title: Identification of Nck family genes, chromosomal localization, expression, and signaling specificity.
abstract: Already a dozen molecules share binding to the Src homology (SH) 3 domains of human Nck, an SH3-SH3-SH3-SH2 adapter protein. We reason that there may be multiple gene members of Nck to accommodate the large binding repertoires. Here we report identification of novel human and mouse Nck genes and rename them as the Nckalpha and Nckbeta genes (including the human Nckalpha, human Nckbeta, mouse Nckalpha, and mouse Nckbeta genes). Nckalpha and Nckbeta share 68% amino acid identity, whereas the two Nckalpha and two Nckbeta across the species show 96% identity to each other. The human Nckbeta gene is mapped to 2q12, whereas the human Nckalpha gene has previously been mapped at 3q21. Antibodies specifically against Nckalpha and Nckbeta detect Nckalpha and Nckbeta with an identical molecular mass in the same cells of various origins. Ectopically expressed Nckbeta, but not its SH2 domain mutant, strongly inhibits epidermal growth factor- and platelet-derived growth factor-stimulated DNA synthesis. Consistently, epidermal growth factor receptor and platelet-derived growth factor receptor preferentially interact with Nckbeta over Nckalpha in vitro. This study indicates that Nck is a multiple gene family and that each gene may have its own signaling specificity. Because previous anti-Nck (human Nckalpha) antibodies cross-react with Nckbeta, reassessment of those studies with specific Nck genes would be necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Department of Medicine, the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: She
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Spicer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Le Beau
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D017931:DNA Primers; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D017479:Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D018909:src Homology Domains
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D017931:DNA Primers; C078332:Nck protein; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D010982:Platelet-Derived Growth Factor; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D017479:Receptors, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor