Novel regulation and function of Src tyrosine kinase

Src tyrosine kinase is a critical signal transducer that modulates a wide variety of cellular functions. Misregulation of Src leads to cell transformation and cancer. Heterotrimeric guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) are another group of signaling molecules that transduce signals from cell-surface receptors to generate physiological responses. Recently, it was discovered that Gαs and Gαi could directly stimulate Src family tyrosine kinase activity. This novel regulation of Src tyrosine kinase by G proteins provides insights into the adenylyl cyclase-independent signaling mechanisms involved in ligand-induced receptor desensitization, internalization and other physiological processes. Received 17 August 2001; received after revision 22 October 2001; accepted 24 October 2001     

Oncogenic protein tyrosine kinases

HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor-2; also known as erbB2) and its relatives HER1 (epidermal growth factor receptor; EGFR), HER3 and HER4 belong to the HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases. In normal cells, activation of this receptor tyrosine kinase family triggers a rich network of signaling pathways that control normal cell growth, differentiation, motility and adhesion in several cell lineages. The first tumor studied for an alteration of the HER2 oncogene is breast carcinoma, and so far the majority of studies have been performed on this oncotype. Although involvement of HER2 as a cause of human cell transformation needs to be further investigated, overexpression of the HER2 oncogene in human breast carcinomas has been associated with a more aggressive course of disease. It has been suggested that this association depends on HER2-driven proliferation, vessel formation and/or invasiveness; however, poor prognosis may not be directly related to the presence of the oncoprotein on the cell membrane but instead to the breast carcinoma subset identified by HER2 overexpression and characterized by a peculiar gene expression profile, as recently identified. HER2-positive tumors were recently shown to benefit from anthracyclin treatment and to be resistant to endocrine therapy. Despite the fact that many pathways interacting with HER2 are still not fully understood, this tyrosine kinase receptor is, to date, a promising molecule for targeted therapy.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Plasmodium falciparum</Emphasis> possesses a unique dual-specificity serine/threonine and tyrosine kinase,Pfnek3

Despite the absence of classical tyrosine kinases encrypted in the kinome of Plasmodium falciparum, biochemical analyses have detected significant tyrosine phosphorylation in its cell lysates. Supporting such phosphorylation is critical for parasite development. These observations have thus raised queries regarding the plasmodial enzymes accountable for tyrosine kinase activities in vivo. In the current investigation, immunoblot analysis intriguingly demonstrated that Pfnek3, a plasmodial mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK), displayed both serine/threonine and tyrosine kinase activities in autophosphorylation reactions as well as in phosphorylation of the exogenous myelin basic protein substrate. The results obtained strongly support Pfnek3 as a novel dual-specificity kinase of the malarial parasite, even though it displays a HGDLKSTN motif in the catalytic loop that resembles the consensus HRDLKxxN signature found in the serine/threonine kinases. Notably, its serine/threonine and tyrosine kinase activities were found to be distinctly influenced by Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ cofactors. Further probing into the regulatory mechanism of Pfnek3 also revealed tyrosine phosphorylation to be a crucial factor that stimulates its kinase activity. Through biocomputational analyses and functional assays, tyrosine residues Y117, Y122, Y172, and Y238 were proposed as phosphorylation sites essential for mediating the catalytic activities of Pfnek3. The discovery of Pfnek3’s dual role in phosphorylation marks its importance in closing the loop for cellular regulation in P. falciparum, which remains elusive to date.     

Role of Sam68 as an adaptor protein in signal transduction

Sam68, the substrate of Src in mitosis, belongs to the family of RNA binding proteins. Sam68 contains consensus sequences to interact with other proteins via specific domains. Thus, Sam68 has various proline-rich sequences to interact with SH3 domain-containing proteins. Moreover, Sam68 also has a C-terminal domain rich in tyrosine residues that is a substrate for tyrosine kinases. Tyrosine phosphorylation of Sam68 promotes its interaction with SH2 containing proteins. The association of Sam68 with SH3 domain-containing proteins, and its tyrosine phosphorylation may negatively regulate its RNA binding activity. The presence of these consensus sequences to interact with different domains allows this protein to participate in signal transduction pathways triggered by tyrosine kinases. Thus, Sam68 participates in the signaling of T cell receptors, leptin and insulin receptors. In these systems Sam68 is tyrosine phosphorylated and recruited to specific signaling complexes. The participation of Sam68 in signaling suggests that it may function as an adaptor molecule, working as a dock to recruit other signaling molecules. Finally, the connection between this role of Sam68 in protein-protein interaction with RNA binding activity may connect signal transduction of tyrosine kinases with the regulation of RNA metabolism.Received 16 July 2004; received after revision 12 August 2004; accepted 18 August 2004     

Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatases: small,but smart

Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatases (LMW-PTPs) are a family of 18-kDa enzymes involved in cell growth regulation. Despite very limited sequence similarity to the PTP superfamily, they display a conserved signature motif in the catalytic site. LMW-PTP associates and dephosphorylate many growth factor receptors, such as platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGF-r), insulin receptor and ephrin receptor, thus downregulating many of the tyrosine kinase receptor functions that lead to cell division. In particular, LMW-PTP acts on both growth-factor-induced mitosis, through dephosphorylation of activated PDGF-r, and on cytoskeleton rearrangement, through dephosphorylation of p190RhoGAP and the consequent regulation of the small GTPase Rho. LMW-PTP activity is modulated by tyrosine phosphorylation on two specific residues, each of them with specific characteristics. LMW-PTP activity on specific substrates depends also on its localization. Moreover, LMW-PTP is reversibly oxidized during growth factor signaling, leading to inhibition of its enzymatic activity. Recovery of phosphatase activity depends on the availability of reduced glutathione and involves the formation of an S–S bridge between the two catalytic site cysteines. Furthermore, studies on the redox state of LMW-PTP in contact-inhibited cells and in mature myoblasts suggest that LMW-PTP is a general and versatile modulator of growth inhibition. Received 17 January 2002; received after revision 22 March 2002; accepted 26 March 2002     

Structure and dynamic regulation of Src-family kinases

Src-family kinases are modular signaling proteins involved in a diverse array of cellular processes. All members of the Src family share the same domain organization, with modular SH3, SH2 and kinase domains followed by a C-terminal negative regulatory tail. X-ray crystallographic analyses of several Src family members have revealed critical roles for the SH3 and SH2 domains in the down-regulation of the kinase domain. This review focuses on biological, biophysical, and computational studies that reveal conformationally distinct active states within this unique kinase family. Received 10 March 2008; received after revision 17 May 2008; accepted 21 May 2008     

Mechanistic principles of RAF kinase signaling

The RAF family of kinases are key components acting downstream of receptor tyrosine kinases and cells employ several distinct mechanisms to strictly control their activity. RAF transitions from an inactive state, where the N-terminal regulatory region binds intramolecularly to the C-terminal kinase domain, to an open state capable of executing the phosphoryl transfer reaction. This transition involves changes both within and between the protein domains in RAF. Many different proteins regulate the transition between inactive and active states of RAF, including RAS and KSR, which are arguably the two most prominent regulators of RAF function. Recent developments have added several new twists to our understanding of RAF regulation. Among others, dimerization of the RAF kinase domain is emerging as a crucial step in the RAF activation process. The multitude of regulatory protein–protein interactions involving RAF remains a largely untapped area for therapeutic applications.     

Pyk2 cytonuclear localization: mechanisms and regulation by serine dephosphorylation

Cytonuclear signaling is essential for long-term alterations of cellular properties. Several pathways involving regulated nuclear accumulation of Ser/Thr kinases have been described but little is known about cytonuclear trafficking of tyrosine kinases. Proline-rich tyrosine kinase 2 (Pyk2) is a cytoplasmic non-receptor tyrosine kinase enriched in neurons and involved in functions ranging from synaptic plasticity to bone resorption, as well as in cancer. We previously showed the Ca²⁺-induced, calcineurin-dependent, nuclear localization of Pyk2. Here, we characterize the molecular mechanisms of Pyk2 cytonuclear localization in transfected PC12 cells. The 700–841 linker region of Pyk2 recapitulates its depolarization-induced nuclear accumulation. This region includes a nuclear export motif regulated by phosphorylation at residue S778, a substrate of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and calcineurin. Nuclear import is controlled by a previously identified sequence in the N-terminal domain and by a novel nuclear targeting signal in the linker region. Regulation of cytonuclear trafficking is independent of Pyk2 activity. The region regulating nuclear localization is absent from the non-neuronal shorter splice isoform of Pyk2. Our results elucidate the mechanisms of Ca²⁺-induced nuclear accumulation of Pyk2. They also suggest that Pyk2 nuclear accumulation is a novel type of signaling response that may contribute to specific long-term adaptations in neurons.     

Signal regulation by family conspiracy

The signal regulating proteins (SIRPs) are a family of ubiquitously expressed transmembrane glycoproteins composed of two subgroups: SIRPα and SIRPβ, containing more than ten members. SIRPα has been shown to inhibit signalling through a variety of receptors including receptor tyrosine kinases and cytokine receptors. This function involves protein tyrosine kinases and is dependent on immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibition motifs which recruit key protein tyrosine phosphatases to the membrane. Negative regulation by SIRPα may also involve its ligand, CD47, in a bi-directional signalling mechanism. The SIRPβ subtype has no cytoplasmic domain but instead associates with at least one other transmembrane protein (DAP-12, or KARAP). DAP-12 possesses immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motifs within its cytoplasmic domain that are thought to link SIRPβ to activating machinery. SIRPα and SIRPβ thus have complementary roles in signal regulation and may conspire to tune the response to a stimulus. Received 6 July 2000; revised 2 August 2000; accepted 5 August 2000     

Regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors by tyrosine kinases in the peripheral and central nervous system: same players, different roles

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) exist in many subtypes and are found in the peripheral and central nervous system where they mediate or modulate synaptic transmission. We review how tyrosine phosphorylation and kinases regulate muscle and neuronal nAChRs. Interestingly, although some of the same kinase players interact with the various receptor subtypes, the functional consequences are different. While concerted action of MuSK, Abl- and Src-family kinases (SFKs) regulates the synaptic distribution of nAChRs at the neuromuscular junction, SFKs activate heteromeric neuronal nAChRs in adrenal chromaffin cells, thereby enhancing catecholamine secretion. In contrast, the activity of homomeric neuronal nAChRs, as found in the hippocampus, is negatively regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation and SFKs. It appears that tyrosine kinases provide the means to regulate all nAChRs; but the functional consequences, even those caused by the same kinase family, are specific for each receptor subtype and location. Received 21 February 2006; received after revision 24 July 2006; accepted 30 August 2006     

Evidence of undiscovered cell regulatory mechanisms: phosphoproteins and protein kinases in mitochondria

The finding that mitochondria contain substrates for protein kinases lead to the discovery that protein kinases are located in the mitochondria of certain tissues and species. These include pyruvate dyhydrogenase kinase, branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, protein kinase A, protein kinase Cδ, stress-activated kinase and A-Raf as well as unidentified kinases. Recent evidence suggests that mitochondrial protein kinases may be involved in physiological processes such as apoptosis and steroidogenesis. Additionally, the novel finding of low-molecular-weight GTP-binding proteins in mitochondria suggests the possibility that these may interact with mitochondrial protein kinases to regulate the activity of mitochondrial effector proteins. The fact that there are components of cellular regulatory systems in mitochondria indicates the exciting possibility of undiscovered systems regulating mitochondrial physiology. Received 19 June 2001; received after revision 7 August 2001; accepted 8 August 2001     

Role of AGC kinases in plant growth and stress responses

AGC kinases are important regulators of cell growth, metabolism, division, and survival in mammalian systems. Mutation or deregulation of members of this family of protein kinases contribute to the pathogenesis of many human diseases, including cancer and diabetes. Although AGC kinases are conserved in the plant kingdom, little is known about their molecular functions and targets. Some of the best-studied plant AGC kinases mediate auxin signaling and are thereby involved in the regulation of growth and morphogenesis. Furthermore, certain members are regulated by lipid-derived signals via the 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) and the kinase target of rapamycin (TOR), similar to its animal counterparts. In this review, we discuss recent findings on plant AGC kinases that unravel important roles in the regulation of plant growth, immunity and cell death, and connections to stress-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascades.     

Possible mechanisms and function of nuclear trafficking of the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTK) have long being studied with respect to the “canonical” signaling. This includes ligand-induced activation of a receptor tyrosine kinase at the cell surface that leads to receptor dimerization, followed by its phosphorylation in the intracellular domain and activation. The activated receptor then recruits cytoplasmic signaling molecules including other kinases. Activation of the downstream signaling cascade frequently leads to changes in gene expression following nuclear translocation of downstream targets. However, RTK themselves may localize within the nucleus, as either full-length molecules or cleaved fragments, with or without their ligands. Significant differences in this mechanism have been reported depending on the individual RTK, cellular context or disease. Accumulating evidences indicate that the colony-stimulating factor-1 receptor (CSF-1R) may localize within the nucleus. To date, however, little is known about the mechanism of CSF-1R nuclear shuttling, as well as the functional role of nuclear CSF-1R.     

The Ror receptor tyrosine kinase family

Receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) participate in numerous developmental decisions. Ror RTKs are a family of orphan receptors that are related to muscle specific kinase (MuSK) and Trk neurotrophin receptors. MuSK assembles acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction [1, 2], and Trk receptors function in the developing nervous system (reviewed in [3-5]). Rors have been identified in nematodes, insects and mammals. Recent studies have begun to shed light on Ror function during development. In most species, Rors are expressed in many tissue types during development. Analyses of mutants that are defective in the single nematode Ror demonstrate a role in cell migration and in orienting cell polarity. Mice lacking one of the two Ror gene products display defects in bone and heart formation. Similarly, two different human bone development disorders, dominant brachydactyly B and recessive Robinow syndrome, result from mutations in one of the human Ror genes. Received 17 April 2001; received after revision 2 July 2001; accepted 4 July 2001     

Tyrosine 842 in the activation loop is required for full transformation by the oncogenic mutant FLT3-ITD

The type III receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 is frequently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia. Oncogenic FLT3 mutants display constitutive activity leading to aberrant cell proliferation and survival. Phosphorylation on several critical tyrosine residues is known to be essential for FLT3 signaling. Among these tyrosine residues, Y842 is located in the so-called activation loop. The position of this tyrosine residue is well conserved in all receptor tyrosine kinases. It has been reported that phosphorylation of the activation loop tyrosine is critical for catalytic activity for some but not all receptor tyrosine kinases. The role of Y842 residue in FLT3 signaling has not yet been studied. In this report, we show that Y842 is not important for FLT3 activation or ubiquitination but plays a critical role in regulating signaling downstream of the receptor as well as controlling receptor stability. We found that mutation of Y842 in the FLT3-ITD oncogenic mutant background reduced cell viability and increased apoptosis. Furthermore, the introduction of the Y842 mutation in the FLT3-ITD background led to a dramatic reduction in in vitro colony forming capacity. Additionally, mice injected with cells expressing FLT3-ITD/Y842F displayed a significant delay in tumor formation, compared to FLT3-ITD expressing cells. Microarray analysis comparing gene expression regulated by FLT3-ITD versus FLT3-ITD/Y842F demonstrated that mutation of Y842 causes suppression of anti-apoptotic genes. Furthermore, we showed that cells expressing FLT3-ITD/Y842F display impaired activity of the RAS/ERK pathway due to reduced interaction between FLT3 and SHP2 leading to reduced SHP2 activation. Thus, we suggest that Y842 is critical for FLT3-mediated RAS/ERK signaling and cellular transformation.     

Protein kinases: which one is the memory molecule?

Encoding of new experiences is likely to induce activity-dependent modifications in the brain. Studies in organisms far apart on the phylogenetic scale have shown that similar, sometimes identical, signal transduction pathways subserve plasticity in neuronal systems, and they may play pivotal roles in the formation of long-term memories. It has become evident that phosphorylation/dephosphorylation reactions are critical for the initiation of cellular mechanisms that embody, retain and modify information in neural circuits. Although physiological investigations on synaptic plasticity have had a major impact, we have concentrated our review on behavioural studies that provide direct or indirect evidence for a role of kinases in mechanisms underlying memory formation. From these, it appears that the learning event induces activation of a variety of kinases with specific time courses. For instance, the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II seems to participate in an early phase of memory formation. Apparently, activation of both protein tyrosine kinases and mitogen-activated protein kinases is required for much longer and may thus have a particular function during transformation from short-term into long-term memory. Quite different time courses appear for protein kinase C (PKC) and protein kinase A (PKA), which may function at two different time points, shortly after training and again much later. This suggests that PKC and PKA might play a role at early and late stages of memory formation. However, we have considered some examples showing that these signalling pathways do not function in isolation but rather interact in an intricate intracellular network. This is indicative of a more complex contribution of each kinase to the fine tuning of encoding and information processing. To decipher this complexity, pharmacological, biochemical and genetic investigations are more than ever necessary to unravel the role of each kinase in the syntax of learning and memory formation.     

Structural biology of protein tyrosine kinases

Our current understanding of the structure, mechanism of action and modes of regulation of the protein tyrosine kinase family owes a great deal to structural biology. Structures are now available for more than 20 different tyrosine kinase domains, many of these in multiple conformational states. They form the basis for the design of experiments to further investigate the role of different structural elements in the normal function and regulation of the protein and in the pathogenesis of many human diseases. Once thought to be too similar to be specifically inhibited by a small molecule, structural differences between kinases allow the design of compounds which inhibit only an acceptable few. This review gives a general overview of protein tyrosine kinase structural biology, including a discussion of the strengths and limitations of the investigative methods involved. Received 2 May 2006; received after revision 21 June 2006; accepted 9 August 2006     

SAM domain-dependent activity of PfTKL3, an essential tyrosine kinase-like kinase of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Over the last decade, several protein kinases inhibitors have reached the market for cancer chemotherapy. The kinomes of pathogens represent potentially attractive targets in infectious diseases. The functions of the majority of protein kinases of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasitic protist responsible for the most virulent form of human malaria, remain unknown. Here we present a thorough characterisation of PfTKL3 (PF13_0258), an enzyme that belongs to the tyrosine kinase-like kinase (TKL) group. We demonstrate by reverse genetics that PfTKL3 is essential for asexual parasite proliferation in human erythrocytes. PfTKL3 is expressed in both asexual and gametocytes stages, and in the latter the protein co-localises with cytoskeleton microtubules. Recombinant PfTKL3 displays in vitro autophosphorylation activity and is able to phosphorylate exogenous substrates, and both activities are dramatically dependent on the presence of an N-terminal “sterile α-motif” domain. This study identifies PfTKL3 as a validated drug target amenable to high-throughput screening.     

Novel actions of tyrphostin AG 879: inhibition of RAF-1 and HER-2 expression combined with strong antitumoral effects on breast cancer cells

Binding of growth factors to cell surface receptors activates protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) that initiate cascades of downstream signaling events including the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade. This study reports that the PTK inhibitor AG 879 inhibits proliferation of human breast cancer cells through an effect involving inhibition of MAP kinase activation, but which cannot be explained by effects of AG 879 on its known PTK targets. Instead, AG 879 markedly inhibits expression of the RAF-1 gene, which encodes an upstream MAP kinase kinase kinase. Additionally, expression of HER-2, but not of other genes tested, is inhibited by this compound. These novel effects have to be considered when using AG 879 as a TRK-A and HER-2 inhibitor but may have useful therapeutic implications.