Proteolytic cleavage of epidermal growth factor receptor by caspases.
Apoptotic proteases cleave and inactivate survival signaling molecules such as Akt/PKB, phospholipase C (PLC)-gamma1, and Bcl-2. We have found that treatment of A431 cells with tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the presence of cycloheximide resulted in the cleavage of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) as well as the activation of caspase-3. Among various caspases, caspase-1, caspase-3 and caspase-7 were most potent in the cleavage of EGFR in vitro. Proteolytic cleavage of EGFR was inhibited by both YVAD-cmk and DEVD-fmk in vitro. We also investigated the effect of caspase-dependent cleavage of EGFR upon the mediation of signals to downstream signaling molecules such as PLC-gamma1. Cleavage of EGFR by caspase-3 significantly impaired the tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC-gamma1 in vitro. Given these results, we suggest that apoptotic protease specifically cleaves and inactivates EGFR, which plays crucial roles in anti-apoptotic signaling, to abrogate the activation of EGFR-dependent downstream survival signaling molecules.
Division of Molecular and Life Science, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 790-784, South Korea.
S S
SS
Bae
J H
JH
Choi
Y S
YS
Oh
D K
DK
Perry
S H
SH
Ryu
P G
PG
Suh
D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000494:pharmacology; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D020170:Caspase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D053143:Caspase 2; D053148:Caspase 3; D053179:Caspase 7; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007527:Isoenzymes / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases / Q000378:metabolism; D051966:Phospholipase C gamma; D010766:Phosphorylation; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D010738:Type C Phospholipases / Q000378:metabolism*; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000378:metabolism
D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D007527:Isoenzymes; C098738:N-acetyl-tyrosyl-valyl-alanyl-aspartyl chloromethyl ketone; D009842:Oligopeptides; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; C110772:benzoylcarbonyl-aspartyl-glutamyl-valyl-aspartyl-fluoromethyl ketone; D014443:Tyrosine; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D010738:Type C Phospholipases; D051966:Phospholipase C gamma; D010447:Peptide Hydrolases; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505520:CASP7 protein, human; D053143:Caspase 2; D053148:Caspase 3; D053179:Caspase 7; D020169:Caspases; D020170:Caspase 1