Cell confluence-dependent remodeling of endothelial membranes mediated by cholesterol

The plasma membranes of endothelial cells reaching confluence undergo profound structural and functional modifications, including the formation of adherens junctions, crucial for the regulation of vascular permeability and angiogenesis. Adherens junction formation is accompanied by the tyrosine dephosphorylation of adherens junctions proteins, which has been correlated with the strength and stability of adherens junctions. Here we show that cholesterol is a critical determinant of plasma membrane remodeling in cultures of growing cow pulmonary aortic endothelial cells. Membrane cholesterol increased dramatically at an early stage in the formation of confluent cow pulmonary aortic endothelial cell monolayers, prior to formation of intercellular junctions. This increase was accompanied by the redistribution of caveolin from a high density to a low density membrane compartment, previously shown to require cholesterol, and increased binding of the annexin II-p11 complex to membranes, consistent with other studies indicating cholesterol-dependent binding of annexin II to membranes. Furthermore, partial depletion of cholesterol from confluent cells with methyl-beta-cyclodextrin both induced tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple membrane proteins, including adherens junctions proteins, and disrupted adherens junctions. Both effects were dramatically reduced by prior complexing of methyl-beta-cyclodextrin with cholesterol. Our results reveal a novel physiological role for cholesterol regulating the formation of adherens junctions and other plasma membrane remodeling events as endothelial cells reach confluence.     

Platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 modulates endothelial migration through its immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif

Coordinated migration of endothelial cells models the remodeling of existing endothelia as well as angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. Platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, PECAM-1, a transmembrane endothelial adhesion protein, binds and activates the tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 via phosphotyrosines 663 and 686. PECAM-1 phosphorylation and recruitment of SHP-2 are regulated by cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion. We found that PECAM-1 is dephosphorylated on tyrosine 686 during endothelial migration, resulting in diffuse dispersal of PECAM-1 and SHP-2. Overexpression of native PECAM-1 slowed, and nonphosphorylatable PECAM-1 increased, endothelial migration, implying that the SHP-2-regulatory phosphotyrosines negatively regulate migration. Using differentially phosphorylated recombinant proteins we found that phosphotyrosine 686 preferentially mediates binding and 663 mediates activation of SHP-2 by PECAM-1. In PECAM-1-null endothelial cells, SHP-2 bound and dephosphorylated an alternative set of phosphoproteins and its distribution to the cytoskeletal fraction was significantly decreased. Tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin and focal adhesion kinase was increased in endothelial cells overexpressing nonphosphorylatable PECAM-1. Thus homophilically engaged, tyrosine-phosphorylated PECAM-1 locally activates SHP-2 at cell-cell junctions; with disruption of the endothelial monolayer, selective dephosphorylation of PECAM-1 leads to redistribution of SHP-2 and pro-migratory changes in phosphorylation of cytoskeletal and focal contact components.     

Independent regulation of adherens and tight junctions by tyrosine phosphorylation in Caco-2 cells

To study the role of tyrosine phosphorylation in the control of intercellular adhesion of intestinal cells, we have generated several clones of Caco-2 cells that express high levels of pp60v-src only after addition of butyrate. Expression of this oncogene in cells 5 days after confluence induced beta-catenin and p120-ctn tyrosine phosphorylation, redistribution of E-cadherin to the cytosol and disassembly of adherens junctions. However, tight junctions of Caco-2 cells at 5 days after confluence were not altered by expression of pp60v-src. Similar results were obtained when Caco-2 cells were incubated with phosphotyrosine phosphatase inhibitor orthovanadate. Although addition of this compound to postconfluent cells disrupt adherens junctions, tight junctions remain unaltered, as determined measuring monolayer permeability to mannitol or hyperphosphorylation of Triton-insoluble occludin. Modifications in tight junction permeability of Caco-2 were only observed at high concentrations of orthovanadate (1 mM). Interestingly, this tyrosine phosphorylation-refractory state was achieved after confluence since early postconfluent cells (day 2) showed a limited but significant response to low doses of orthovanadate. These results suggest that tight junctions of differentiated Caco-2 cells are uncoupled from adherens junctions and are insensitive to regulation by tyrosine phosphorylation.     

Regulation of calcium-sensitive tyrosine kinase Pyk2 by angiotensin II in endothelial cells. Roles of Yes tyrosine kinase and tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2

Calcium-sensitive tyrosine kinase Pyk2 has been implicated in the regulation of ion channels, cellular adhesion, and mitogenic and hypertrophic reactions. In this study, we have investigated the regulation of Pyk2 by angiotensin II (Ang II) in pulmonary vein endothelial cells. We found that the Ang II-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of Pyk2, which requires the activity of Src family kinase, was specifically regulated by the Src family kinase member, Yes kinase. Moreover, we identified for the first time the constitutive association of Pyk2 with an Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2. SHP-2 interacts with Pyk2 through a region other than its SH2 domains. Pyk2 can be dephosphorylated in vitro in SHP-2 immunoprecipitates and in intact cells expressing an NH(2) terminus-truncated form of SHP-2, which lacks the two SH2 domains but has an enhanced phosphatase activity. Ang II activates the endogenous SHP-2. Finally, the SHP-2-mediated dephosphorylation of Pyk2 correlates with the negative effect of SHP-2 on the Ang II-induced activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase and c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase. Thus, the balance of Pyk2 tyrosine phosphorylation in response to Ang II is controlled by Yes kinase and by a tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 in endothelial cells.     

VE-PTP and VE-cadherin ectodomains interact to facilitate regulation of phosphorylation and cell contacts

VE-cadherin is the essential adhesion molecule in endothelial adherens junctions, and the regulation of protein tyrosine phosphorylation is thought to be important for the control of adherens junction integrity. We show here that VE-PTP (vascular endothelial protein tyrosine phosphatase), an endothelial receptor-type phosphatase, co-precipitates with VE-cadherin, but not with beta-catenin, from cell lysates of transfected COS-7 cells and of endothelial cells. Co-precipitation of VE-cadherin and VE-PTP required the most membrane-proximal extracellular domains of each protein. Expression of VE-PTP in triple-transfected COS-7 cells and in CHO cells reversed the tyrosine phosphorylation of VE-cadherin elicited by vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR-2). Expression of VE-PTP under an inducible promotor in CHO cells transfected with VE-cadherin and VEGFR-2 increased the VE-cadherin-mediated barrier integrity of a cellular monolayer. Surprisingly, a catalytically inactive mutant form of VE-PTP had the same effect on VE-cadherin phosphorylation and cell layer permeability. Thus, VE-PTP is a transmembrane binding partner of VE-cadherin that associates through an extracellular domain and reduces the tyrosine phosphorylation of VE-cadherin and cell layer permeability independently of its enzymatic activity.     

Regulation of VE-cadherin linkage to the cytoskeleton in endothelial cells exposed to fluid shear stress

Endothelial cells exposed to shear stress realigned and elongated in the direction of flow through the coordinated remodeling of their adherens junctions and actin cytoskeleton. The elaborate networks of VE-cadherin complexes in static cultures became more uniform and compact in response to shear. In contrast, the cortical actin present in static cultures was reorganized into numerous stress fiber bundles distributed parallel to the direction of flow. Exposure to shear did not significantly alter the expression of the junctional proteins VE-cadherin, beta-catenin, and alpha-catenin, but the composition of the junctional complexes did change. We detected a marked decrease in the alpha-catenin associated with VE-cadherin complexes in endothelial monolayers subjected to shear. This loss of alpha-catenin, the protein that links beta-catenin-bound cadherin to the actin cytoskeleton, was not due to decreased quantities of beta-catenin associated with VE-cadherin. Instead, the loss of alpha-catenin from the junctional complexes coincided with the increased tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin associated with VE-cadherin. The change in beta-catenin phosphorylation closely correlated with the shear-induced loss of the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 from VE-cadherin complexes. Thus, the functional interaction of alpha-catenin with VE-cadherin-bound beta-catenin is regulated by the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin. This, concomitantly, is regulated by SHP-2 associated with VE-cadherin complexes.     

Dissecting the interaction of SHP-2 with PZR, an immunoglobulin family protein containing immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs

Tyrosine phosphorylation of membrane proteins plays a crucial role in cell signaling by recruiting Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing signaling molecules. Recently, we have isolated a transmembrane protein designated PZR that specifically binds tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2, which has two SH2 domains (Zhao, Z. J., and Zhao, R. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273, 29367-29372). PZR belongs to the immunoglobulin superfamily. Its intracellular segment contains four putative sites of tyrosine phosphorylation. By site-specific mutagenesis, we found that the tyrosine 241 and 263 embedded in the consensus immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs VIYAQL and VVYADI, respectively, accounted for the entire tyrosine phosphorylation of PZR. The interaction between PZR and SHP-2 requires involvement of both tyrosyl residues of the former and both SH2 domains of the latter, since its was disrupted by mutating a single tyrosyl residue or an SH2 domain. Overexpression of catalytically inactive but not active forms of SHP-2 bearing intact SH2 domains in cells caused hyperphosphorylation of PZR. In vitro, tyrosine-phosphorylated PZR was efficiently dephosphorylated by the full-length form of SHP-2 but not by its SH2 domain-truncated form. Together, the data indicate that PZR serves not only as a specific anchor protein of SHP-2 on the plasma membrane but also as a physiological substrate of the enzyme. The coexisting binding and dephosphorylation of PZR by SHP-2 may function to terminate signal transduction initiated by PZR and SHP-2 and to set a threshold for the signal transduction to be initiated.     

The protein tyrosine phosphatase Pez is a major phosphatase of adherens junctions and dephosphorylates beta-catenin

Cell-cell adhesion regulates processes important in embryonal development, normal physiology, and cancer progression. It is regulated by various mechanisms including tyrosine phosphorylation. We have previously shown that the protein tyrosine phosphatase Pez is concentrated at intercellular junctions in confluent, quiescent monolayers but is nuclear in cells lacking cell-cell contacts. We show here with an epithelial cell model that Pez localizes to the adherens junctions in confluent monolayers. A truncation mutant lacking the catalytic domain acts as a dominant negative mutant to upregulate tyrosine phosphorylation at adherens junctions. We identified beta-catenin, a component of adherens junctions, as a substrate of Pez by a "substrate trapping" approach and by in vitro dephosphorylation with recombinant Pez. Consistent with this, ectopic expression of the dominant negative mutant caused an increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin, demonstrating that Pez regulates the level of tyrosine phosphorylation of adherens junction proteins, including beta-catenin. Increased tyrosine phosphorylation of adherens junction proteins has been shown to decrease cell-cell adhesion, promoting cell migration as a result. Accordingly, the dominant negative Pez mutant enhanced cell motility in an in vitro "wound" assay. This suggests that Pez is also a regulator of cell motility, most likely through its action on cell-cell adhesion.     

Role of immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motifs of PECAM-1 in PECAM-1-dependent cell migration

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule (PECAM-1), a transmembrane glycoprotein, has been implicated in angiogenesis, with recent evidence indicating the involvement of PECAM-1 in endothelial cell motility. The cytoplasmic domain of PECAM-1 contains two tyrosine residues, Y663 and Y686, that each fall within an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM). When phosphorylated, these residues together mediate the binding of the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2. Because SHP-2 has been shown to be involved in the turnover of focal adhesions, a phenomenon required for efficient cell motility, the association of this phosphatase with PECAM-1 via its ITIMs may represent a mechanism by which PECAM-1 might facilitate cell migration. Studies were therefore done with cell transfectants expressing wild-type PECAM or mutant PECAM-1 in which residues Y663 and Y686 were mutated. These mutations eliminated PECAM-1 tyrosine phosphorylation and the association of PECAM-1 with SHP-2 but did not impair the ability of the molecule to localize at intercellular junctions or to bind homophilically. However, in vitro cell motility and tube formation stimulated by the expression of wild-type PECAM-1 were abrogated by the mutation of these tyrosine residues. Importantly, during wound-induced migration, the number of focal adhesions as well as the level of tyrosine phosphorylated paxillin detected in cells expressing wild-type PECAM-1 were markedly reduced compared with control cells or transfectants with mutant PECAM-1. These data suggest that, in vivo, the binding of SHP-2 to PECAM-1, via PECAM-1’s ITIM domains, promotes the turnover of focal adhesions and, hence, endothelial cell motility. platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1; endothelial cells; angiogenesis     

The cellular prion protein PrPc is expressed in human enterocytes in cell-cell junctional domains

The physiological function of PrPc, the cellular isoform of prion protein, still remains unclear, although it has been established, in vitro or by using nerve cells, that it can homodimerize, bind copper, or interact with other proteins. Expression of PrPc was demonstrated as necessary for prion infection propagation. Considering the importance of the intestinal barrier in the process of oral prion infectivity, we have analyzed the expression of PrPc in enterocytes, which represent the major cell population of the intestinal epithelium. Our study, conducted both on normal human intestinal tissues and on the enterocytic cell line Caco-2/TC7, shows for the first time that PrPc is present in enterocytes. Interestingly, we found that this glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein was localized in cholesterol-dependent raft domains of the upper lateral membranes of enterocytes, beneath tight junctions, in cell-cell junctional domains. We observed that PrPc, E-cadherin, and Src co-localized in adherens junctions and that PrPc was co-immunoprecipitated with Src kinase but not with E-cadherin. Alteration of cell polarity after cholesterol depletion or loosening of the cell-cell junctions after EGTA treatment rapidly impaired membrane targeting of PrPc. Overall, our results point out the signaling of cell-cell contacts as a putative role for PrPc in epithelial cells.     

SHP-2 inhibits tyrosine phosphorylation of Cas-L and regulates cell migration

The Src homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase, SHP-2, plays an important role in cell migration by interacting with various proteins. In this report, we demonstrated that SHP-2 inhibits tyrosine phosphorylation of Crk-associated substrate lymphocyte type (Cas-L), a docking protein which mediates cell migration, and found that SHP-2 negatively regulates migration of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells induced by fibronectin (FN). We showed that overexpressed SHP-2 co-localizes with Cas-L at focal adhesions and that exogenous expression of SHP-2 abrogates cell migration mediated by Cas-L. SHP-2 inhibits tyrosine phosphorylation of Cas-L, and associates with Cas-L to form a complex in a tyrosine phosphorylation-dependent manner. Finally, immunoprecipitation experiments with deletion mutants revealed that both SH2 domains of SHP-2 are necessary for this association. These results suggest that SHP-2 regulates tyrosine phosphorylation of Cas-L, hence opposing the effect of kinases, and SHP-2 is a negative regulator of cell migration mediated by Cas-L.     

Localization of VE-cadherin in plasmalemmal cholesterol rich microdomains and the effects of cholesterol depletion on VE-cadherin mediated cell–cell adhesion

VE-cadherin is the predominant adhesion molecule in vascular endothelial cells being responsible for maintenance of the endothelial barrier function by forming adhesive contacts (adherens junctions) to neighbouring cells. We found by use of single molecule fluorescence microscopy that VE-cadherin is localised in preformed clusters when not inside adherens junctions. These clusters depend on the integrity of the actin cytoskeleton and are localised in cholesterol rich microdomains of mature endothelial cells as found by membrane fractionation. The ability to form and maintain VE-cadherin based junctions was probed using the laser tweezer technique, and we found that cholesterol depletion has dramatical effects on VE-cadherin mediated adhesion. While a 30% reduction of the cholesterol-level results in an increase of adhesion, excessive cholesterol depletion by about 60% leads to an almost complete loss of VE-cadherin function. Nevertheless, the cadherin concentration in the membrane and the single molecule kinetic parameters of the cadherin are not changed. Our results suggest that the actin cytoskeleton, junction-associated proteins and protein–lipid assemblies in cholesterol-rich microdomains mutually stabilise each other to form functional adhesion contacts.     

Activated neutrophils induce hyperpermeability and phosphorylation of adherens junction proteins in coronary venular endothelial cells.

The endothelial adherens junction is formed by complexes of transmembrane adhesive proteins, of which beta-catenin is known to connect the junctional protein vascular endothelial (VE)-cadherin to the cytoskeleton and to play a signaling role in the regulation of junction-cytoskeleton interaction. In this study, we investigated the effect of neutrophil activation on endothelial monolayer integrity and on beta-catenin and VE-cadherin modification. Treatment of cultured bovine coronary endothelial monolayers with C5a-activated neutrophils resulted in an increase in permeability as measured by albumin clearance across the monolayer. Furthermore, large scale intercellular gap formation was observed in coincidence with the hyperpermeability response. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that beta-catenin and VE-cadherin staining changed from a uniform distribution along the membrane of control cells to a diffuse pattern for both proteins and finger-like projections for beta-catenin in neutrophil-exposed monolayers. Correlatively, there was an increase in actin stress fiber formation in treated cells. Finally, beta-catenin and VE-cadherin from neutrophil-treated endothelial cells showed a significant increase in tyrosine phosphorylation. Our results are the first to link neutrophil-mediated changes in adherens junctions with intercellular gap formation and hyperpermeability in microvascular endothelial cells. These data suggest that neutrophils may regulate endothelial barrier function through a process conferring conformational changes to beta-catenin and VE-cadherin.     

The effect of elevated extracellular glucose on adherens junction proteins in cultured rat heart endothelial cells

Vascular permeability is a proof of vascular endothelial cell dysfunction induced by diabetes. Vascular permeability is directly related to the width of intercellular endothelial cells junctions, which may become permeable to macromolecules as a result of a change in endothelial cell shape. To determine the role of hyperglycemia in endothelial cell shape, the study examined the effect of high concentrations of glucose on the shape of cultured rat heart endothelial cells. This result indicated that the high-glucose-induced changes in the morphology of endothelial cells, via the glucose-mediated reorganization of F-actin. In endothelial cells, the actin cytoskeleton is tethered to the zonula adherens and focal adhesions, which mediate cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions respectively. The present study demonstrated that the high-glucose-induced changes in the actin-binding protein such as filamin, zonula adherens proteins such as alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin, focal adhesions proteins such as focal adhesion kinase, paxillin, and tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin. It appears that differences in expression of adherens junctions molecules on rat heart endothelial cells in response to high glucose reflect endothelial glucose toxicity, which may also induce endothelial dysfunction in diabetes.     

SHP2 association with VE-cadherin complexes in human endothelial cells is regulated by thrombin

Thrombin-mediated changes in endothelial cell adherens junctions modulate vascular permeability. We demonstrate that the nonreceptor protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 co-precipitates with VE-cadherin complexes in confluent, quiescent human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Ligand-binding blots using a SHP2-glutathione S-transferase fusion peptide established that SHP2 associates selectively with beta-catenin in VE-cadherin complexes. Thrombin treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells promotes SHP2 tyrosine phosphorylation and dissociation from VE-cadherin complexes. The loss of SHP2 from the cadherin complexes correlates with a dramatic increase in the tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin, gamma-catenin, and p120-catenin complexed with VE-cadherin. We propose that thrombin regulates the tyrosine phosphorylation of VE-cadherin-associated beta-catenin, gamma-catenin, and p120-catenin by modulating the quantity of SHP2 associated with VE-cadherin complexes. Such changes in adherens junction complex composition likely underlie thrombin-elicited alterations in endothelial monolayer permeability.     

Contribution of annexin 2 to the architecture of mature endothelial adherens junctions

The vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cad)-based complex is involved in the maintenance of vascular endothelium integrity. Using immunoprecipitation experiments, we have demonstrated that, in confluent human umbilical vein endothelial cells, the VE-cad-based complex interacts with annexin 2 and that annexin 2 translocates from the cytoplasm to the cell-cell contact sites as cell confluence is established. Annexin 2, located in cholesterol rafts, binds to both the actin cytoskeleton and the VE-cad-based complex so the complex is docked to cholesterol rafts. These multiple connections prevent the lateral diffusion of the VE-cad-based complex, thus strengthening adherens junctions in the ultimate steps of maturation. Moreover, we observed that the down-regulation of annexin 2 by small interfering RNA induces a delocalization of VE-cad from adherens junctions and consequently a destabilization of these junctions. Furthermore, our data indicate that the decoupling of the annexin 2/p11 complex from the VE-cad-based junction, triggered by vascular endothelial growth factor treatment, facilitates the switch from a quiescent to an immature state.     

Construction and expression of an enzymatically active form of PECAM-1 containing the phosphatase domain of the protein tyrosine phosphatase, SHP-2

Platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1; CD31) is a 130-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein that is expressed on the surfaces of platelets, endothelial cells, and certain leukocyte subsets. The extracellular region of PECAM-1 contains six immunoglobulin homology domains, two of which (domains 1 and 2) mediate PECAM-1 homophilic interactions. Recent evidence suggests that a major function of the extracellular region of PECAM-1 is to determine its localization within the plane of the plasma membrane. The cytoplasmic domain of PECAM-1 contains an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif that, upon tyrosine phosphorylation, supports recruitment of the Src homology 2 domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase, SHP-2. However, neither the targets of this PECAM-1/SHP-2 complex nor the significance of localizing SHP-2 to the borders of opposing PECAM-1-expressing cells is yet known. As a first step in addressing these issues, we designed a cDNA encoding a chimeric protein composed of the PECAM-1 extracellular domain fused to the phosphatase domain of SHP-2, which we call PECAM-1/PhD2. When immunopurified from stably transfected HEK293 cell lines expressing this recombinant protein, PECAM-1/PhD2 was found to possess constitutive enzymatic activity and appropriate border localization. This constitutively active chimeric protein will be useful in future studies designed to define the components of signal transduction pathways modulated by PECAM-1/SHP-2 signaling complexes.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation regulates the adhesions of ras-transformed breast epithelia

Transformed epithelial cells often are characterized by a fibroblastic or mesenchymal morphology. These cells exhibit altered cell-cell and cell-substrate interactions. Here we have identified changes in the adhesions and cytoskeletal interactions of transformed epithelial cells that contribute to their altered morphology. Using MCF-10A human breast epithelial cells as a model system, we have found that transformation by an activated form of ras is characterized by less developed adherens- type junctions between cells but increased focal adhesions. Contributing to the modified adherens junctions of the transformed cells are decreased interactions among beta-catenin, E-cadherin, and the actin cytoskeleton. The ras-transformed cells reveal elevated phosphotyrosine in many proteins, including beta-catenin and p120 Cas. Whereas in the normal cells beta-catenin is found in association with E- cadherin, p120 Cas is not. In the ras-transformed cells, the situation is reversed; tyrosine-phosphorylated p120 Cas, but not tyrosine- phosphorylated beta-catenin, now is detected in E-cadherin complexes. The tyrosine-phosphorylated beta-catenin also shows increased detergent solubility, suggesting a decreased association with the actin cytoskeleton. p120 Cas, whether tyrosine phosphorylated or not, partitions into the detergent soluble fraction, suggesting that it is not tightly bound to the actin cytoskeleton in either the normal or ras- transformed cells. Inhibitors of tyrosine kinases decrease the level of tyrosine phosphorylation and restore a normal epithelial morphology to the ras-transformed cells. In particular, decreased tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin is accompanied by increased interaction with both E-cadherin and the detergent insoluble cytoskeletal fraction. These results suggest that elevated tyrosine phosphorylation of proteins such as beta-catenin and p120 Cas contribute to the altered adherens junctions of ras-transformed epithelia.     

Involvement of c-Src tyrosine kinase in SHP-1 phosphatase activation by Ang II AT2 receptors in rat fetal tissues

Angiotensin II (Ang II) AT(2) receptors are abundantly expressed in rat fetal tissues where they probably contribute to development. In the present study we examine the effects of Ang II type 2 receptor stimulation on SHP-1 activation. Ang II (10(-7) M) elicits a rapid and transient tyrosine phosphorylation of SHP-1, maximal at 1 min, in a dose-dependent form, blocked by the AT(2) antagonist, PD123319. SHP-1 phosphorylation is followed in time by tyrosine dephosphorylation of different proteins, suggesting a sequence of events. Ang II induces association of SHP-1 to AT(2) receptors as shown by co-immunoprecipitation, Western blot and binding assays. SHP-1 activity was determined in immunocomplexes obtained with either anti-AT(2) or anti-SHP-1 antibodies, after Ang II stimulation (1 min), in correlation with the maximal level of SHP-1 phosphorylation. Interestingly, following receptor stimulation (1 min) c-Src was associated to AT(2) or SHP-1 immunocomplexes. Preincubation with the c-Src inhibitor PP2 inhibited SHP-1 activation and c-Src association, thus confirming the participation of c-Src in this pathway. We demonstrated here for the first time the involvement of c-Src in SHP-1 activation via AT(2) receptors present in an ex vivo model expressing both receptor subtypes. In this model, AT(2) receptors are not constitutively associated to SHP-1 and SHP-1 is not constitutively activated. Thus, we clearly establish that SHP-1 activation, mediated by the AT(2) subtype, involves c-Src and precedes protein tyrosine dephosphorylation, in rat fetal membranes.     

Epidermal Growth Factor Stimulates the Tyrosine Phosphorylation of SHPS-1 and Association of SHPS-1 with SHP-2, a SH2 Domain-Containing Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase

SHPS-1 is a 120 kDa glycosylated receptor-like protein that contains immunoglobulin-like domains in its extracellular region and four potential tyrosine phosphorylation for SH2 domain binding sites in its cytoplasmic region. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated the rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of SHPS-1 and subsequent association of SHPS-1 with SHP-2, a protein tyrosine phosphatase containing SH2 domains, in Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing human EGF receptors. In the cells overexpressing SHPS-1, the tyrosine phosphorylation of SHPS-1 was more evident than that observed in parent cells. However, overexpression of SHPS-1 alone did not affect the activation of MAP kinase in response to EGF. These results suggest that SHPS-1 may be involved in the recruitment of SHP-2 from the cytosol to the plasma membrane in response to EGF.