title: Signalling of the Ret receptor tyrosine kinase through the c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinases (JNKS): evidence for a divergence of the ERKs and JNKs pathways induced by Ret.
abstract: The RET proto-oncogene encodes a functional receptor tyrosine kinase (Ret) for the Glial cell line Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF). RET is involved in several neoplastic and non-neoplastic human diseases. Oncogenic activation of RET is detected in human papillary thyroid tumours and in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 syndromes. Inactivating mutations of RET have been associated to the congenital megacolon, i.e. Hirschprung's disease. In order to identify pathways that are relevant for Ret signalling to the nucleus, we have investigated its ability to induce the c-Jun NH2-terminal protein kinases (JNK). Here we show that triggering the endogenous Ret, expressed in PC12 cells, induces JNK activity; moreover, Ret is able to activate JNK either when transiently transfected in COS-1 cells or when stably expressed in NIH3T3 fibroblasts or in PC Cl 3 epithelial thyroid cells. JNK activation is dependent on the Ret kinase function, as a kinase-deficient RET mutant, associated with Hirschsprung's disease, fails to activate JNK. The pathway leading to the activation of JNK by RET is clearly divergent from that leading to the activation of ERK: substitution of the tyrosine 1062 of Ret, the Shc binding site, for phenylalanine abrogates ERK but not JNK activation. Experiments conducted with dominant negative mutants or with negative regulators demonstrate that JNK activation by Ret is mediated by Rho/Rac related small GTPases and, particularly, by Cdc42.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Endocrinologia ed Oncologia Sperimentale del CNR, Dipartimento di Biologia e Patologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università di Napoli Federico II, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chiariello
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Visconti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carlomagno
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Melillo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: de Franciscis
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fox
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jing
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Coso
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gutkind
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santoro
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D019556:COS Cells; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002460:Cell Line; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D000939:Epitopes; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D020730:Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; D051379:Mice; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D016296:Mutagenesis; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016716:PC12 Cells; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D051381:Rats; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D062947:rho-Specific Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors
chemical_list: C513041:Arhgap35 protein, mouse; C513040:Arhgap35 protein, rat; C513042:Arhgap5 protein, mouse; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; D020690:GTPase-Activating Proteins; D051097:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Receptors; D020730:Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011506:Proteins; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D062947:rho-Specific Guanine Nucleotide Dissociation Inhibitors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051096:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ret; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C416649:Ret protein, Drosophila; C494999:Ret protein, mouse; C495001:Ret protein, rat; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048670:MAP Kinase Kinase 4; C482559:MAP2K4 protein, human; C482562:Map2k4 protein, mouse; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D019204:GTP-Binding Proteins