Direct identification of palmitic acid as the lipid attached to p21ras.

p21v-H-ras, the transforming protein of Harvey murine sarcoma virus, contains a covalently attached lipid. Using thin-layer chromatography, we identified the acyl group as the 16-carbon saturated fatty acid palmitic acid. No myristic acid was detected in fatty acids released from in vivo-labeled p21v-H-ras. The p21v-K-ras protein encoded by Kirsten sarcoma virus was also palmitylated. The processing and acylation of p21v-K-ras however differed from that of p21v-H-ras. Three forms of [3H]palmitic acid-labeled p21ras proteins were detected in Kirsten sarcoma virus-transformed cells. This contrasted with Harvey sarcoma virus, in which two forms of p21v-H-ras contained palmitic acid. Analysis by partial proteolysis of p21v-H-ras labeled with [3H]palmitic acid suggested that all of the lipid found in intact p21v-H-ras was located in the C-terminal region. On sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels, p21v-H-ras labeled with [3H]palmitic acid migrated slightly ahead of the majority of p21v-H-ras. Of the mature forms of p21v-H-ras, apparently only a subpopulation contains palmitic acid.     

In vitro synthesis of pp60v-src: myristylation in a cell-free system.

Covalent attachment of myristic acid to pp60v-src, the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, was studied in a cell-free system. Using a synthetic peptide containing the first 11 amino acids of the mature pp60v-src polypeptide sequence as a substrate, we probed lysates from a variety of cells and tissues for N-myristyl transferase (NMT) activity. Nearly every eucaryotic cell type tested contained NMT, including avian, mammalian, insect, and plant cells. Since NMT activity was detected in rabbit reticulocyte lysates, we took advantage of the translational capability of these lysates to determine the precise point during translation at which myristate is attached to pp60v-src. src mRNA, transcribed from cloned v-src DNA, was translated in reticulocyte lysates which had been depleted of endogenous myristate. Addition of [3H]myristate to lysates 10 min after the start of synchronized translation resulted in a dramatic decrease in the incorporation of radiolabeled myristate into pp60v-src polypeptide chains. These results imply that although myristate can be attached posttranslationally to synthetic peptide substrates, myristylation in vivo is apparently a very early cotranslational event which occurs before the first 100 amino acids of the nascent polypeptide chain are polymerized.     

In vivo modification of retroviral gag gene-encoded polyproteins by myristic acid.

It has recently been shown by mass spectral analysis (Henderson et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 80:339-343, 1983) that the p15gag protein of murine leukemia viruses contains a novel post-translational modification, an amino-terminal myristyl (tetradecanoyl) amide. In this report we show that p15gag is the only structural protein to contain this fatty acid. In addition, the gag precursor polyproteins of type B, C, and D retroviruses have been examined for the presence of myristic acid by metabolic labeling and immunoprecipitation studies. In a panel of mammalian type C retroviruses we found that the precursor polyprotein Pr65gag homologs, but not the glycosylated forms (gPr80gag homologs), were specifically labeled after a 5-min incubation of infected cells with [3H]myristic acid. The gag precursor polyprotein was also labeled in mouse mammary tumor virus and in Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, but Pr76gag of Rous sarcoma virus failed to incorporate [3H]myristate. Under similar conditions, [3H]palmitate was not found to be incorporated into any viral gag proteins. Thus, myristylation appears to be a common feature of mammalian type B, C, and D retroviruses but not of avian retroviruses.     

Myristic acid is attached to the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus during or immediately after synthesis and is present in both soluble and membrane-bound forms of the protein.

Myristic acid, a minor component of cellular fatty acids, has been shown previously to be covalently bound to most molecules of p60src, the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus. We have now determined at what time during the life cycle of p60src, and where within the cell, this lipid becomes attached to the protein. p60src was found to acquire myristic acid at only one time, during or immediately after its synthesis. p60src is known to be synthesized on free polysomes and appears at the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane after a lag of 10 min. The addition of myristic acid to p60src therefore precedes the binding of the protein to the plasma membrane. The lipid attached to p60src is a permanent, metabolically stable part of the protein; we found no evidence for turnover of the myristyl moiety. However, we did find myristate attached to various soluble forms of p60src and to a large number of cytosolic cellular proteins as well. This demonstrates that the attachment of myristic acid to a protein is not in itself sufficient to convert a soluble protein into a membrane-bound protein.     

N-terminal deletion in the src gene of Rous sarcoma virus results in synthesis of a 45,000-Mr protein with mitogenic activity.

Expression of the v-src gene of Rous sarcoma virus in avian embryo neuroretina cells results in transformation and sustained proliferation of these normally resting cells. Transformed neuroretina cells are also tumorigenic upon inoculation into immunodeficient hosts. We have previously described conditional mutants of Rous sarcoma virus encoding p60v-src proteins which induce proliferation of neuroretina cells in the absence of transformation and tumorigenicity. These results suggest that p60v-src is composed of functionally distinct domains which may interact with multiple cellular targets. In this study, we describe a spontaneous variant of Rous sarcoma virus, subgroup E, which carries a deletion of 278 base pairs in the 5' portion of the v-src gene but which has retained the ability to induce proliferation of quail neuroretina cells. The deleted v-src gene encodes a 45,000-molecular-weight phosphoprotein which contains both phosphoserine and phosphotyrosine, is myristylated, and possesses tyrosine kinase activity indistinguishable from that of wild-type p60v-src. Molecular cloning and sequence analysis of the mutant v-src gene have shown that this deletion extends from amino acid 33 to 126 of the wild-type p60v-src. Therefore, this portion of the v-src protein is dispensable for the mitogenic activity of Rous sarcoma virus in neuroretina cells.     

A short sequence in the p60src N terminus is required for p60src myristylation and membrane association and for cell transformation.

We have constructed mutants by using linker insertion followed by deletion in the region of cloned Rous sarcoma virus DNA coding for the N-terminal 9 kilodaltons of the src protein. Previous work implicated this region in the membrane association of the protein. The mutations had little effect on src tyrosine kinase activity. Substitution of a tri- or tetrapeptide for amino acids 15 to 27, 15 to 49, or 15 to 81 had little effect on the in vitro transforming capacity of the virus. Like wild-type p60src, the src proteins of these mutants associated with plasma membranes and were labeled with [3H]myristic acid. In contrast, a mutant whose src protein had the dipeptide Asp-Leu substituted for amino acids 2 to 81 and a mutant with the tripeptide Asp-Leu-Gly substituted for amino acids 2 to 15 were transformation defective, and the mutant proteins did not associate with membranes and were not labeled with [3H]myristic acid. These results suggest that amino acids 2 to 15 serve as an attachment site for myristic acid and as a membrane anchor. Since deletions including this region prevent transformation, and since tyrosine kinase activity is not diminished by the deletions, these results imply that target recognition is impaired by mutations altering the very N terminus, perhaps through their effect on membrane association.     

Phosphorylation of the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus: direct demonstration of phosphorylation of serine 17 and identification of an additional site of tyrosine phosphorylation in p60v-src of Prague Rous sarcoma virus.

We provide direct evidence that serine 17 is the major site of serine phosphorylation in p60v-src, the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, and in its cellular homolog, p60c-src. The amino acid composition of the tryptic peptide containing the major site of serine phosphorylation in p60v-src was deduced by peptide map analysis of the protein labeled biosynthetically with a variety of radioactive amino acids. Manual Edman degradation revealed that the phosphorylated serine in this peptide was the amino terminal residue. These data are consistent only with the phosphorylation of serine 17. The major site of serine phosphorylation in chicken p60c-src, the cellular homolog of p60v-src, is contained in a tryptic peptide identical to that containing serine 17 in p60v-src of Schmidt Ruppin Rous sarcoma virus of subgroup A. Serine 17 is therefore also phosphorylated in p60c-src. The p60v-src protein encoded by Prague Rous sarcoma virus was found to contain two sites of tyrosine phosphorylation. The previously unrecognized site of tyrosine phosphorylation may be tyrosine 205 or possibly tyrosine 208. Treatment of Prague Rous sarcoma virus-infected cells with vanadyl ions stimulated the protein kinase activity of p60v-src and increased the phosphorylation of tyrosine 416 but not the phosphorylation of the additional site of tyrosine phosphorylation.     

Myristyl and palmityl acylation of the insulin receptor

The presence of covalently bound fatty acids in the insulin receptor has been explored in cultured human (IM-9) lymphocytes. Both alpha (Mr = 135,000) and beta (Mr = 95,000) subunits of the receptor incorporate [3H]myristic and [3H]palmitic acids in a covalent form. The effects of alkali and hydroxylamine on the labeled subunits indicate the existence of two different kinds of fatty acid linkage to the protein with chemical stabilities compatible with amide and ester bonds. The alpha subunit contains only amide-linked fatty acid while the beta subunit has both amide- and ester-linked fatty acids. Analysis by high performance liquid chromatography after acid hydrolysis of the [3H]myristate- and [3H]palmitate-labeled subunits demonstrates the fatty acid nature of the label. Furthermore, both [3H]myristic and [3H]palmitic acids are found attached to the receptor subunits regardless of which fatty acid was used for labeling. The incorporation of fatty acids into the insulin receptor is dependent on protein synthesis and is also detectable in the Mr = 190,000 proreceptor form. Fatty acylation is a newly identified post-translational modification of the insulin receptor which may have an important role in its interaction with the membrane and/or its biological function.     

Fatty acid acylation of proteins in Physarum polycephalum

We have investigated the occurrence of protein-fatty acid acylation by metabolic incorporation of [3H]myristic and [3H]palmitic acids in Physarum polycephalum. We show that this organism contains fatty acylated proteins with mainly myristic acid covalently attached in alkali-stable linkages, probably amides. We find no evidence for ester-linked fatty acids, in contrast to the situation in vertebrate cells.     

Phosphorylation of cellular proteins in Rous sarcoma virus-infected cells: analysis by use of anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies.

The protein substrates for the tyrosine protein kinases in cells transformed by avian sarcoma viruses were analyzed by gel electrophoresis in combination with immunoblotting or immunoprecipitation by antibodies against phosphotyrosine. We found that greater than 90% of phosphotyrosine-containing cellular proteins can be immunoprecipitated by these antibodies. The level of phosphotyrosine-containing cellular proteins detectable by this method markedly increased upon transformation with Rous sarcoma virus, and more than 20 distinct bands of such proteins were found in lysates of Rous sarcoma virus-transformed cells. Most of these phosphotyrosine-containing proteins had not been identified by other methods, and their presence appeared to correlate with morphological transformation in cells infected with various Rous sarcoma virus mutants and Y73, PRCII, and Fujinami sarcoma viruses. However, considerably different patterns were obtained with cells infected with nontransforming Rous sarcoma virus mutants that encode nonmyristylated src kinases, indicating that most substrates that correlate with transformation can only be recognized by p60v-src associated with the plasma membrane.     

Antibodies to an NH2-terminal myristoyl glycine moiety can detect NH2-terminal myristoylated proteins in the retrovirus-infected cells

Novel antibodies were raised against a synthetic NH2-terminal myristoyl glycine moiety which is characteristic of N-myristoyl-proteins. Antisera raised against N-myristoyl-Gly-hemocyanin reacted with N-myristoyl-Gly-[125I]albumin. The immunoreaction was competed for by albumin conjugated with N-myristoyl-glycine, while underivatized albumin had no effect. Of the [3H]myristate-labeled proteins detected, pp60v-src, which is a transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, and p19gag and p17gag, which are core proteins in the human T-cell leukemia virus and the human immunodeficiency virus, were identified as N-myristoylated proteins by the radioimmunoprecipitation analyses with the antibody.     

Amino acid substitutions sufficient to convert the nontransforming p60c-src protein to a transforming protein.

We have previously shown that Rous sarcoma virus variants that carry the cellular homolog (c-src) of the viral src gene (v-src) do not transform chicken embryo fibroblasts. We also have shown that replacement of sequences upstream or downstream from the BglI site of the cellular src gene with the corresponding regions of v-src restored transforming activity to the hybrid genes. Since there are only six amino acid changes between p60c-src and p60v-src within the sequences upstream from BglI, we constructed chimeric molecules involving v-src and c-src to determine the effect of each amino acid substitution on the biological activities of the gene product. We found that the change from Thr to Ile at position 338 or the replacement of a fragment of c-src containing Gly-63, Arg-95, and Thr-96 with a corresponding fragment of v-src containing Asp-63, Trp-95, and Ile-96 converted p60c-src into a transforming protein by the criteria of focus formation, anchorage-independent growth, and tumor formation in newborn chickens. These mutations also resulted in elevation of the protein kinase activity of p60c-src.     

Specific proteolytic fragmentation of p60v-src in transformed cell lysates.

Work involving the transforming protein, p60v-src, of Rous sarcoma virus has resulted in the extensive characterization of its protein structure and associated phosphotransferase activity. However, in many investigations proteolytic fragments (principally p52v-src) of the src protein are actually studied. Here, we emphasize potential problems in the interpretation of experimental results in which the proteolytic fragmentation of p60v-src may be involved and offer several means for the complete prevention of this p60v-src degradation.     

Lack of induction of neuroretinal cell proliferation by Rous sarcoma virus variants that carry the c-src gene.

Expression of p60v-src of Rous sarcoma virus in cultured chicken embryo neuroretinal cells was previously shown to result in the transformation and sustained proliferation of normally quiescent cell populations. We show here that Rous sarcoma virus variants that encode p60c-src, the cellular homolog of p60v-src, lack the ability to induce morphological transformation and cell proliferation of cultured neuroretinal cells. Neuroretinal cells infected with c-src-containing viruses, however, possess no less p60 protein kinase activity assayed in the immune complex than those infected with the transformation-defective Rous sarcoma virus mutants PA101 or PA104, which do stimulate the growth of these cells.     

Blockage of morphological transformation of chick embryo fibroblasts infected with Rous sarcoma virus by N-myristoyl glycinal diethylacetal in vitro

N-Myristoyl glycinal diethylacetal strongly inhibited morphological transformation of chick embryo fibroblasts infected with a temperature-sensitive mutant (tsNY68) of Rous sarcoma virus. Myristoylated or nonmyristoylated pp60v-src, which were expressed in tsNY68-infected cells in the absence or presence of the compound, were identified separately by fluorography or immunoblotting analysis after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the [3H]myristate-labeled cell lysate. The results taken together suggest that the blockage of morphological transformation was caused by prevention of protein myristoylation of the transforming protein pp60v-src.     

Monoclonal antibodies to Rous sarcoma virus pp60src react with enzymatically active cellular pp60src of avian and mammalian origin

The derivation and characterization of 22 hybridoma clones producing monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) specific for the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, pp60src, are described. All Mabs reacted with pp60v-src encoded by Prague, Schmidt-Ruppin, and Bratislava 77 strains of Rous sarcoma virus. Of these Mabs, 10 efficiently immunoprecipitated pp60c-src from chicken embryo cells. Of these 10 Mabs, 2 (GD11 and EB8) readily detected pp60c-src from a variety of rodent and human cultured cells and from rat brain tissue in an in vitro immune complex kinase assay. Mapping experiments have tentatively localized the determinant(s) recognized by GD11 and EB8 to a region of the src protein bounded by amino acid residues 82 to 169, whereas the remaining Mabs appeared to recognize determinants residing within residues 1 to 82 or 169 to 173. Most of the Mabs complexed denatured pp60v-src in a Western immunoblot, and several were used to localize pp60v-src in Rous sarcoma virus-transformed chicken embryo cells by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy.     

Myristylation of Rous sarcoma virus Gag protein does not prevent replication in avian cells.

Rous sarcoma virus is an example of a replication-competent retrovirus whose Gag protein is not modified with myristic acid. The purpose of the experiments described in this report was to determine whether the addition of this 14-carbon fatty acid would interfere with the replication of Rous sarcoma virus. We found that myristylated derivatives of the Rous sarcoma virus Gag protein are fully functional for particle formation in avian cells and that the addition of myristic acid has very little effect on infectivity.     

The first seven amino acids encoded by the v-src oncogene act as a myristylation signal: lysine 7 is a critical determinant.

The transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, pp60v-src, is covalently coupled to myristic acid by an amide linkage to glycine 2. Myristylation promotes the association of pp60v-src with cellular membranes, and this subcellular location is essential for transforming activity. The findings presented here, in conjunction with the previous reports of others, imply that the seventh amino acid encoded by v-src might be important in the myristylation reaction. Replacement of lysine 7 by asparagine greatly reduced the myristylation, membrane association, and transforming activity of pp60v-src. In contrast, substitution of arginine at residue 7 had no effect on any of these properties of pp60v-src. Addition of amino acids 1 to 7 encoded by v-src was sufficient to cause myristylation of a src-pyruvate kinase fusion protein. We conclude that the recognition sequence for myristylation of pp60v-src comprises amino acids 1 to 7 and that lysine 7 is a critical component of this sequence.     

The transfer of myristic and other fatty acids on lipid and viral protein acceptors in cultured cells infected with Semliki Forest and influenza virus.

[3H]Myristic and [3H]palmitic acid were compared as tracers for the fatty acylation of cellular lipids and viral glycoproteins in chicken embryo cells infected with fowl plague and Semliki Forest virus (SFV). Both of these substrates are incorporated into glycerolipids to a similar extent, whereas sphingolipids show much higher levels of palmitate than myristate after a 20 h labeling period. Both fatty acid species were found to be subject to metabolic conversions into longer chain fatty acids yielding 11.7% C16:0 from [3H]myristic and 11.8% C18:0 from [3H]palmitic acid. The reverse, a metabolic shortening of the exogenous acyl-chains yielding, for instance, significant levels of myristic acid from palmitic acid was not observed. Out of the various [3H]fatty acids present after in vivo labeling with [3H]myristic acid (C14:0) the elongated acyl-species arising from metabolic conversion (e.g., C16:0; C18:0) are preferred over myristic acid in the acylation of SFV E1 and E2 and of the influenza viral hemagglutinin (HA2). During acylation of exogenous E1 from SFV in vitro incorporation of palmitic acid from palmitoyl CoA exceeds that of myristic acid from myristoyl CoA by a factor of 37. This indicates that specificity for the incorporation of fatty acids into viral membrane proteins occurs at the level of the polypeptide acyltransferase(s).     

Development and characterization of antisera specific for amino- and carboxy-terminal regions of pp60src.

Antisera to the Rous sarcoma virus transforming protein pp60src were produced in rabbits immunized with p60src purified from recombinant Escherichia coli. Immunization with isolated V8 proteolytic fragments of p60src resulted in antisera specific for the amino- and carboxy-terminal domains. The reactions of these antisera with pp60v-src and the normal cell protein p60c-src were characterized.