Src phosphorylation of the epidermal growth factor receptor at novel sites mediates receptor interaction with Src and P85 alpha.
Following ligand binding, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGF-R) autophosphorylates itself on tyrosine residues located in its carboxyl terminus; in vitro, three sites are highly phosphorylated, while two other sites are phosphorylated to lesser extents. In the presence of the Src protein-tyrosine kinase, in vitro phosphorylation of the minor autophosphorylation sites was increased, and four additional residues were phosphorylated. Following EGF stimulation, two (Tyr-891 and Tyr-920) were found to be phosphorylated in a colorectal cell line (DLD-1) and in a breast tumor cell line (MCF7). The remaining in vitro sites were not found to be highly phosphorylated in vivo. The sequences surrounding Tyr-891 and Tyr-920 match the reported consensus binding sequences for the SH2 domains of Src and the regulatory domain of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (p85 alpha), respectively. In vitro, both of these proteins were found to bind to Src-phosphorylated EGF-R with approximately 100-fold greater affinity than to autophosphorylated EGF-R, demonstrating that Src creates new sites for SH2 binding. Furthermore, Csk-inactivated Src was activated by interaction with Src-phosphorylated EGF-R but not by autophosphorylated EGF-R. Upon EGF treatment of MCF7 or three colorectal carcinoma cell lines (WiDr, DLD-1, and LS174T), the EGF-R coimmunoprecipitated with both p85 alpha and Src. Evidence is also presented that suggests that an EGF-R-related protein, ErbB2, may be involved in similar Src-mediated interactions. These data demonstrate that EGF-R is phosphorylated in vivo at non-autophosphorylation sites and that these novel sites can act as docking sites for Src, P85 alpha, and potentially other SH2-containing proteins. In addition, the data suggest a tyrosine phosphatase-independent mechanism for the elevation of Src activity in cells exposed to growth factors. Overexpression of Src, EGF-R, and/or ErbB2 in breast and colorectal tumor cells suggests the potential that such interactions may contribute to the transformed phenotype of these carcinomas.
Stover
D R
DR
Research Department, Ciba Geigy Limited, Basel, Switzerland.
Becker
M
M
Liebetanz
J
J
Lydon
N B
NB
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015688:Oncogene Protein pp60(v-src) / Q000378:metabolism*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) / Q000378:metabolism*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D066246:ErbB Receptors; D015688:Oncogene Protein pp60(v-src); D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases