Mammalian sprouty proteins inhibit cell growth and differentiation by preventing ras activation.
Sprouty was genetically identified as an antagonist of fibroblast growth factor signaling during tracheal branching in Drosophila. In this study, we provide a functional characterization of mammalian Sprouty1 and Sprouty2. Sprouty1 and Sprouty2 inhibited events downstream of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases and regulated both cell proliferation and differentiation. Using NIH3T3 cell lines conditionally expressing Sprouty1 or Sprouty2, we found that these proteins specifically inhibit the Ras/Raf/MAP kinase pathway by preventing Ras activation. In contrast, activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway was not affected by Sprouty1 or Sprouty2. We further showed that Sprouty1 and Sprouty2 do no prevent the formation of a SNT.Grb2.Sos complex upon fibroblast growth factor stimulation, yet block Ras activation. Taken together, these results establish mammalian Sprouty proteins as important negative regulators of growth factor signaling and suggest that Sprouty proteins act downstream of the Grb2.Sos complex to selectively uncouple growth factor signals from Ras activation and the MAP Kinase pathway.
Gross
I
I
Derald H. Ruttenberg Cancer Center and Department of Medicine, Box 1130, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.
Bassit
B
B
Benezra
M
M
Licht
J D
JD
D016475:3T3 Cells; D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002455:Cell Division / Q000502:physiology*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D016716:PC12 Cells; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000502:physiology*; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D051381:Rats; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C425468:Spry1 protein, mouse; C404992:Spry2 protein, rat; D018631:ras Proteins