Activity of pp60c-src and association of pp60c-src, pp54/58lyn, pp60fyn, and pp72syk with the cytoskeleton in platelets activated by collagen

Collagen stimulation of platelets induced an increase in the specific activity of pp60c-src immunoprecipitated from the Triton-soluble fraction. The earliest time after collagen stimulation that an increase in pp60c-src activity was observed was 30 s. However, the maximum activity of pp60c-src in the Triton-soluble fraction was observed 60 s after collagen stimulation. At this time an approximately twofold increase of pp60c-src activity towards phosphorylation of KVEKIGEGTYGVVKK specific peptide and enolase and a 4.5-fold increase towards phosphorylation of pp60c-src itself was measured. Furthermore, the majority of pp60c-src as well as pp54/58lyn, pp60fyn, and pp72syk were found in the Triton-soluble fraction in resting platelets. Collagen induced, to different extents and velocities, translocation of all of these proteins from the Triton-soluble fraction to the Triton-insoluble, cytoskeleton-rich, platelets fraction. These results provide direct evidence that collagen stimulation of platelets increases the tyrosine kinase activity of pp60c-src and suggest that the platelet cytoskeleton plays an important role in collagen-induced signal transduction by localizing signaling molecules.     

Rho-kinase induces association of adducin with the cytoskeleton in platelet activation

We examined whether adducin function is regulated through Rho-kinase after agonist stimulation in platelets. A variety of stimuli such as thrombin, STA(2) (a stable analog of TXA(2)), Ca(2+) ionophore, phorbol diester, and shear stress induced phosphorylation of alpha-adducin at Thr445. Preincubation with the Rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 in platelets inhibited agonist-induced phosphorylation of alpha-adducin. STA(2) stimulation led to a redistribution of adducin from Triton-insoluble (high speed) fraction (membrane skeleton) to Triton-insoluble (low speed) fraction (cytoskeleton) and detergent-soluble fraction. Phosphoadducin at Thr445 was selectively isolated in the cytoskeletal fraction, whereas phosphoadducin at Ser726 was mainly present in the Triton-soluble fraction. Y-27632 inhibition of STA(2)-induced alpha-adducin phosphorylation at Thr445 inhibited incorporation of alpha-adducin and spectrin into the platelet cytoskeleton, although Y-27632 did not affect phosphorylation of alpha-adducin at Ser726. These results suggest that Rho-kinase regulates the association of alpha-adducin and spectrin with the actin cytoskeleton in platelet activation.     

Redistribution of activated pp60c-src to integrin-dependent cytoskeletal complexes in thrombin-stimulated platelets.

Thrombin stimulation of platelets induces a transient increase in the specific activity of pp60c-src followed by a redistribution of pp60c-src to the Triton X-100-insoluble, cytoskeleton-rich fraction. Concomitant with the observed increase in pp60c-src activity was a rapid dephosphorylation of tyrosine 527 in 10 to 15% of pp60c-src molecules. In addition, we found that pp60c-src from the Triton-insoluble fraction was phosphorylated on tyrosine 416, the autophosphorylation site which is phosphorylated in activated oncogenic variants of pp60src. Furthermore, in platelets from patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia (which are deficient in the integrin receptor GPIIb-IIIa), pp60c-src was not translocated to the Triton-insoluble fraction, and there was a sustained increase in pp60c-src activity following thrombin treatment. These results suggest that pp60c-src is rapidly activated in thrombin-stimulated platelets, potentially by a protein tyrosine phosphatase, before it translocates to a cytoskeletal fraction, where many of its potential substrates are found. The evidence that the cytoskeletal association of pp60c-src is dependent upon engagement of the integrin receptor GPIIb-IIIa suggests that integrin-cytoskeletal complexes may serve to compartmentalize and anchor activated enzymes involved in signal transduction.     

Activated phosphoinositide 3-kinase associates with membrane skeleton in thrombin-exposed platelets.

Human platelets undergo a rapid, major reorganization of the cytoskeletal matrix upon exposure to thrombin, and accumulate 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides in a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent manner. These phosphoinositides have been suggested to be involved in actin polymerization/depolymerization. We reasoned that, if newly generated 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositide modulates cytoskeletal reorganization, a prerequisite for such action would be generation near cytoskeletal proteins. We have found that, after platelet activation, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and phosphatidylinositol(4)P 3-kinase activities, antibody-detectable phosphoinositide 3-kinase, and PKC become markedly and specifically enriched in a Triton X-100-insoluble cytoskeletal fraction that contains GPIIb/IIIa (integrin) and pp60c-src. The cytoskeletal fraction then accounts for up to 70% of total phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity, a function of recruited activated enzyme. These proteins are not occluded or directly associated with newly polymerized actin, since blockage by cytochalasin D of actin polymerization, and consequent inhibition of accumulation of about 40% of incremental protein and actin in this fraction, has no effect on its content of phosphoinositide 3-kinase, GPIIb/IIIa, pp60c-src, or PKC. Depolymerization of actin with DNase I, or inhibition of ligand binding to GPIIb/IIIa by RGDS, however, in combination with cytochalasin D, further depletes actin and significantly decreases sedimentability of GPIIb/IIIa as well as phosphoinositide 3-kinase, pp60c-src, and PKC, without inhibiting total 3-kinase activity. Our results suggest that, as a function of platelet activation, enzymes that regulate the synthesis of 3-phosphorylated phosphoinositides rapidly associate with the membrane skeleton and that skeletally associated phosphoinositide 3-kinase is more active than the Triton-soluble form.     

Association of pp60src with Triton X-100-insoluble residue in human blood platelets requires platelet aggregation and actin polymerization.

Protein-tyrosine phosphorylation during platelet activation is inhibited under conditions that inhibit platelet binding of fibrinogen and aggregation. We suggested that pp60src, a major platelet tyrosine kinase, or its protein substrates might become associated with the cytoskeleton upon platelet stimulation, and that this might be related to aggregation. By Western blotting with an anti-Src monoclonal antibody, we found time-dependent association of pp60src with the cytoskeleton (10,000 x g Triton X-100-insoluble matrix) but not the "membrane" cytoskeleton (100,000 x g Triton X-100-insoluble matrix) in platelets activated by U46619 (PGH2 analog). Cytoskeletal association and platelet aggregation were inhibited by the peptide Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS) (but not by Arg-Gly-Glu-Ser (RGES)), by 10E5 antibody against glycoprotein (Gp) IIb/IIIa, and by EGTA. U46619-induced association of pp60src with cytoskeleton but not secretion or aggregation was inhibited by cytochalasin D (2 microM). Both cytochalasin D and RGDS inhibited "slow" tyrosine phosphorylation of platelet proteins. Association of pp60src with cytoskeleton induced by U46619 or ADP was not blocked by aspirin. Aspirin blocked epinephrine-induced association of pp60src with the cytoskeleton during a second phase of aggregation when an initial phase had occurred without shape change or secretion. Association of GpIIb/IIIa with the cytoskeleton also accompanied platelet aggregation, shape change, and actin polymerization; this was shown with anti-GpIIb and anti-GpIIIa antibodies. Association of pp60src and GpIIb/IIIa with the cytoskeleton and slow tyrosine phosphorylation are related phenomena.     

Vinculin is proteolyzed by calpain during platelet aggregation: 95 kDa cleavage fragment associates with the platelet cytoskeleton

The focal adhesion protein vinculin contributes to cell attachment and spreading through strengthening of mechanical interactions between cell cytoskeletal proteins and surface membrane glycoproteins. To investigate whether vinculin proteolysis plays a role in the influence vinculin exerts on the cytoskeleton, we studied the fate of vinculin in activated and aggregating platelets by Western blot analysis of the platelet lysate and the cytoskeletal fractions of differentially activated platelets. Vinculin was proteolyzed into at least three fragments (the major one being approximately 95 kDa) within 5 min of platelet activation with thrombin or calcium ionophore. The 95 kDa vinculin fragment shifted cellular compartments from the membrane skeletal fraction to the cortical cytoskeletal fraction of lysed platelets in a platelet aggregation-dependent manner. Vinculin cleavage was inhibited by calpeptin and E64d, indicating that the enzyme responsible for vinculin proteolysis is calpain. These calpain inhibitors also inhibited the translocation of full-length vinculin to the cytoskeleton. We conclude that cleavage of vinculin and association of vinculin cleavage fragment(s) with the platelet cytoskeleton is an activation response that may be important in the cytoskeletal remodeling of aggregating platelets.     

pp60c-src has less affinity for the detergent-insoluble cellular matrix than do pp60v-src and other viral protein-tyrosine kinases.

A difference in affinity for a Nonidet P-40-insoluble cellular matrix was observed between the products of the viral and cellular src genes. It has previously been demonstrated that pp60v-src is associated with a detergent-insoluble matrix containing the cellular cytoskeleton (J. G. Burr, G. Dreyfuss, S. Penman, and J. M. Buchanan, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 77:3484-3488, 1980). We observed a similar association of the transforming proteins of Fujinami sarcoma virus (P130gag-fps) and Yamaguchi 73 avian sarcoma virus (P90gag-yes), both of which are tyrosine-specific protein kinases. However, we found that the endogenous c-src product, pp60c-src, was not tightly bound to the detergent-insoluble matrix. This does not appear to have been due to differences in the cytoskeleton between transformed and nontransformed cells since pp60c-src was also solubilized by nonionic detergent in cells transformed by Rous sarcoma virus. This difference in the affinities of the v-src and c-src products for cytoskeletal proteins may contribute to the inability of pp60c-src to transform cells.     

Integrin-dependent translocation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase to the cytoskeleton of thrombin-activated platelets involves specific interactions of p85 alpha with actin filaments and focal adhesion kinase

Thrombin-induced accumulation of phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4)P2) but not of PtdIns(3,4,5,)P3 is strongly correlated with the relocation to the cytoskeleton of 29% of the p85 alpha regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PtdIns 3-kinase) and is accompanied by a significant increase in PtdIns 3-kinase activity in this subcellular fraction. Actually, PtdIns(3,4)P2 accumulation and PtdIns 3-kinase, pp60c-src, and p125FAK translocations as well as aggregation were concomitant events occurring with a distinct lag after actin polymerization. The accumulation of PtdIns(3,4)P2 and the relocalization of PtdIns 3-kinase to the cytoskeleton were both dependent on tyrosine phosphorylation, integrin signaling, and aggregation. Furthermore, although p85 alpha was detected in anti- phosphotyrosine immunoprecipitates obtained from the cytoskeleton of thrombin-activated platelets, we failed to demonstrate tyrosine phosphorylation of cytoskeletal p85 alpha. Tyrphostin treatment clearly reduced its presence in this subcellular fraction, suggesting a physical interaction of p85 alpha with a phosphotyrosyl protein. These data led us to investigate the proteins that are able to interact with PtdIns 3-kinase in the cytoskeleton. We found an association of this enzyme with actin filaments: this interaction was spontaneously restored after one cycle of actin depolymerization-repolymerization in vitro. This association with F-actin appeared to be at least partly indirect, since we demonstrated a thrombin-dependent interaction of p85 alpha with a proline-rich sequence of the tyrosine-phosphorylated cytoskeletal focal adhesion kinase, p125FAK. In addition, we show that PtdIns 3-kinase is significantly activated by the p125FAK proline-rich sequence binding to the src homology 3 domain of p85 alpha subunit. This interaction may represent a new mechanism for PtdIns 3-kinase activation at very specific areas of the cell and indicates that the focal contact-like areas linked to the actin filaments play a critical role in signaling events that occur upon ligand engagement of alpha IIb/beta 3 integrin and platelet aggregation evoked by thrombin.     

Association of vinculin to the platelet cytoskeleton during thrombin-induced aggregation

Vinculin is a protein generally believed to be involved in membrane-cytoskeleton interaction, and its presence in platelets has been verified earlier. Here we show that in resting bovine platelets, vinculin is not associated with the Triton-insoluble cytoskeletal fraction but becomes incorporated into it during the thrombin-induced activation process. The incorporation starts around the same time as the release reaction and only after the shape change and the first phase of aggregation have taken place. Its time course parallels the cytoskeletal association of actin and certain other contractile proteins. Vinculin is a minor component of platelet cytoskeleton and only about 10% of the total platelet vinculin becomes incorporated into the Triton X-100 residue.     

Purification and enzymatic characterization of pp60c-src from human platelets.

The purification of pp60c-src has been hampered by the low levels of protein it represents in most cells and its tendency to undergo proteolysis during purification. The discovery that the platelet expresses unusually high levels of pp60c-src has made large-scale purification from a normal source feasible. We have developed a method for the purification of intact pp60c-src to near homogeneity from human platelets and have determined the enzymatic properties of this purified protein in vitro. Rapid, high yield purification of pp60c-src from isolated platelet membranes was achieved in a two-step protocol involving sequential chromatography on an anti-pp60c-src immunoaffinity matrix and phenyl-Sepharose. This protocol yielded 0.5 mg of pp60c-src from 30 units of platelets. Using enolase as an exogenous substrate, the specific activity of the enzyme was 25 nmol P.min-1.mg-1. The Km for MnATP2- for enolase phosphorylation (2.2 microM) was higher than for the autophosphorylation of pp60c-src (0.6 microM). Maximal enzyme activity required either Mn2+ or Mg2+, and both ATP and GTP could be utilized as the phosphate donor. Evidence is shown which indicate that the autophophorylation of pp60c-src in vitro occurs through an intramolecular mechanism and that this reaction is reversible.     

Cytoskeletal changes in platelets induced by thrombin and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA).

Changes in shape, and aggregation that accompanies platelet activation, are dependent on the assembly and reorganization of the cytoskeleton. To assess the changes in cytoskeleton induced by thrombin and PMA, suspensions of aspirin-treated,32P-prelabeled, washed pig platelets in Hepes buffer containing ADP scavengers were activated with thrombin, and with PMA, an activator of protein kinase C. The cytoskeletal fraction was prepared by adding Triton extraction buffer. The Triton-insoluble (cytoskeletal) fraction isolated by centrifugation was analysed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography. Incorporation of actin into the Triton-insoluble fraction was used to quantify the formation of F-actin. Thrombin-stimulated platelet cytoskeletal composition was different from PMA-stimulated cytoskeletal composition. Thrombin-stimulated platelets contained not only the three major proteins: actin (43 kDa), myosin (200 kDa) and an actin-binding protein (250 kDa), but three additional proteins of Mr56 kDa, 80 kDa and 85 kDa in the cytoskeleton, which were induced in by thrombin dose-response relationship. In contrast, PMA-stimulated platelets only induced actin assembly, and the 56 kDa, 80 kDa and 85 kDa proteins were not found in the cytoskeletal fraction. Exposure of platelets to thrombin or PMA induced phosphorylation of pleckstrin parallel to actin assembly. Staurosporine, an inhibitor of protein kinase C, inhibited actin assembly and platelet aggregation induced by thrombin or PMA, but did not inhibit the incorporation of 56 kDa, 80 kDa and 85 kDa into the cytoskeletal fraction induced by thrombin. These three extra proteins seem to be unrelated to the induction of protein kinase C. We conclude that actin polymerization and platelet aggregation were induced by a mechanism dependent on protein kinase C, and suggest that thrombin-activated platelets aggregation could involve additional cytoskeletal components (56 kDa, 80 kDa, 85 kDa) of the cytoskeleton, which made stronger actin polymerization and platelet aggregation more.     

Interaction of pp60c-src, phospholipase C, inositol-lipid, and diacyglycerol kinases with the cytoskeletons of thrombin-stimulated platelets.

Phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns)-4- and -3-kinases, PtdIns(4)P-5-kinase, diacylglycerol (DAG) kinase, and PtdIns-phospholipase C were all detected in cytoskeletons of resting human platelets. The total cytoskeletal enzyme activities were greatly increased upon thrombin stimulation of the intact cells. Those reached a maximum after a 60-s stimulation for PtdIns(4)P-5-kinase and phospholipase C, while the other kinases appeared to be slightly delayed. Specific activities were stimulated from about 4-fold (PtdIns-3-kinase) to about 6-fold (PtdIns-4-kinase). Thrombin treatment also promoted a co-extraction of pp60c-src with the cytoskeletons and its disappearance from the Triton X-100 soluble fraction. These results suggest that stimulation of platelets by thrombin causes the association of enzymes responsible for lipid phosphorylation and hydrolysis with the cytoskeletons. This could occur at cytoskeleton anchoring points to the membranes.     

Aggregation-dependent, integrin-mediated increases in cytoskeletally associated PtdInsP2 (4,5) levels in human platelets are controlled by translocation of PtdIns 4-P 5-kinase C to the cytoskeleton.

Thrombin-stimulated aggregation of human platelets promotes an increase in the phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PtdIns 4-P) 5-kinase (PIPkin) activity in the cytoskeleton. This phenomenon is associated with translocation of PIPkin isoform C to the cytoskeleton and with an increase in the amount of phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PtdInsP2) bound to the cytoskeletal pellet. All three of these effects are prevented if the platelets are not stirred or if RGD-containing peptides are present, demonstrating that they require integrin activation. All three are also abolished by pretreatment with okadaic acid, which also prevents the aggregation-dependent translocation of pp60(c-src) to the cytoskeleton. The results point to the existence of a cytoskeletally associated PtdInsP2 pool under the control of integrin-mediated signals that act via PIPkin C and suggest that a common, okadaic acid-sensitive mechanism may underlie the aggregation-dependent translocation of certain signalling molecules to the platelet cytoskeleton.     

Involvement of pp60c-src in platelet-activating factor-stimulated platelets. Evidence for translocation from cytosol to membrane.

We have investigated the characteristics of platelet-activating factor (PAF)-stimulated protein tyrosine phosphorylation in rabbit platelets and its relationship to pp60c-src. 32P-Labeled platelets were challenged with PAF (10(-7) M) for 15 s, the reaction was killed by lysis at 4 degrees C, and samples were loaded onto a phosphotyrosine monoclonal antibody (Tyr(P)-mAb)-agarose column. The column was eluted with 10 mM phenyl phosphate, and the fractions were collected. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by autoradiography of the column fractions, showed that PAF increased the radioactivity of about a dozen protein bands with predominant ones of approximate molecular masses of 50, 60, 71, 82, and 300 kDa. When Tyr(P)-mAb-agarose column fractions were subjected to immunoblotting with pp60v-src mAb, it was observed that PAF treatment increased the reactivity of 50- and 60-kDa protein species. Immunoprecipitation with pp60v-src mAb further confirmed that PAF treatment increased phosphorylation of the 60- and 50-kDa proteins. Polyclonal antibody to G-protein (alpha-subunit) did not exhibit any reactivity to the column fractions and thus ruled out this protein as substrate for the tyrosine kinase. We next attempted to localize the pp60c-src. Platelet membrane particulate and cytosol fractions were separated from control and PAF-treated platelets, and it was observed that the immunoreactivity to pp60v-src mAb dramatically increased in the particulate membrane fraction from PAF-treated platelets. A concomitant decrease in the immunoreactivity in the cytosol fraction of PAF-treated platelets was also noted. It is concluded that PAF stimulates phosphorylation of pp60c-src tyrosine kinase and causes its rapid translocation from cytosol to membranes in rabbit platelets.     

Invasion of epithelial cells by Shigella flexneri induces tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin by a pp60c-src-mediated signalling pathway.

Shigella flexneri causes bacillary dysentery in humans by invading epithelial cells of the colon. Cell invasion occurs via bacterium-directed phagocytosis, a process requiring polymerization of actin at the site of bacterial entry. We show that invasion of HeLa cells by S.flexneri induces tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin, a host cell protein previously identified as a cytoskeleton-associated protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) substrate for the proto-oncoprotein pp60c-src. Immunolocalization experiments indicate that cortactin is recruited to submembranous actin filaments formed during bacterial entry. In particular, cortactin is highly enriched in membrane ruffles of the entry structure, which engulf entering bacteria, and also in the periphery of the phagosome early after bacterial internalization. The proto-oncoprotein pp60c-src appears to mediate tyrosine phosphorylation of cortactin, since overexpression of this PTK in HeLa cells specifically increases the level of cortactin tyrosine phosphorylation induced during bacterial entry. Immunolocalization studies in pp60c-src-overexpressing HeLa cells indicate that pp60c-src is recruited to the entry structure and to the periphery of the phagosome, where pp60c-src appears to accumulate in association with the membrane. Our results suggest that epithelial cell invasion by S.flexneri involves recruitment and kinase activation of pp60c-src. Signalling by the proto-oncoprotein pp60c-src may play a role in cytoskeletal changes that facilitate S.flexneri uptake into epithelial cells, since transient overexpression of pp60c-src in HeLa cells can provoke membrane ruffling and appears also to stimulate bacterial uptake of a non-invasive S.flexneri strain.     

Plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase associates with the cytoskeleton in activated platelets through a PDZ-binding domain

The plasma membrane Ca(2+)-ATPase (PMCA) plays an essential role in maintaining low cytosolic Ca(2+) in resting platelets. During platelet activation PMCA is phosphorylated transiently on tyrosine residues resulting in inhibition of the pump that enhances elevation of Ca(2+). Tyrosine phosphorylation of many proteins during platelet activation results in their association with the cytoskeleton. Consequently, in the present study we asked if PMCA interacts with the platelet cytoskeleton. We observed that very little PMCA is associated with the cytoskeleton in resting platelets but that approximately 80% of total PMCA (PMCA1b + PMCA4b) is redistributed to the cytoskeleton upon activation with thrombin. Tyrosine phosphorylation of PMCA during activation was not associated with the redistribution because tyrosine-phosphorylated PMCA was not translocated specifically to the cytoskeleton. Because PMCA b-splice isoforms have C-terminal PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1 homology domain (PDZ)-binding domains, a C-terminal peptide was used to disrupt potential PDZ domain interactions. Activation of saponin-permeabilized platelets in the presence of the peptide led to a significant decrease of PMCA in the cytoskeleton. PMCA associated with the cytoskeleton retained Ca(2+)-ATPase activity. These results suggest that during activation active PMCA is recruited to the cytoskeleton by interaction with PDZ domains and that this association provides a microenvironment with a reduced Ca(2+) concentration.     

Thrombin-induced platelet microparticles improved the aggregability of cryopreserved platelets

Platelets were activated with freezing/thawing and thrombin stimulation, and platelet microparticles generated following platelet activation were isolated with ultracentrifugation. The effects of platelet microparticles on platelet activation were studied with annexin V assay, protein tyrosine phosphorylation, and platelet aggregation. Freezing-induced platelet microparticles decreased but thrombin-induced platelet microparticles increased platelet annexin V binding and aggregation. Freshly washed platelets were cryopreserved using epinephrine and dimethyl sulfoxide (Me(2)SO) as combined cryoprotectants, and stimulated with thrombin-induced platelet microparticles. Following incubation of thrombin-induced platelet microparticles, the reaction time of platelets to agonists decreased but the percentages of aggregation increased, such as washed platelets from 44% +/- 30 to 92% +/- 7, p < 0.001, and cryopreserved platelets from 66% +/- 10 to 77% +/- 7, p < 0.02. By increasing platelet aggregability, platelet microparticles recovered after thrombin stimulation improved platelet function for transfusion. A 53-kDa platelet microparticle protein showed little phosphorylation if it was released from resting platelets or platelets stimulated with ADP, epinephrine, propyl gallate or dephosphorylation if it was derived from ionophore A 23187-stimulated platelets. However, the same protein released from frozen platelets showed significant tyrosine phosphorylation. Since a microparticle protein with 53 kDa was compatible with protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B), its phosphorylation suggests the inhibition of enzyme activity. The microparticle proteins derived from thrombin-stimulated platelets were significantly phosphorylated at 64 kDa and pp60c-src, suggesting that the activation of tyrosine kinases represents a possible mechanism of thrombin-induced platelet microparticles to improve platelet aggregation.     

pp60c-src variants containing lesions that affect phosphorylation at tyrosines 416 and 527.

The biological and biochemical properties of pp60c-src are regulated, in part, by phosphorylation at Tyr-416 and Tyr-527. The tyrosine kinase and transforming activities of pp60c-src are suppressed by phosphorylation at Tyr-527, whereas full activation of pp60c-src requires phosphorylation at Tyr-416. To test specifically the significance of the negatively charged phosphate moieties on these tyrosine residues, we have substituted the codons for both residues with codons for either Glu or Gln. A negatively charged Glu at position 527 was unable to mimic a phosphorylated Tyr at this position, and, in consequence, the mutated pp60c-src was activated and transforming. Similarly, substitution of Tyr-416 with Glu was unable to stimulate the activities of the enzyme. However, mutagenesis of Tyr-416 to Gln (to form the mutant 416Q) activated the kinase activity approximately twofold over that observed for wild-type pp60c-src. When introduced into the mutant 527F (containing Phe-527 instead of Tyr), the double mutant 416Q-527F exhibited weak transforming activity. This is in contrast to the other double mutants 416E-527F and 416F-527F, which were nontransforming. The biochemical basis by which 416Q activates pp60c-src is not understood but probably involves some local conformational perturbation. Deletion of residues 519 to 524 (RH5), a region previously shown to be necessary for association with middle-T antigen, led to loss of phosphorylation at Tyr-527 and activation of the enzymatic and focus-forming activities of pp60c-src. Hence, the sequences necessary for complex formation with middle-T antigen may also be required by the kinase(s) which phosphorylates Tyr-527 in vivo. This suggests that normal cells contain cellular proteins which are analogous to middle-T antigen and whose action regulates the activity of pp60c-src by controlling phosphorylation or dephosphorylation at residue 527.     

Tyrosine-specific phosphorylation of gpIIIa in platelet membranes

In vitro phosphorylation of platelet subcellular fractions revealed that most of the alkali-resistant phosphoproteins and the majority of pp60c-src were in the surface membrane fraction. An alkali-resistant phosphoprotein of about 100 kDa was also immune precipitated by an anti-phosphotyrosine antibody and comigrated with gpIIIa. The phosphorylation of gpIIIa, but not gpIIb, was confirmed by the comparison of reduced and non-reduced gels, and this protein was phosphorylated exclusively on tyrosine. In contrast, both gpIIb and gpIIIa were phosphorylated when the purified complex was added to immunopurified, immobilised pp60c-src. A synthetic peptide with partial homology to a putative tyrosine phosphorylation site in the cytoplasmic domain of gpIIIa was phosphorylated by antibody-purified pp60c-src. Our results indicate that tyrosine-specific phosphorylation of gpIIIa by pp60c-src may play a role in the regulation of platelet function.     

Investigation of factors that influence phosphorylation of pp60c-src on tyrosine 527.

Phosphorylation at tyrosine 527 of the proto-oncogene product, pp60c-src, has been proposed to decrease the tyrosine kinase activity of the enzyme. We have investigated potential factors that might influence phosphorylation at this site by making mutant variants of the pp60c-src protein. By effectively eliminating the site of N-terminal myristylation, we demonstrated that stable membrane association is not necessary for tyrosine 527 phosphorylation. Furthermore, mutational elimination of the enzymatic activity of this mutant pp60c-src protein did not alter the efficiency of phosphorylation at tyrosine 527. These data are consistent with the proposal that pp60c-src may be phosphorylated at tyrosine 527 by a cellular tyrosine kinase distinct from pp60c-src. In addition, using detergent-permeabilized cells, we established conditions that allow efficient phosphorylation of tyrosine 527 in vitro.