title: Constitutive activation of the Ras/MAP kinase pathway and enhanced TCR signaling by targeting the Shc adaptor to membrane rafts.
abstract: The Shc adaptor is responsible for coupling receptor tyrosine kinases and tyrosine kinase-associated receptors to the Ras/MAP kinase pathway. Shc is believed to be regulated by a change in subcellular localization from the cytosol to the plasma membrane, where it recruits Grb-2/Sos complexes and hence permits juxtaposition of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sos to Ras, resulting in GDP/GTP exchange and Ras activation. Shc has been recently shown to inducibly colocalize in detergent-resistant membrane rafts together with the activated TCR and associated signaling molecules. To understand whether Shc localization in membrane rafts is sufficient to regulate Shc function, we constructed a Shc chimera containing the Ras membrane localization motif at the C-terminus. We show that membrane targeted Shc was constitutively localized in the plasma membrane of T-cells, and was mostly compartmentalized in lipid rafts. Membrane targeted Shc was phosphorylated on tyrosine residues and bound Grb-2/Sos in the absence of TCR engagement. Furthermore, expression of membrane targeted Shc resulted in constitutive downstream signaling, including Erk2 activation and enhancement of TCR dependent activation of the TCR responsive transcription factor NF-AT. Hence localization of Shc in membrane rafts is sufficient for Shc to acquire a signaling competent state. Interestingly, a membrane targeted Shc mutant lacking both Grb-2 binding sites was not only incapable of signaling in the absence of TCR triggering, but transdominantly inhibited endogenous Shc, supporting a non redundant role for Shc in the activation of the Ras/MAP kinase pathway in T-cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Siena, Via Mattioli 4, 53100 Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Plyte
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Majolini
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pacini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scarpini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bianchini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lanfrancone
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pelicci
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Baldari
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D001665:Binding Sites; D001692:Biological Transport; D002460:Cell Line; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D051383:GRB10 Adaptor Protein; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D055765:Shc Signaling Adaptor Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000071425:Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing, Transforming Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D033942:Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011506:Proteins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C528024:SHC1 protein, human; D055765:Shc Signaling Adaptor Proteins; D000071425:Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing, Transforming Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051383:GRB10 Adaptor Protein; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D018631:ras Proteins