The membrane glycoprotein encoded by the retroviral oncogene v-erb-B is structurally related to tyrosine-specific protein kinases.
Avian erythroblastosis virus can transform both fibroblasts and erythroid cells to neoplastic growth. A locus within the virus genome, v-erb B, encodes a membrane glycoprotein essential for the oncogenic properties of the virus. No biochemical function has until now been attributed to the v-erb B protein. We report here that the v-erb B glycoprotein shares strong structural homologies with the tyrosine-specific protein kinases encoded by certain retroviral oncogenes. The patterns of amino acid conservation between the tyrosine-specific protein kinases and the v-erb B protein, and between the v-erb B protein and the catalytic subunit of bovine protein kinase, suggest a possible functional as well as structural relatedness.
D001355:Alpharetrovirus / Q000235:genetics*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001354:Avian Leukosis Virus / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003062:Codon; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D005796:Genes; D005814:Genes, Viral; D009857:Oncogenes; D010957:Plasmids; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
D003062:Codon; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D011494:Protein Kinases; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes