TY - JOUR
T1 - Enhancement of tyrosine kinase activity of the Drosophila epidermal growth factor receptor homolog by alterations of the transmembrane domain
AU - WIDES, Ronald J.
AU - ZAK, Naomi B.
AU - SHILO, Ben‐Zion ‐Z
PY - 1990/5/20
Y1 - 1990/5/20
N2 - The Drosophila epidermal growth factor receptor homolog (DER) displays sequence similarity to both the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and the neu vertebrate proteins. We have examined the possibility of deregulating the tyrosine kinase activity of DER by introducing structural changes which mimic the oncogenic alterations in the vertebrate counterparts. Substitution of valine by glutamic acid in the transmembrane domain, in a position analogous to the oncogenic mutation in the rat neu gene, elevated the in vivo kinase activity of DER in Drosophila Schneider cells sevenfold. A chimera containing the oncogenic neu extracellular and transmembrane domains and the DER kinase region, also showed a threefold elevated activity relative to a similar chimera with normal neu sequences. Double truncation of DER in the extracellular and cytoplasmic domains, mimicking the deletions in the v‐erbB oncogene, did not however result in stimulation of in vivo kinase activity. The chimeric constructs were also expressed in monkey COS cells, and similar results were obtained. The ability to enhance the DER kinase activity by a specific structural modification of the transmembrane domain demonstrates the universality of this activation mechanism and strengthens the notion that this domain is intimately involved in signal transduction. These results also support the inclusion of DER within the tyrosine‐kinase receptor family.
AB - The Drosophila epidermal growth factor receptor homolog (DER) displays sequence similarity to both the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor and the neu vertebrate proteins. We have examined the possibility of deregulating the tyrosine kinase activity of DER by introducing structural changes which mimic the oncogenic alterations in the vertebrate counterparts. Substitution of valine by glutamic acid in the transmembrane domain, in a position analogous to the oncogenic mutation in the rat neu gene, elevated the in vivo kinase activity of DER in Drosophila Schneider cells sevenfold. A chimera containing the oncogenic neu extracellular and transmembrane domains and the DER kinase region, also showed a threefold elevated activity relative to a similar chimera with normal neu sequences. Double truncation of DER in the extracellular and cytoplasmic domains, mimicking the deletions in the v‐erbB oncogene, did not however result in stimulation of in vivo kinase activity. The chimeric constructs were also expressed in monkey COS cells, and similar results were obtained. The ability to enhance the DER kinase activity by a specific structural modification of the transmembrane domain demonstrates the universality of this activation mechanism and strengthens the notion that this domain is intimately involved in signal transduction. These results also support the inclusion of DER within the tyrosine‐kinase receptor family.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0025365435&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1990.tb15532.x
DO - 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1990.tb15532.x
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C2 - 1972062
AN - SCOPUS:0025365435
SN - 0014-2956
VL - 189
SP - 637
EP - 645
JO - European Journal of Biochemistry
JF - European Journal of Biochemistry
IS - 3
ER -