Jacalyn H. Pierce

Overexpression of the human EGF receptor confers an EGF-dependent transformed phenotype to NIH 3T3 cells.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene is frequently amplified and/or overexpressed in human malignancies. To investigate the biological effects of its overexpression, we constructed a eukaryotic vector containing human EGFR cDNA. Introduction of this construct led to reconstitution of functional EGF receptors in NR6 mutant cells, which are normally devoid of this receptor. Transfection of NIH 3T3 resulted in no significant alterations in growth properties. However, EGF addition led to the formation of densely growing transformed foci in liquid culture and colonies in semisolid medium. NIH 3T3-EGFR clonal lines, which expressed the EGF at 500- to 1000-fold levels over control NIH 3T3 cells, demonstrated a marked increase in DNA synthesis in response to EGF. Thus EGF receptor overexpression appears to amplify normal EGF signal transduction. Finally, high levels of EGFR expression, which conferred a transformed phenotype to NIH 3T3 cells in the presence of ligand, were demonstrated in representative human tumor cell lines that contained amplified copies of the EGFR gene.

An IL-4 receptor region containing an insulin receptor motif is important for IL-4-mediated IRS-1 phosphorylation and cell growth

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) treatment of 32D cells overexpressing insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS-1) causes prompt tyrosine phosphorylation of IRS-1. Transfection of truncation mutants of the human IL-4 (huIL-4) receptor into 32D-IRS-1 cells demonstrated that the region from amino acid 437-557 is important for IL-4 signaling. This region of the IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) contains the motif 488PL-X4-NPXYXSXSD502 (insulin/IL-4R [I4R]) found in the insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors. Mutation of Y497 to F yielded receptors that caused little or no IRS-1 phosphorylation in response to huIL-4 when expressed in 32D-IRS-1 cells. Most cell lines expressing Y497F also failed to proliferate in response to huIL-4. Furthermore, a glutathione-S-transferase fusion protein containing the I4R motif-bound IRS-1, tyrosine kinase(s), and other unidentified phosphoproteins with molecular sizes of 140, 80, and 55 kd. Thus, the central tyrosine of the I4R motif has a major role in IL-4-mediated signal transduction in 32D cells.

B cell stimulatory factor-1/interleukin-4 mRNA is expressed by normal and transformed mast cells

BSF-1/interleukin-4, a product of activated T cells, has multiple biological activities that affect cells of most hematopoietic lineages. Among these is the ability of BSF-1 to costimulate the growth of mast cells and regulate the production of IgE. We demonstrate here that BSF-1 mRNA is expressed by a majority of transformed mast cell lines and by 5 IL-3-dependent non-transformed mast cell lines. BSF-1 activity, including the ability to enhance the growth of IL-3-dependent mast cells, was detected in the supernatants of transformed mast cells. The role of BSF-1 as a mast cell growth factor, its constitutive production by transformed mast cells, and the lack of IL-3 production by most of these cells raise the possibility that BSF-1 may act as an autocrine growth factor for some transformed mast cells. Furthermore, production of BSF-1 mRNA by nontransformed cells indicates that mast cells may be an important physiologic source of this factor.

Neuregulin-4: a novel growth factor that acts through the ErbB-4 receptor tyrosine kinase

The ErbB/HER family of receptor tyrosine kinases consists of four receptors that bind a large number of growth factor ligands sharing an epidermal growth factor- (EGF)-like motif. Whereas ErbB-1 binds seven different ligands whose prototype is EGF, the three families of neuregulins (NRGs) activate ErbB-3 and/or ErbB-4. Here we characterize a fourth neuregulin, NRG-4, that acts through ErbB-4. The predicted pro-NRG-4 is a transmembrane protein carrying a unique EGF-like motif and a short cytoplasmic domain. A synthetic peptide encompassing the full-length EGF-like domain can induce growth of interleukin-dependent cells ectopically expressing ErbB-4, but not cells expressing the other three ErbB proteins or their combinations. Consistent with specificity to ErbB-4, NRG-4 can displace an ErbB-4-bound NRG-1 and can activate signaling downstream of this receptor. Expression of NRG-4 mRNA was detected in the adult pancreas and weakly in muscle; other tissues displayed no detectable NRG-4 mRNA. The primary structure and the pattern of expression of NRG-4, together with the strict specificity of this growth factor to ErbB-4, suggest a physiological role distinct from that of the known ErbB ligands.

Neoplastic Transformation of Mast Cells by Abelson-MuLV: Abrogation of IL-3 Dependence by a Nonautocrine Mechanism

Normal mast cells can be propagated in culture when medium is supplemented with interleukin-3 (IL-3). We demonstrate that Abelson-MuLV (Ab-MuLV) infection of mast cells eliminates dependence on IL-3 for growth. By contrast, Harvey, BALB, and Moloney MSV, which also productively infect mast cells, are unable to relieve IL-3 dependence. Ab-MuLV-induced IL-3-independent lines express the v-abl-specific transforming protein and have phenotypic characteristics of mast cells. These cells also possess high cloning efficiencies in soft agarose and are tumorigenic in nude mice. In addition, Ab-MuLV induces transplantable mastocytomas in pristane-primed adult mice resistant to lymphoid transformation, defining a new hematopoietic target for malignant transformation by this virus. None of the Ab-MuLV-derived transformants express or secrete detectable levels of IL-3 nor is their growth inhibited by anti-IL-3 serum. These results argue that Ab-MuLV abrogation of the IL-3 requirement is not due to an autocrine mechanism.

Role of IRS-1-GRB-2 complexes in insulin signaling.

GRB-2 is a small SH2- and SH3 domain-containing adapter protein that associates with the mammalian SOS homolog to regulate p21ras during growth factor signaling. During insulin stimulation, GRB-2 binds to the phosphorylated Y895VNI motif of IRS-1. Substitution of Tyr-895 with phenylalanine (IRS-1F-895) prevented the IRS-1-GRB-2 association in vivo and in vitro. The myeloid progenitor cell line, 32-D, is insensitive to insulin because it contains few insulin receptors and no IRS-1. Coexpression of IRS-1 or IRS-1F-895 with the insulin receptor was required for insulin-stimulated mitogenesis in 32-D cells, while expression of the insulin receptor alone was sufficient to mediate insulin-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc and activation of p21ras and mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. The Shc-GRB-2 complex formed during insulin stimulation is a possible mediator of p21ras and MAP kinase activation in IRS-1-deficient 32-D cells. Interestingly, IRS-1, but not IRS-1F-895, enhanced the stimulation of MAP kinase by insulin in 32-D cells expressing insulin receptors. Thus, IRS-1 contributes to the stimulation of MAP kinase by insulin, probably through formation of the IRS-1-GRB-2 complex at Tyr-895. Our results suggest that the Shc-GRB-2 complex and the activation of p21ras-dependent signaling pathways, including MAP kinase, are insufficient for insulin-stimulated mitogenesis and that the essential function(s) of IRS-1 in proliferative signaling is largely unrelated to IRS-1-GRB-2 complex formation.

Epiregulin is a potent pan-ErbB ligand that preferentially activates heterodimeric receptor complexes

The ErbB signaling network consists of four transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinases and more than a dozen ligands sharing an epidermal growth factor (EGF) motif. The multiplicity of ErbB-specific ligands is incompletely understood in terms of signal specificity because all ErbB molecules signal through partially overlapping pathways. Here we addressed the action of epiregulin, a recently isolated ligand of ErbB-1. By employing a set of factor-dependent cell lines engineered to express individual ErbBs or their combinations, we found that epiregulin is the broadest specificity EGF-like ligand so far characterized: not only does it stimulate homodimers of both ErbB-1 and ErbB-4, it also activates all possible heterodimeric ErbB complexes. Consistent with its relaxed selectivity, epiregulin binds the various receptor combinations with an affinity that is approximately 100-fold lower than the affinity of ligands with more stringent selectivity, including EGF. Nevertheless, epiregulin’s action upon most receptor combinations transmits a more potent mitogenic signal than does EGF. This remarkable discrepancy between binding affinity and bioactivity is permitted by a mechanism that prevents receptor down-regulation, and results in a weak, but prolonged, state of receptor activation.

The COOH-terminal Tyrosine Phosphorylation Sites on IRS-1 Bind SHP-2 and Negatively Regulate Insulin Signaling*

Activation of tyrosine kinases by numerous growth factor and cytokine receptors leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-proteins. Tyrosine-phosphorylated motifs on the IRS proteins bind to the SH2 domains in proteins that mediate downstream signals, including phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase, GRB-2, and SHP-2. We investigated the function of the two SHP-2 binding COOH-terminal tyrosines of IRS-1 by replacing them with phenylalanine (IRS-1FCT). IRS-1FCT failed to bind SHP-2 or mediate its tyrosine phosphorylation during insulin stimulation. Although several reports suggest a critical role for SHP-2 in insulin stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and cell proliferation, IRS-1FCT mediated these effects normally in 32D cells. Indeed, IRS-1FCT exhibited increased tyrosine phosphorylation, phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase binding and activation of protein synthesis in response to insulin. These results suggest that SHP-2 attentuates the phosphorylation and downstream signal transmission of IRS-1 and that the interaction of IRS-1 and SHP-2 is an important regulatory event which attenuates insulin metabolic responses.

ErbB tyrosine kinases and the two neuregulin families constitute a ligand-receptor network.

ABSTRACT The recently isolated second family of neuregulins, NRG2, shares its primary receptors, ErbB-3 and ErbB-4, and induction of mammary cell differentiation with NRG1 isoforms, suggesting functional redundancy of the two growth factor families. To address this possibility, we analyzed receptor specificity of NRGs by using an engineered cellular system. The activity of isoform-specific but partly overlapping patterns of specificities that collectively activate all eight ligand-stimulatable ErbB dimers was revealed. Specifically, NRG2-β, like NRG1-α, emerges as a narrow-specificity ligand, whereas NRG2-α is a pan-ErbB ligand that binds with different affinities to all receptor combinations, including those containing ErbB-1, but excluding homodimers of ErbB-2. The latter protein, however, displayed cooperativity with the direct NRG receptors. Apparently, signaling by all NRGs is funneled through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). However, the duration and potency of MAPK activation depend on the identity of the stimulatory ligand-receptor ternary complex. We conclude that the NRG-ErbB network represents a complex and nonredundant machinery developed for fine-tuning of signal transduction.

Epidermal growth factor and betacellulin mediate signal transduction through co‐expressed ErbB2 and ErbB3 receptors

Interleukin‐3 (IL‐3)‐dependent murine 32D cells do not detectably express epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) and do not proliferate in response to EGF, heregulin (HRG) or other known EGF‐like ligands. Here, we report that EGF specifically binds to and can be crosslinked to 32D transfectants co‐expressing ErbB2 and ErbB3 (32D.E2/E3), but not to transfectants expressing either ErbB2 or ErbB3 individually. [125I]EGF‐crosslinked species detected in 32D.E2/E3 cells were displaced by HRG and betacellulin (BTC) but not by other EGF‐like ligands that were analyzed. EGF, BTC and HRG also induced receptor tyrosine phosphorylation, activation of downstream signaling molecules and proliferation of 32D.E2/E3 cells. 32D transfectants were also generated which expressed an ErbB3–EGFR chimera alone (32D.E3‐E1) or in combination with ErbB2 (32D.E2/E3‐E1). While HRG stimulation of 32D.E3‐E1 cells resulted in DNA synthesis and receptor phosphorylation, EGF and BTC were inactive. However, EGF and BTC were as effective as HRG in mediating signaling when ErbB2 was co‐expressed with the chimera in the 32D.E2/E3‐E1 transfectant. These results provide evidence that ErbB2/ErbB3 binding sites for EGF and BTC are formed by a previously undescribed mechanism that requires co‐expression of two distinct receptors. Additional data utilizing MDA MB134 human breast carcinoma cells, which naturally express ErbB2 and ErbB3 in the absence of EGFRs, supported the results obtained employing 32D cells and suggest that EGF and BTC may contribute to the progression of carcinomas that co‐express ErbB2 and ErbB3.