Type-specific antibodies to the platelet-derived growth factor receptors: role in elucidating the structural and functional characteristics of receptor types

Glycosylation-induced conformational modification positively regulates receptor-receptor association: a study with an aberrant epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRvIII/DeltaEGFR) expressed in cancer cells

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a multisited and multifunctional transmembrane glycoprotein with intrinsic tyrosine kinase activity. Upon ligand binding, the monomeric receptor undergoes dimerization resulting in kinase activation. The consequences of kinase stimulation are the phosphorylation of its own tyrosine residues (autophosphorylation) followed by association with and activation of signal transducers. Deregulation of signaling resulting from aberrant expression of the EGFR has been implicated in a number of neoplasms including breast, brain, and skin tumors. A mutant epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor missing 267 amino acids from the exoplasmic domain is common in human glioblastomas. The truncated receptor (EGFRvIII/DeltaEGFR) lacks EGF binding activity; however, the kinase is constitutively active, and cells expressing the receptor are tumorigenic. Our studies revealed that the high kinase activity of the DeltaEGFR is due to self-dimerization, and contrary to earlier reports, the kinase activity per molecule of the dimeric DeltaEGFR is comparable to that of the EGF-stimulated wild-type receptor. Furthermore, the phosphorylation patterns of both receptors are similar as determined by interaction with a conformation-specific antibody and by phosphopeptide analysis. This eliminates the possibility that the defective down-regulation of the DeltaEGFR is due to its altered phosphorylation pattern as has been suggested previously. Interestingly, the receptor-receptor self-association is highly dependent on a conformation induced by N-linked glycosylation. We have identified four potential sites that might participate in self-dimerization; these sites are located in a domain that plays an important role in EGFR functioning.

Characterization of a novel epidermal-growth-factor-receptor-related 200-kDa tyrosine kinase in tumor cells

We have detected a tyrosine-phosphorylated 200-kDa protein in two human tumor cell lines, A1235 glioma and A172 glioblastoma. The protein is an integral plasma membrane sialoglycoprotein with tyrosine kinase activity. The interesting characteristic of this protein (gp200) is that it is recognized by a number of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to the 170-kDa epidermal-growth-factor (EGF) receptor; however, it lacks detectable EGF-binding activity. gp200 differs from three other EGF-receptor-related proteins, erb-B-2, erb-B-3 and erb-B-4 gene products, and hence appears to be yet another member of the EGF-receptor family of proteins. This is further strengthened by the fact that both gp200 and the EGF receptor contain a common epitope which is recognized by an anti-peptide IgG to the beta-type platelet-derived-growth-factor (PDGF) receptor. Our previous studies [Bishayee, S., Majumdar, S., Scher, C.D. & Khan, S. (1988) Mol. Cell. Biol. 8, 3696-3702] have demonstrated that this epitope in the PDGF receptor is highly susceptible to the phosphorylation state of the receptor and that such a conformational change appears to be important in biological message transmission. The expression of gp200, which appears to have tyrosine kinase activity and is immunologically related to the EGF receptor in tumor cells, suggests its possible involvement in cell growth.

A conformation-specific anti-peptide antibody to the beta-type platelet-derived growth factor receptor also recognizes the activated epidermal growth factor receptor

Earlier we reported the generation of a conformation-specific antibody (Ab P2) to the beta-type platelet-derived growth factor receptor (Bishayee, S., Majumdar, S., Scher, C. D., and Khan, S. (1988) Mol. Cell. Biol. 8, 3696-3702). Ab P2 is directed to a 16-amino acid peptide (Glu-Gly-Tyr-Lys-Lys-Lys-Tyr-Gln-Gln-Val-Asp-Glu-Glu-Phe-Leu-Arg) of the cytoplasmic domain of the receptor, and it recognizes the phosphorylated platelet-derived growth factor receptor but not the unphosphorylated receptor. We now report that Ab P2 also interacts with the epidermal growth factor receptor and that the recognition is specific for a conformation induced by phosphorylation of the receptor; however, Ab P2 is not directed to phosphotyrosine. Studies conducted with P2-derived peptides suggest that the conformation-specific antibody is directed to an acidic tripeptide, Asp-Glu-Glu, and this sequence is also present in the cytoplasmic domain of the epidermal growth factor receptor. With respect to the C terminus amino acid or ATP-binding site, Asp-Glu-Glu is located in different regions in these receptors; nevertheless, this tripeptide along with the surrounding amino acids is cryptic in the unphosphorylated receptor, and tyrosine phosphorylation uncovers this site. This suggests that the Asp-Glu-Glu sequence may be important in receptor functions.

Purification and characterisation of a brain-derived neurotrophic factor/neurotrophin-3 (BDNF/NT-3) heterodimer

The neurotrophins nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) are known to exist in solution as non-covalently linked homodimeric proteins. The recent elucidation of the crystal structure of the NGF homodimer, as well as the conservation of structural motifs in the neurotrophins, raised the possibility that neurotrophin heterodimers might also occur. The formation of BDNF/NT-3 heterodimers was explored using a vaccinia virus expression system. Upon co-infection of cells with viruses expressing BDNF and NT-3, we could identify a BDNF/NT-3 heterodimer as a biosynthetic product and separate it from the BDNF and NT-3 homodimers. We could also show that the BDNF/NT-3 heterodimers can be formed irrespective of wild-type or exchanged prosequences, indicating that prosequence specificity does not influence dimer formation. In all neuronal survival assays that were used, the BDNF/NT-3 heterodimer was shown to be 10-fold less active compared with a mixture of BDNF and NT-3 homodimers. This lower specific activity was also measured in a neuronal population co-expressing receptors for BDNF and NT-3. The low biological activity of the heterodimer observed with neurons was not paralleled by a reduced ability of the heterodimer to interact with trkB or trkC receptors, as assessed by the induction of tyrosine phosphorylation of these receptors expressed by fibroblast cell lines.

Signal transduction by the PDGF receptors

The three isoforms of PDGF bind with different affinities to two related tyrosine kinase receptors, denoted the PDGF alpha- and beta-receptors. Ligand binding induces receptor dimerization, creating receptor homo- or heterodimers. Dimerization is accompanied by, and might be a prerequisite for, receptor autophosphorylation and kinase activation. Receptor autophosphorylation serves to regulate the kinase activity and to create binding sites on the receptor molecule for downstream signalling components. The activities of the signalling components are ultimately manifested as specific biological responses. All the currently described PDGF receptor-binding components, e.g. phospholipase C-gamma, members of the src family of cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases, the rasGT-Pase activating protein and p85, the regulatory subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3' kinase, contain a conserved src homology 2-domain, through which the association with the receptor takes place. The receptor-binding components appear to either possess an intrinsic enzymatic activity, or they function as adaptors, which may complex with catalytically active components. For most receptor-binding components, there is insufficient understanding of how binding to the receptor affects the catalytic function. Certain of these components become tyrosine-phosphorylated, i.e. they are substrates for the receptor tyrosine kinase. Moreover, the change in subcellular localization, which most of the receptor binding components undergo in conjunction with receptor binding, could play a critical role. The current efforts of many laboratories are aimed at delineating different PDGF receptor signal transduction pathways and what roles the different receptor-binding components play in the establishment of these pathways.