Constitutive activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase by a naturally occurring mutant epidermal growth factor receptor.
The most frequently found alteration of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in human tumors is a deletion of exons 2-7. This receptor, termed EGFRvIII, can transform NIH 3T3 cells, and the frequent expression of this variant implies that it confers a selective advantage upon tumor cells in vivo. Although EGFRvIII is a constitutively activated tyrosine kinase, there is no increase in Ras.GTP levels and low levels of mitogen-activated protein kinase activity in NIH 3T3 cells expressing this variant. We investigated whether phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase was an effector in transformation by the EGFRvIII. High levels of PI 3-kinase activity were constitutively present in EGFRvIII-transformed cells and were dependent upon the kinase activity of the receptor. While mitogen-activated protein kinase activity was quickly down-regulated to basal levels after 12 h of continuous EGFR activation, there was a 3-fold increase in PI 3-kinase activity in cells expressing normal EGFR and an 8-fold increase in cells expressing EGFRvIII after 48 h. This increased activity may reflect enhanced binding to EGFRvIII and the presence of novel PI 3-kinase isoforms. Treatment with the PI 3-kinase inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 blocked both anchorage-independent growth and growth in low serum media and also resulted in morphological reversion of EGFRvIII-transformed cells. These results support an essential role for PI 3-kinase in transformation by this EGFR variant.
Moscatello
D K
DK
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Kimmel Cancer Institute, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
Holgado-Madruga
M
M
Emlet
D R
DR
Montgomery
R B
RB
Wong
A J
AJ
D016475:3T3 Cells; D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D009154:Mutation; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C490897:Gab1 protein, mouse