title: Activation of Ras in vitro and in intact fibroblasts by the Vav guanine nucleotide exchange protein.
abstract: We recently identified Vav, the product of the vav proto-oncogene, as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) for Ras. Vav is enzymatically activated by lymphocyte antigen receptor-coupled protein tyrosine kinases or independently by diglycerides. To further evaluate the physiological role of Vav, we assessed its GDP-GTP exchange activity against several Ras-related proteins in vitro and determined whether Vav activation in transfected NIH 3T3 fibroblasts correlates with the activity status of Ras and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases. In vitro translated purified Vav activated by phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) or phosphorylation with recombinant p56lck displayed GEF activity against Ras but not against recombinant RacI, RacII, Ral, or RhoA proteins. Expression of vav or proto-vav in stably transfected NIH 3T3 cells led to a approximately 10-fold increase in basal or PMA-stimulated Ras exchange activity, respectively, in total-cell lysates and Vav immunoprecipitates. Elevated GEF activity was paralleled in each case by a significant increase in the proportion of active, GTP-bound Ras. PMA had a minimal effect on the low Ras. GTP level in untransfected control fibroblasts but increased it from 20 to 37% in proto-vav-transfected cells. vav-transfected cells displayed a constitutively elevated Ras. GTP level (35%), which was not increased further by PMA treatment. MAP kinases, known downstream intermediates in Ras-dependent signaling pathways, similarly exhibited increased basal or PMA-stimulated activity in Vav-expressing cells by comparison with normal NIH 3T3 cells. These results demonstrate a physiologic interaction between Vav and its target, Ras, leading to MAP kinase activation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Biology, La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, California 92037.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gulbins
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Coggeshall
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Langlet
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baier
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bonnefoy-Berard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Burn
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wittinghofer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Katzav
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altman
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D002999:Clone Cells; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism*; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D051379:Mice; D009857:Oncogenes; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D051567:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / Q000378:metabolism*; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051567:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav; C496618:VAV1 protein, human; C496619:Vav1 protein, mouse; D006153:Guanosine Diphosphate; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins; C501009:HRAS protein, human; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D013755:Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate