Transforming properties and substrate specificities of the protein tyrosine kinase oncogenes ros and src and their recombinants

The multifaceted roles of the receptor tyrosine kinase ROS in development and cancer

The proto-oncogene receptor tyrosine kinase ROS was originally discovered through the identification of oncogenic variants isolated from tumors. These discoveries spearheaded a body of work aimed at elucidating the function of this evolutionarily conserved receptor in development and cancer. Through genetic and biochemical approaches, progress in the characterization of ROS points to distinctive roles in the program of epithelial cell differentiation during the development of a variety of organs. Although substantial, these advances remain hampered by the absence of an identified ligand, making ROS one of the last two remaining orphan receptor tyrosine kinases. Recent studies on the oncogenic activation of ROS as a result of different chromosomal rearrangements found in brain and lung cancers have shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying ROS transforming activities. ROS and its oncogenic variants therefore constitute clinically relevant targets for cancer therapeutic intervention. This review highlights the various roles that this receptor plays in multiple system networks in normalcy and disease and points to future directions towards the elucidation of ROS function in the context of ligand identification, signaling pathways and clinical applications.

Effect of dimerization on signal transduction and biological function of oncogenic Ros, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor I receptors

The avian sarcoma virus UR2 codes for an oncogenic Gag-Ros fusion protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK). We have previously derived two retroviruses, T6 and NM1, coding for oncogenic Gag-insulin receptor and Gag-insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGFR) fusion proteins, respectively. The Gag-IGFR fusion protein dimerizes, whereas Gag-Ros does not. To identify sequences affecting dimerization and the effect of dimerization on signaling and biological functions, we generated recombinants exchanging the extracellular and transmembrane sequences among the three fusion receptors. The presence of multiple cysteines in the Gag sequence appears to preclude dimerization, since deletion of the 3' cysteine residue allows for dimerization. Most of the chimeric receptors retain high PTK activity and induce transformation regardless of their configuration on the cell surface. UT, a UR2/T6 chimera, retained mitogenic activity but has a markedly reduced transforming ability, while UN7, a UR2/NM1 recombinant, which also harbors Y950F and F951S mutations in IGFR, exhibits dramatic reductions in both activities. All of the fusion receptors can phosphorylate insulin receptor substrate 1 and activate PI 3-kinase. UT protein induces Shc phosphorylation, whereas UN7 protein does not, but both are unable to activate mitogen-activated protein kinase. Our results show that overexpressed oncogenic Gag-fusion receptors do not require dimerization for their signaling and transforming functions and that the extracellular and transmembrane sequences of a receptor PTK can affect its specific substrate interactions.

Modulatory effect of the transmembrane domain of the protein-tyrosine kinase encoded by oncogene ros: biological function and substrate interaction

There is a 3-aa insertion in the transmembrane (TM) domain of the p68gag-ros protein-tyrosine kinase encoded by avian sarcoma virus UR2 v-ros as compared with that of the protooncogene c-ros. The effect of this insertion on biological function and biochemical properties of v-Ros protein was investigated by deleting these 3 aa to generate the mutant TM1. This mutant has greatly reduced transforming, mitogenic, and tumorigenic activities despite the fact that the protein-tyrosine kinase activity and cell-surface localization of TM1 protein are unaffected. However, unlike UR2 protein, mutant TM1 protein becomes glycosylated, is differentially phosphorylated, and fails to induce tyrosine phosphorylation of a 88-kDa protein and a major substrate of insulin receptor, insulin receptor substrate 1. The TM1 protein is unable to associate with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and fails to promote association of insulin receptor substrate 1 with phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. By contrast, tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc protein and phospholipase C gamma as well as interaction of Grb2 protein with Shc and SOS protein signaling components are unaltered in the TM1 infected cells. Our results show that the TM-domain sequence of p68gag-ros profoundly affects its function and substrate interaction. The mutant defines a signaling pathway including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, insulin receptor substrate 1, and possibly an 88-kDa protein that does not overlap the Ras pathway and is important for full transforming and mitogenic potency of v-ros protein-tyrosine kinase.

Oncogenes, Protein Tyrosine Kinases, and Signal Transduction

Many oncogenes encode protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs). Oncogenic mutations of these genes invariably result in constitutive activation of these PTKs. Autophosphorylation of the PTKs and tyrosine phosphorylation of their cellular substrates are essential events for transmission of the mitogenic signal into cells. The recent discovery of the characteristic amino acid sequences, of the src homology domains 2 and 3 (SH2 and SH3), and extensive studies on proteins containing the SH2 and SH3 domains have revealed that protein tyrosine-phosphorylation of PTKs provides phosphotyrosine sites for SH2 binding and allows extracellular signals to be relayed into the nucleus through a chain of protein-protein interactions mediated by the SH2 and SH3 domains. Studies on oncogenes, PTKs and SH2/SH3-containing proteins have made a tremendous contribution to our understanding of the mechanisms for the control of cell growth, oncogenesis, and signal transduction. This review is intended to provide an outline of the most recent progress in the study of signal transduction by PTKs. Copyright 1994 S. Karger AG, Basel

Distinctive effects of the carboxyl-terminal sequence of the insulin-like growth factor I receptor on its signaling functions

We have shown previously that the extracellular sequences of the human insulin receptor (IR) and the insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGFR) have an inhibitory effect on protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity and on the biological functions of their respective Gag-receptor fusion proteins. To study the role of IGFR carboxyl sequence in modulation of the Gag-IGFR PTK and biological activities, five mutants, CM1, CM2, CM3, CM4, and CM5, containing carboxyl deletions of 17, 27, 47, 67, and 88 amino acids (aa), respectively, were constructed from the parental virus UIGFR encoding the Gag-IGFR. Deletion of up to 27 aa had little effect on the cell-transforming and PTK activities of UIGFR. Deletions of 47 aa in CM3 abolished PTK and transforming activities. Surprisingly, a further deletion of 20 aa in CM4 beyond that in CM3 reactivated the kinase and transforming activities. CM5, containing a deletion of 20 aa beyond that in CM4, had only marginal transforming and PTK activities. We conclude that deletion of the carboxyl region of the Gag-IGFR inactivates, instead of activating as in the case with Gag-IR, its transforming activity and the amino acid sequence 1250 to 1310 is essential for PTK and transforming activities. Analysis of the ability of the full-length IGFR and its mutant receptors described above to associate with phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase indicated that the association required PTK activity and tyrosine phosphorylation of the receptors and correlated well with their transforming activities. The carboxyl 88 aa are not essential for the association.

Molecular and biochemical bases for activation of the transforming potential of the proto-oncogene c-ros

The transforming gene of avian sarcoma virus UR2, v-ros, encodes a receptor-like protein tyrosine kinase and differs from its proto-oncogene, c-ros, in its 5' truncation and fusion to viral gag, a three-amino-acid (aa) insertion in the transmembrane (TM) domain, and changes in the carboxyl region. To explore the basis for activation of the c-ros transforming potential, various c-ros retroviral vectors containing those changes were constructed and studied for their biological and biochemical properties. Ufcros codes for the full-length c-ros protein of 2,311 aa, Uppcros has 1,661-aa internal deletion in the extracellular domain, CCros contains the 3' c-ros cDNA fused 150 aa upstream of the TM domain to the UR2 gag, CVros is the same as CCros except that the 3' region is replaced by that of v-ros, and VCros is the same as CCros except that the 5' region is replaced by that of v-ros. The Ufcros, Uppcros, CCros, and CVros are inactive in transforming chicken embryo fibroblasts, whereas VCros is as potent as UR2 in cell-transforming and tumorigenic activities. Upon passages of CCros and CVros viruses, the additional extracellular sequence in comparison with that of v-ros was delected; concurrently, both viruses (named CC5d and CV5d, respectively) attained moderate transforming activity, albeit significantly lower than that of UR2 or VCros. The native c-ros protein has a very low protein tyrosine kinase activity, whereas the ppcros protein is constitutively activated in kinase activity. The inability of CCros and CVros to transform chicken embryo fibroblasts is consistent with the inefficient membrane association, instability, and low kinase activity of their encoded proteins. The CC5d and CV5d proteins are indistinguishable in kinase activity, membrane association, and stability from the v-ros protein. The reduced transforming potency of CC5d and CV5d proteins can be attributed only to their differential substrate interaction, notably the failure to phosphorylate a 88-kDa protein. We conclude that the 5' rather than the 3' modification of c-ros is essential for its oncogenic activation; the sequence upstream of the TM domain has a negative effect on the transforming activity of CCros and CVros and needs to be deleted to activate their biological activity.