA. However, in the thyroid, where there is a high level of MET mRNA, the protein was barely detectable, suggesting translational or post-translational regulation. The protein was also detected in the brain. Normal or increased levels of MET mRNA and Met protein were consistently found in fresh samples of carcinomas as well as in epithelial tumor cell lines. In thyroid carcinomas of a specific histiotype the amount of Met protein, almost undetectable in the normal counterpart, was found to be increased more than 100-fold. The tissue distribution of the Met/HGF receptor indicates that this molecule is involved in growth control of epithelial cells other than hepatocytes and suggests that its increased expression may confer a growth advantage to neoplastic cells.

Ras is involved in gap junction closure in proliferating fibroblasts or preadipocytes but not in differentiated adipocytes.

A decrease in gap junctional, intercellular communication (GJIC) has been associated with cells neoplastically transformed by a variety of factors. To investigate the role of the Ras oncogene product in gap junction function, a panel of murine C3H10T1/2 (10T1/2) fibroblasts was constructed in which the levels of ras gene expression could be effectively up- or down-regulated. Intercellular communication was measured using a novel technique of in situ electroporation of adherent cells on a partly conductive slide. The introduction of increasing amounts of activated Ras(leu61) in mouse 10T1/2 fibroblasts proportionally reduced GJIC, while the downregulation of endogenous c-ras gene expression increased junctional permeability. These results indicate that Ras plays an important role in the junction closure pathway leading to the proliferation of normal cells. However, differentiation of c-Ras-deficient preadipocytes entirely abolished their initially extensive GJIC, indicating that junction closure in response to adipocytic differentiation is independent of Ras.

Constitutive cellular expression of PI 3-kinase is distinct from transient expression.

The discovery that the PTEN tumor suppressor encodes a phosphoinositide 3-phosphatase has raised interest in the effects of constitutive activation of PI 3-kinase. To gain insight into PI 3-kinase function, we have stably expressed a myristoylated form of the catalytic subunit p110alpha (myr-p110) in cells. The myr-p110 associated with the endogenous p85 regulatory subunit and retained lipid and protein kinase activity. Stable lines expressing myr-p110 had 2- to 4-fold more PI 3-kinase activity than controls. Expression of myr-p110 altered cellular morphology and increased the saturation density in culture. These clones were morphologically transformed but Akt and pp70(s6k) were not constitutively activated in contrast to transient assays and from tumor cell lines deficient in PTEN. In addition, the ability of PDGF to induce activation of Akt and pp70(s6k) was diminished. Therefore, expression of a myristoylated PI 3-kinase in murine fibroblasts induces a morphological transformation of the cells.

Ras(leu61) blocks differentiation of transformable 3T3 L1 and C3H10T1/2-derived preadipocytes in a dose- and time-dependent manner.

To investigate the functional relationship between the transforming ability of Ras and its role as an integral component of the differentiation-promoting insulin signaling pathway, we introduced a leu61-activated ras gene into the Ras-transformable 3T3 L1 (ATCC CCL92.1) and a number of C3H10T1/2-derived preadipocytic cell lines. The results demonstrate a quantitative reciprocal regulation of differentiation and several transformation-associated properties in response to graded levels of ras gene expression, with the loss of differentiative capacity, morphological transformation, stimulation of proliferation, and anchorage-independent growth requiring increasing levels of Ras(leu61) protein. Furthermore, using novel, tightly regulatable 3T3 L1 transfectants, we demonstrated that Ras(leu61) effectiveness in blocking adipocytic differentiation is strictly dependent on the timing of its expression relative to cell growth arrest, with ras(leu61) expression being ineffective at inhibiting differentiation or inducing morphological transformation once the differentiative process has commenced. Moreover, rasleu61 induction failed to substitute for or enhance the c-Ras-dependent differentiative insulin signal, even under conditions in which it did not induce transformation. Therefore, although necessary for insulin signal transduction, the Ras signal alone is not sufficient to induce adipocytic differentiation in this system. Consistent with its established role as a downstream effector of Ras, v-Raf expression mirrored the Rasleu61 effects on adipocytic differentiation and transformation.

The receptor encoded by the human c-MET oncogene is expressed in hepatocytes, epithelial cells and solid tumors.

The human c-MET oncogene encodes a transmembrane tyrosine kinase (p190c-met) with structural and functional features of a growth-factor receptor. Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been used to investigate the distribution of the c-Met protein in human normal and neoplastic tissues. By immunofluorescence microscopy homogeneous expression was detected in normal hepatocytes as well as in epithelial cells lining the stomach, the small and the large intestine. Positive staining was also found in epithelial cells of the endometrium and ovary, and in basal keratinocytes of esophagus and skin. By Northern blot analysis, high levels of c-met messenger RNA were detected in specimens of liver, gastro-intestinal tract and kidney. c-met-specific mRNA was also found in thyroid, pancreas and placenta, in which organs c-Met protein was barely detectable by immunofluorescence. The antibodies revealed expression of c-MET protein in hepatomas (11/14), carcinomas of colon and rectum (19/21), stomach (11/22), kidney (16/19), ovary (9/17) and skin (7/17). Carcinomas of the lung (13/20), thyroid (11/13) and pancreas (5/7) were also positive. In these last cases (lung, thyroid and pancreas) tumor cells were homogeneously stained by the antibodies, whereas in their normal counterparts staining was barely detectable. These data suggest that the receptor encoded by c-MET plays a physiological role in epithelial cell growth and that its expression is altered in human carcinomas.

v-Ras and v-Raf block differentiation of transformable C3H10T1/2-derived preadipocytes at lower levels than required for neoplastic transformation.

To investigate the functional relationship between the transforming ability of Ras and its role as an integral component of the differentiative insulin signaling pathway, we introduced a leu61-activated ras gene into a Ras-transformable, C3H10T1/2-derived preadipocytic cell line. The results demonstrate that rasleu61 expression in this line blocks differentiation and that this block appears at lower levels than required for full neoplastic transformation. In addition, to examine whether the inability of Rasleu61 to induce differentiation by replacing the insulin signal could be attributed to its transforming effect in this system, we examined the effect of Rasleu61 at levels below the baseline, by expressing rasleu61 in a series of preadipocytes which were rendered deficient in endogenous c-Ras activity. The results show that even very low Rasleu61 levels, insufficient to restore the growth rate of these cells to normal, blocked rather than enhanced differentiation, indicating that rasleu61 expression alone is not sufficient to promote adipocytic differentiation in this system, even in the absence of neoplastic transformation. Consistent with its established role as a downstream effector of Ras, v-Raf expression mirrored the v-Ras effects upon adipocytic differentiation and transformation.

Activation of MEK-1 and SEK-1 by Tpl-2 proto-oncoprotein, a novel MAP kinase kinase kinase.

The Tpl-2 protein serine/threonine kinase was originally identified, in a C-terminally deleted form, as the product of an oncogene associated with the progression of Moloney murine leukemia virus-induced T cell lymphomas in rats. The kinase domain of Tpl-2 is homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene product, STE11, which encodes a MAP kinase kinase kinase. This suggested that Tpl-2 might have a similar activity. Consistent with this hypothesis, immunoprecipitated Tpl-2 and Tpl-2deltaC (a C-terminally truncated mutant) phosphorylated and activated recombinant fusion proteins of the mammalian MAP kinase kinases, MEK-1 and SEK-1, in vitro. Furthermore, transfection of Tpl-2 into COS-1 cells or Jurkat T cells. markedly activated the MAP kinases, ERK-1 and SAP kinase (JNK), which are substrates for MEK-1 and SEK-1, respectively. Tpl-2, therefore, is a MAP kinase kinase kinase which can activate two MAP kinase pathways. After Raf and Mos, Tpl-2 is the third serine/threonine oncoprotein kinase that has been shown to function as a direct activator of MEK-1.

Evidence for autocrine activation of a tyrosine kinase in a human gastric carcinoma cell line.

Phosphotyrosine (P-Tyr) antibodies have been used to identify the phosphorylated forms of growth factor receptors and oncogene-coded tyrosine kinases. Western blot analysis of a gastric carcinoma cell line with P-Tyr antibodies revealed a tyrosine-phosphorylated protein of Mr 145,000 (P145). In addition, in vitro phosphorylation with (gamma-32P)ATP or P-Tyr immunoprecipitates of the same cells resulted in labelling of this protein on tyrosine. P145 appears to be a transmembrane glycoprotein, with features suggestive of a growth factor receptor. However, the in vivo or in vitro addition of known growth factors did not affect P145 tyrosine phosphorylation. We now report that P145 is rapidly dephosphorylated in vivo when cells are exposed to low pH, a condition known to dissociate ligands from their receptors. The addition of serum-free medium, conditioned by the gastric carcinoma cells, fully restores the tyrosine phosphorylation lost with acid treatment. These data suggest that the activity responsible for P145 phosphorylation on tyrosine, whether intrinsic to P145 itself or due to an associated kinase, is stimulated by a factor secreted by the tumor cells themselves.

Scatter factor and hepatocyte growth factor are indistinguishable ligands for the MET receptor.

Scatter Factor (SF) is a fibroblast-secreted protein which promotes motility and matrix invasion of epithelial cells. Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) is a powerful mitogen for hepatocytes and other epithelial tissues. SF and HGF, purified according to their respective biological activities, were interchangeable and equally effective in assays for cell growth, motility and invasion. Both bound with identical affinities to the same sites in target cells. The receptor for SF and HGF was identified as the product of the MET oncogene by: (i) ligand binding and coprecipitation in immunocomplexes; (ii) chemical crosslinking to the Met beta subunit; (iii) transfer of binding activity in insect cells by a baculovirus carrying the MET cDNA; (iv) ligand-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of the Met beta subunit. SF and HGF cDNA clones from human fibroblasts, placenta and liver had virtually identical sequences. We conclude that the same molecule (SF/HGF) acts as a growth or motility factor through a single receptor in different target cells.

The cytokine-activated tyrosine kinase JAK2 activates Raf-1 in a p21ras-dependent manner.

JAK2, a member of the Janus kinase superfamily was found to interact functionally with Raf-1, a central component of the ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction pathway. Interferon-gamma and several other cytokines that are known to activate JAK2 kinase were also found to stimulate Raf-1 kinase activity toward MEK-1 in mammalian cells. In the baculovirus coexpression system, Raf-1 was activated by JAK2 in the presence of p21ras. Under these conditions, a ternary complex of p21ras, JAK2, and Raf-1 was observed. In contrast, in the absence of p21ras, coexpression of JAK2 and Raf-1 resulted in an overall decrease in the Raf-1 kinase activity. In addition, JAK2 phosphorylated Raf-1 at sites different from those phosphorylated by pp60v-src. In mammalian cells treated with either erythropoietin or interferon-gamma, a small fraction of Raf-1 coimmunoprecipitated with JAK2 in lysates of cells in which JAK2 was activated as judged by its state of tyrosine phosphorylation. Taken together, these data suggest that JAK2 and p21ras cooperate to activate Raf-1.