title: Cell anchorage permits efficient signal transduction between ras and its downstream kinases.
abstract: Cell anchorage strongly affects the signal transduction cascade initiated by peptide mitogens. For both epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, activation of the consensus mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade is impaired when cells are held in suspension as compared with cells anchored to a fibronectin substratum. Upstream events in the signaling cascade, including tyrosine phosphorylation of the mitogen receptor and GTP loading of Ras, are similar in anchored and suspended cells. However, propagation of the signal to Raf and subsequently to the downstream kinases MEK and mitogen-activated protein kinase is markedly attenuated in suspended cells. Thus, there seems to be a distinct anchorage-dependent step between Ras and Raf in the signaling cascade initiated by peptide mitogens. These observations may have important implications for understanding the anchorage dependence of cell growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 27599, USA.
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Howe
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Juliano
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000378:metabolism; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D048728:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 1; D051379:Mice; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D015398:Signal Transduction; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D006160:Guanosine Triphosphate; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048728:MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 1; C482578:Map3k1 protein, mouse; D018631:ras Proteins