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J Biol Chem, Vol. 273, Issue 36, 23118-23125, September 4, 1998
Receptor Kinase Activity in Ligand-mediated Receptor
Endocytosis*
From the Thoracic Research Unit and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905
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ABSTRACT |
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Transforming growth factor
(TGF
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superfamily polypeptides regulate cell growth and differentiation by
binding to single pass serine/threonine kinases referred to as TGF
type I and type II receptors. Signal propagation is dependent upon
heteromeric (type I-type II) complex formation and transphosphorylation
of the type I receptor by the type II receptor. While many of the phosphorylation events necessary for receptor signaling have recently been characterized, the role of TGF
receptor kinase activity in
modulating receptor endocytosis has not been addressed. To that end, we
have used chimeric receptors consisting of the extracellular domain of
the granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor
and
receptors spliced to the TGF
type I and type II transmembrane and
cytoplasmic domains to address the specific role of type I and/or type
II receptor kinase activity in TGF
receptor internalization, down-regulation, and signaling. To inactivate chimeric receptor kinase
activity, point mutations in the ATP binding site were made at amino
acids 232 and 277 in the type I and type II receptor, respectively.
Either of these mutations abolished plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 protein expression stimulated by granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor activation of chimeric heteromeric type I-type II TGF
receptors. They did not, however, modulate TGF
signaling stimulated through the endogenous TGF
receptor. Although TGF
receptor signaling was dependent upon the kinase activity of
both chimeric receptors, the initial endocytic response was distinctly
regulated by type I and/or type II receptor kinase activity. For
instance, while heteromeric receptor complexes containing a
kinase-inactive type I receptor were endocytosed similarly to wild type
complexes, the kinase activity of the type II TGF
receptor was
necessary for optimal internalization and receptor down-regulation. Furthermore, these responses were shown to occur independently of type
II receptor autophosphorylation but require a type II receptor capable
of transphosphorylation.
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INTRODUCTION |
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The transforming growth factor
(TGF
)1 superfamily of
proteins regulate a number of diverse biologic processes (1-3). While the cellular response can be as distinct as growth stimulation or
growth inhibition, it appears as though a similar receptor system is
utilized for both pathways. Understanding how the receptors are
regulated for one family of proteins will ultimately extend the
knowledge for the entire superfamily. The model most commonly accepted
for receptor activation requires oligomerization of a type I and type
II TGF
receptor (4-7). This occurs through ligand binding to a type
II receptor and recruitment of a type I receptor into a dimeric and/or
tetrameric complex (7-11). The serine/threonine kinase activity of the
type I receptor is then activated by specific type II receptor
phosphorylations in the juxtamembrane region of the type I receptor
(12-16). This cascade of receptor interactions and phosphorylations
ultimately results in the propagation of the TGF
signal to
downstream effectors in which the Smad family of proteins has a
fundamental role (17-24).
Although a great deal of information has been generated documenting
potential receptor interactions required for TGF
signaling, the
endocytic fate of the receptor-ligand complex is essentially unexplored. Typically, once growth factor receptors bind ligand, they
are endocytosed through structures referred to as clathrin-coated pits
(25-27). The endocytic process usually requires the intrinsic enzymatic (kinase) activity of the receptor and is mediated via defined
elements routinely found in the cytoplasmic domain of the receptor
(28-34). Although no canonical sequences have been identified, a
structure representing a tight turn conformation has been proposed as a
common determinant for an internalization signal (34). While much of
our current understanding surrounding growth factor receptor
endocytosis derives from studies performed on the epidermal growth
factor and insulin receptor tyrosine kinases, relatively little has
been done investigating these processes in the TGF
receptor
superfamily. Since the signaling mechanism, intrinsic receptor kinase
activity, and biology of the two receptor systems differ, it is unknown
whether the paradigms developed for the receptor tyrosine kinases will
be operative in the TGF
serine/threonine receptor family.
TGF
receptors have been previously reported to undergo
down-regulation after ligand binding in some cell types but not in others (6, 35-37). While this might simply represent cell type differences, it is now possible to evaluate these earlier studies in
the context that both heteromeric and homomeric TGF
receptor interactions have been documented on the cell surface (38, 39). For
instance, ligand binding to homomeric type II receptor oligomers might
result in a distinct endocytic response from that observed following
activation of signaling competent type I-type II receptor heteromers.
In that regard, our recent studies have shown that while type I-type I,
type II-type II, or type I-type II TGF
receptor oligomerization in
mesenchymal AKR-2B cells results in the internalization of bound
ligand, only signaling-competent type I-type II TGF
receptor
heteromers are down-regulated (40). Although that study demonstrated
distinct endocytic responses of heteromeric and homomeric TGF
receptors, it did not address the potential regulatory role for
receptor serine/threonine kinase activity, nor did it determine whether
the endocytic and signaling responses were independently regulated.
In the present paper, we have employed chimeric receptors consisting of
the granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)
and
receptor ligand binding domain fused to the transmembrane and
cytoplasmic domain of kinase-inactive type I and type II TGF
receptors to examine the role of TGF
receptor kinase activity in
receptor trafficking and signaling. Consistent with previous reports in
epithelial cells (7, 8), we find an obligate requirement for both type
I and type II TGF
receptor kinase activity in mediating heteromeric
receptor signaling in mesenchymal cells. However, in contrast to that
observed for receptor signaling, a differential requirement for
receptor kinase activity in modulating the endocytic response of the
receptor complex was observed. For instance, while internalization and
down-regulation occurred independently of the type I receptor kinase,
type II receptor-transphosphorylating activity was needed for optimal
endocytosis. Thus, in addition to activating downstream effector
molecules, type I receptor phosphorylation (by the type II TGF
receptor) is similarly required to promote internalization and
down-regulation of the TGF
receptor complex.
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EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES |
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Materials--
Recombinant human GM-CSF was a generous gift from
DNAX Research Institute (Palo Alto, CA) and recombinant human TGF
1
and TGF
2 purchased from Austral Biologicals (San Ramon, CA) or R & D
Systems (Minneapolis, MN). The pCMV-T
RII HA K to R plasmid was
generously provided by J. Wrana (Toronto, Ontario).
Construction of Mutant Receptors--
The
I K232R mutation
was generated using the TransformerTM site-directed
mutagenesis kit version 2 (CLONTECH, Palo Alto CA). The mutagenic primer was 5'-GAAGAAGTTGCTGTTAgGATATTCTCCTCTAGA, and the
selection primer was 5'-TGACTGGTGAGgcCTCAACCAAGT, where the mutagenic
bases are in lowercase type. The mutation and the rest of the receptor
sequence was verified by automated DNA sequencing. The beta I receptor
was religated into the pHa expression plasmid through the
SalI site (4). To generate the
II K277R mutation, an
HpaI/AccI cassette from pCMV-T
RII HA K to R
plasmid was first placed in pCRTMII (InVitrogen) and then
ligated back into pHa following KpnI and BamHI
digestion.
II P525L mutation was generated using the
QuickChangeTM (Stratagene, La Jolla CA) mutagenesis kit.
Mutagenic primers were 5'-GGGACCACGACCtAGAGGCCCGTC and
5'-GACGGGCCTCTaGGTCGTGGTCCC. Mutant constructs in pCRTMII
were verified by automated DNA sequencing and ligated into pHa
following XbaI and BamHI digestion.
Cell Culture-- AKR-2B cells were maintained in 5% fetal bovine serum (FBS) (Summit, Ft. Collins, CO)-supplemented Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) (Life Technologies, Inc.). Following selection of stable chimeric receptor-expressing clones, cells were cultured in 5% FBS/DMEM containing 100 µg/ml bioactive Geneticin (Life Technologies) and 50 µg/ml bioactive hygromycin (Sigma).
Isolation of Clones-- Parental AKR-2B cells were plated at 1 × 105 cells/well in a six-well dish (22 cm2) 24 h prior to transfection. Cells were rinsed with serum-free DMEM and then incubated for 6 h in 2 ml of DMEM with transfection solution consisting of 2-4 µg of expression plasmid DNA and 2 µl/µg TransITTM LT2 (PanVera Corp., Madison, WI) in a final volume of 100 µl with Opti-MEM (Life Technologies). Cells recovered for 16 h in 5% FBS/DMEM and then were placed in selective medium (5% FBS/DMEM with 400 µg/ml Geneticin and 135 µg/ml hygromycin B) for 24 h before splitting 1:40 by surface area. 2-3 weeks later, well separated colonies were isolated and expanded.
Fluorescence-activated Cell Sorting (FACS)--
Cells were
detached in DMEM containing 40 mM EDTA, 20 mM HEPES, pH 7.2. After washing with 5% FBS/DMEM and
antibody buffer (PBS supplemented with 2% FBS, 0.02%
NaN3, pH 7.4), approximately 5 × 105
cells were incubated with primary monoclonal antibody at 5 µg/ml (anti-human GM-CSF
receptor, Santa Cruz Biotechnology catalog no.
SC 458; anti-human GM-CSF
receptor, Santa Cruz catalog no. 457; or
control mouse ascities, Sigma catalog no. M-8273) for 1 h at
4 °C with rocking. Cells were washed twice with antibody buffer and
incubated with a 1:50 dilution of secondary fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated antibody (Sigma catalog no. F-2012). Following a 45-min incubation at 4 °C, the cells were washed; fixed
in 500 µl of PBS containing 1% paraformaldehyde, pH 7.4; and
filtered through a 40-µm nylon filter prior to flow analysis using a
Beckton Dickinson FACS Vantage with PCLYSIS version 1.1 software.
Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 Production--
Cells were
plated in six-well tissue culture dishes at 2 × 105
cells/well 24 h before treatment. The serum containing medium was
removed, and the cultures were placed in 1.0 ml of serum-free DMEM
lacking methionine but supplemented with the indicated growth factors.
Following a 2-h treatment at 37 °C, wells were pulsed for 2 h
with 50 µCi/ml [35S]Met/Cys Promix (Amersham Pharmacia
Biotech) and processed by washing once with PBS; three times with 10 mM Tris, 0.5% deoxycholate, 50 µg/ml
phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (Sigma), pH 8.0; twice with 2 mM Tris, pH 8.0; and once with PBS (41). Matrix proteins were eluted from the wells by the addition of 100 µl the 2× Laemmli buffer containing 10%
-mercaptoethanol, separated by 8%
SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and processed for
fluorography.
Transient Transfections--
Cells were plated in six-well
dishes (9.6 cm2) at 1.5 × 105 per well
24 h prior to transfection. Three µg of 3TP-Lux, 0.5 µg of
pCMV-
-galactosidase, and 7 µl of TransIT LT2 (Mirus Corp, Madison
WI) were combined with Opti-MEM (Life Technologies) to a final volume
of 100 µl, and transfection was performed as described previously
(4). Cultures were then stimulated in 5% FBS/DMEM for 24 h in the
presence or absence of TGF
or GM-CSF, and luciferase activity was
determined following normalization for transfection efficiency with
-galactosidase.
Internalization Assays-- Cells were plated in six-well dishes (9.6 cm2/well) at 1.5 × 105 cells/well in 5% FBS/DMEM. Following 24 h at 37 °C, internalization assays were initiated by incubation at 4 °C for 2-4 h in binding buffer (0.3 ml DMEM containing 200 mM HEPES, pH 7.4, 25 mg/ml bovine serum albumin) supplemented with 100 pM 125I-GM-CSF (119 µCi/µg; NEN Life Science Products). Once equilibrium had been reached, the plates were washed two times with binding buffer containing 75% horse serum and then placed at 37 °C in 5% FBS/DMEM for various times to promote receptor endocytosis. To calculate the percentage of internalization (i.e. specific cpm in cell/specific surface cpm), the cultures were returned to 4 °C, and the remaining surface-bound ligand was removed by acid washing (PBS, pH 3.0) and the internalized ligand was determined by cell lysis in 0.2 M NaOH, 40 µg/ml salmon sperm DNA. All time points contained parallel plates with 25-fold excess cold GM-CSF to document specificity of binding.
Potassium depletion of cells was performed essentially as described by Larkin et al. (42) and Sorkin et al. (43). Following an initial 5-min hypotonic shock with DMEM/H2O (1:1) at 37 °C, cultures were incubated for 10 min in buffer A (50 mM HEPES, 100 mM NaCl, pH 7.4) and 30 min in buffer B (50 mM HEPES, 100 mM NaCl, 1 mM CaCl2, 2.5% bovine serum albumin, pH 7.4) at 37 °C. Cells were then placed at 4 °C (in buffer B) for 15 min and replaced with buffer B containing 100 pM 125I-GM-CSF. Control cells were treated similarly but did not undergo initial hypotonic shock, and subsequent incubations in buffers A and B contained 10 mM KCl.Down-regulation Assays-- Similar conditions as described above for internalization assays were used to determine receptor down-regulation. The primary difference being that the cultures were first incubated at 37 °C with 5% FBS/DMEM containing unlabeled GM-CSF (520 pM or 10 ng/ml) for the indicated times. Surface bound ligand was removed by acid washing (PBS, pH 3.0), and the remaining cell surface receptor binding determined by incubation at 4 °C for 2-4 h with 100 pM 125I-GM-CSF. The plates were then washed two times with cold 75% horse serum, 25% binding buffer, and specifically bound 125I-GM-CSF was determined. Control studies had shown that acid washing removed 90-95% of receptor-bound ligand without affecting subsequent binding (data not shown).
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RESULTS |
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Chimeric Receptor Expression--
Once the chimeric receptor
cDNAs were mutated and their sequences were confirmed, they were
stably transfected into mouse fibroblast AKR-2B cells in
and
pairs to generate high affinity ligand-dependent
heteromeric complex formation. The designation
I
II, for example,
represents clones expressing chimeric receptors consisting of the
ligand binding domain of the GM-CSF
receptor fused to the
transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain of the type I TGF
receptor and
the ligand binding domain of the GM-CSF
receptor fused to the
transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain of the type II TGF
receptor
(4). The 600 series of clones contain a wild type chimeric type I
TGF
receptor co-expressed with a kinase-inactive chimeric type II
TGF
receptor, and the 700 series contain a wild type chimeric type
II TGF
receptor co-expressed with a kinase-inactive chimeric type I
TGF
receptor. Individual clones were isolated by ring subcloning and
initially screened for membrane expression of the chimeric receptors by
FACS (Fig. 1). Our previous work has
shown that the parental AKR-2B cell line does not show specific
staining for these receptors (4). Once clones were shown to express the
chimeric receptors, their ability to specifically bind radiolabeled
GM-CSF was determined (data not shown). The parental AKR-2B cells
showed no significant binding, which increased to >85% specific
binding when wild type chimeric
I
II receptors were expressed (4).
For each of the mutated chimeric receptors, similar amounts of specific
GM-CSF binding ranging from 70 to 90% of total binding was seen.
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Lack of GM-CSF-induced Signaling in Clones Expressing Kinase-dead
Chimeric Receptors--
Once expression and ligand binding of the
chimeric receptors was confirmed, we wished to determine whether the
chimeric kinase-dead receptors responded in a similar fashion to that
reported for kinase-inactive endogenous TGF
receptors (2, 44). This
was addressed by examining the ability of the chimeric and endogenous TGF
receptors to stimulate expression of the extracellular
matrix-associated protein plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1). As
shown in Fig. 2, clone A105 (expresses
wild type chimeric receptors) stimulates PAI-1 production when treated
with either GM-CSF or TGF
(activates chimeric or endogenous TGF
receptors, respectively). However, cells expressing type I or type II
kinase-dead chimeric TGF
receptors do not induce PAI-1 protein when
treated with GM-CSF at either 10 or 100 ng/ml. This does not represent
a general signaling defect in the TGF
pathway(s), since the addition
of TGF
to activate the endogenous TGF
receptors results in PAI-1
expression similar to that observed in the parental cell line (Fig. 2).
In that regard, identical ligand-dependent results are seen
when the cultures are examined for their ability to form colonies in
soft agar (data not shown).
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receptors has been previously shown
to function as dominant/negative mediators of TGF
action (45-50).
This inhibitory activity is presumably a reflection of the requirement
for TGF
receptor oligomerization in signal propagation (4-7).
Moreover, the cytoplasmic domains of the type I and type II TGF
receptors have been shown to form both receptor heteromers and homomers
in overexpressing COS cells and yeast two-hybrid screens (38, 51). Fig.
2, however, shows that signaling through endogenous TGF
receptors
occurs independently of the expression of kinase-inactive
(signaling-incompetent) chimeric TGF
receptors. To address this
potential paradox, the studies shown in Fig.
3 were performed. Representative chimeric
kinase-inactive type I and type II TGF
-expressing clones (A706 and
A608, respectively) were stimulated with TGF
, GM-CSF, or TGF
plus
GM-CSF, and the effect on PAI-1 protein secretion was determined. As
expected, treatment with GM-CSF at either 10 or 100 ng/ml was unable to activate the kinase-dead chimeric receptors, while the addition of
TGF
stimulated PAI-1 protein expression through endogenous TGF
receptor signaling. In order to determine whether PAI-1 expression was
regulated by the oligomerization state of both the chimeric and
endogenous receptor system, cultures were simultaneously treated with
GM-CSF and TGF
, and synthesis of PAI-1 protein was determined. The
results show independent TGF
receptor signaling regardless of the
heteromerization state of the kinase-dead receptors. Thus, in either
the absence or presence of GM-CSF, kinase-dead chimeric receptors are
unable to form a functional association (i.e. act as a
dominant/negative) with endogenous TGF
receptors.
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Internalization of Kinase-dead Chimeric Receptors--
Previous
work from our laboratory has shown that both homomeric and heteromeric
TGF
receptor combinations internalize ligand at similar rates in a
clathrin-dependent manner (40). However, the receptor
elements or activities regulating this response have not been
identified or characterized. Since the kinase activity of the chimeric
type I and type II TGF
receptor is required for signaling (Figs. 2
and 3) and internalization of tyrosine kinase receptor family members
is dependent upon receptor kinase activity (31, 52, 53), we wished to
determine the role(s) of TGF
receptor serine/threonine kinase
activity in ligand-mediated internalization (Figs.
4, 5, and
8) and down-regulation (Figs. 6 and 9).
To control for clonal bias, the kinetics of ligand internalization for
two (A700s) or three (A600s) individual clones over 1 h 37 °C
incubation is shown (Fig. 4). Although each of the clonal families
containing a kinase-dead TGF
receptor is signaling-incompetent
(Figs. 2 and 3), differential effects on ligand internalization are
observed. While clones expressing a kinase-inactive type I receptor (in the context of a wild type type II receptor; the A700 family) internalize labeled GM-CSF similar to the wild type A105 clone, expression of a kinase-inactive type II receptor (in the context of a
wild type type I receptor; the A600 family), diminishes both the rate
and extent of ligand internalization (Fig. 4).
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receptor kinase activity but requires a functional type II receptor
kinase for optimal internalization could reflect a unique endocytic
mechanism for each kinase-inactive receptor complex. Since we have
previously shown that wild type chimeric TGF
receptors are
internalized through a clathrin-dependent mechanism (40), we next determined whether the internalization of kinase-inactive type
I or type II TGF
receptors occurred through a similar mechanism. As
shown in Fig. 5, when clathrin-dependent internalization is inhibited by cytosolic K+ depletion (42, 43), both type I
and type II kinase-impaired chimeric TGF
receptor heteromers are
unable to internalize bound ligand. Thus, although the A600 clones show
a diminished ability to internalize ligand, this is not a
consequence of diverting to an alternative clathrin-independent
pathway but reflects an intrinsic role(s) of the type II receptor
kinase.
Down-regulation of Cell Surface Binding following Ligand
Binding--
Fig. 4 shows that the kinase activity of only the type II
receptor is required for optimal internalization, yet both the type I
and type II receptor kinases are required for signaling (Figs. 2 and
3). These findings indicate that TGF
receptor endocytosis is not
simply a reflection of receptor signaling but is a process controlled
by distinct regulatory mechanisms. To address this question further, we
next determined whether type I and/or type II TGF
receptor kinase
activity modulated the levels of ligand binding following a
preincubation of cells with GM-CSF (i.e. down-regulation). As shown in Fig. 6, receptor down-regulation over 4-h ligand
stimulation was determined for multiple clones (identical to the
experiment performed in Fig. 4) of wild type (kinase active) chimeric
TGF
receptor heteromers as well as chimeric heteromers consisting of
a kinase-dead type I (A700s) or type II (A600s) TGF
receptor. Similar to what we observed for ligand internalization (Fig. 4), clones
expressing a kinase-dead type I chimeric TGF
receptor (A700s) also
down-regulated surface binding as completely as the unmutated wild type
heteromers, while clones expressing an inactive kinase in the type II
TGF
receptor (A600s) were impaired in their ability to down-regulate
cell surface receptors (Fig. 6). These results support the hypothesis
that inactivation of the type II TGF
receptor has a dominant effect
on both internalization and receptor down-regulation. Moreover, the
data show that the endocytic response to heteromeric TGF
receptor
complex formation is regulated, at least in part, by the kinase
activity of the type II TGF
receptor.
Type II Receptor Transphosphorylation, but Not Autophosphorylation,
Modulates Heteromeric Receptor Endocytosis--
The type II TGF
receptor has both auto- and transphosphorylating activity (8, 18).
Moreover, the only known substrate for the type II receptor kinase is
the type I TGF
receptor. Since the K277R mutation in the ATP binding
site would abolish both activities, we wished to determine whether
either function could account for the decreased endocytic activity seen
in the 600 series clones. To that end, Carcamo et al. (12)
have described a type II receptor mutation that has autophosphorylating
activity in vitro and in vivo but fails to
transphosphorylate an associated type I receptor. When the identical
(proline to leucine at amino acid 525) mutation was made in the
chimeric type II TGF
receptor, we also found the heteromeric
receptor complex unable to stimulate expression of PAI-1 protein
following ligand binding (Fig.
7A). A similar result is
observed when luciferase activity is measured from the
TGF
-responsive 3TP-Lux reporter plasmid (Fig. 7B).
Although the addition of TGF
increased luciferase expression
30-40-fold through endogenous TGF
receptors, stimulation of the
mutant P525L chimeric receptor (in the same cell clone) did not
increase luciferase activity. Since mutation at amino acid 525 in the
type II receptor had a similar effect on chimeric receptor signaling as
that reported for the endogenous TGF
receptor, we next examined
whether ligand internalization or receptor down-regulation were also
modified. As shown in Figs. 8 and
9, internalization (Fig. 8) and
down-regulation (Fig. 9) in the P525L clones were diminished to a
similar extent as that observed for the kinase-inactive A600 cultures
(compare Figs. 4 and 8 and Figs. 6 and 9). Thus, although TGF
receptor signaling and endocytosis are distinctly regulated activities (Figs. 2-4 and 6), they are both highly dependent upon the
transphosphorylating activity of the type II receptor kinase.
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DISCUSSION |
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Regulated control of the endocytic response constitutes one of the
earliest cellular mechanisms for responding to environmental stimuli.
Class I receptors, such as the low density lipoprotein receptor are
constitutively endocytosed, while class II receptors, such as the
epidermal growth factor and insulin receptor undergo ligand-dependent endocytosis. While it is well established
that receptor tyrosine kinase activity is required for optimal
internalization of full-length receptors (31, 52, 53), this obligate
requirement can be partially overcome in truncated receptors (30, 54). These findings suggest that kinase activation removes an inhibitory signal or exposes a motif, which then allows internalization and down-regulation. While this complex relation of kinase activation and
receptor endocytosis in tyrosine kinase receptors has been extensively
investigated, the relationship between TGF
receptor activation and
endocytosis has not been similarly examined. There are two likely
reasons for this: first, quantitative 125I-TGF
binding
studies are compromised by a high degree of nonspecific binding;
second, the natural occurrence of both heteromeric and homomeric TGF
receptor interactions makes any analysis problematic. In that regard,
the chimeric system is ideally suited to address both of these concerns
(4). For instance, our recent studies have shown that heteromeric and
homomeric TGF
receptor complexes in mesenchymal AKR-2B cells have
distinct endocytic fates (40). While these results suggest a
requirement for receptor cross-talk, the regulatory role(s) of the type
I and/or type II TGF
receptor kinase in the endocytic process has
not been addressed. Since each of these receptor kinases have such
distinct roles in TGF
receptor activation, it is likely that novel
paradigms will need to be developed defining the mechanisms whereby
phosphorylation regulates TGF
receptor endocytosis and
trafficking.
To initially address the question of whether TGF
receptor kinase
activity is linked to internalization and down-regulation, cell lines
were generated stably expressing chimeric receptors containing
mutations in the putative ATP binding site for both the type I and type
II receptors (55, 56). Lysine to arginine mutations at position 232 in
the type I receptor and 277 in the type II receptor were engineered
into the chimeric receptors and transfected into parental AKR-2B
fibroblasts in the heteromeric combinations
I
II K277R and
II
I K232R. Once stable clones expressing the receptor
combinations were isolated (Fig. 1), each clone's ability to signal
TGF
-dependent responses was assayed. As shown in Figs. 2
and 3, each of the clones expressing the kinase-inactive receptors did
not induce secretion of PAI-1 protein in response to GM-CSF treatment.
This was not due to a general lesion in the TGF
signaling pathway,
since activation of the endogenous TGF
receptors resulted in PAI-1
protein expression. A similar response for all the clones was seen when
the ability to form colonies in soft agar was measured (data not
shown).
It has been previously shown that kinase-inactive TGF
receptors can
function as dominant/negatives to inactivate TGF
signaling both
in vitro and in vivo (45-50). In addition, both
heteromeric and homomeric complexes of the type I and type II TGF
receptor cytoplasmic domains have been observed in yeast two-hybrid
screens and overexpressing COS cells (38, 51). Since we did not observe functional association between the kinase-inactive chimeric receptors and the endogenous TGF
receptors (i.e. inactivation of
TGF
-dependent signaling) (Figs. 2 and 3), this suggested
that either the level of chimeric receptor expression was not great
enough for inhibition or the chimeric and endogenous TGF
receptors
associated into separate signaling complexes. In support of the latter
possibility, ligand binding to the endogenous TGF
receptors does not
result in the heterologous down-regulation of the chimeric receptors (data not shown). Moreover, when both receptor families are activated by simultaneous treatment with GM-CSF and TGF
(Fig. 3), the
oligomerization state of one family does not affect the signaling
activity of the other complex. Although these studies do not directly
document the specific receptor interactions formed, they are consistent with the hypothesis, recently proposed by Luo and Lodish (5), that the
TGF
receptor associations formed in vivo are linked through interactions between their extracellular (not cytoplasmic) domains. Since the chimeric and endogenous receptors only share transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, there would be no association (i.e. no dominant/negative effect) regardless of whether the
receptor families were activated by ligand.
Mutation of the intrinsic kinase activity of the tyrosine kinase family
of receptors abolishes their ability to internalize radiolabeled ligand
(30, 31). When similar studies were performed on the chimeric receptors
containing a kinase-inactive type I or type II TGF
receptor,
differential effects on ligand internalization were observed (Fig. 4).
While internalization was unaffected by the absence of a functional
type I receptor kinase (A700 clones), cultures expressing a
kinase-inactive type II TGF
receptor (A600 clones) showed a
diminished rate and extent of internalization. Although the underlying
mechanism(s) regulating this response is currently unknown, it has been
postulated that phosphorylation by receptor tyrosine kinases induces
conformational changes necessary for revealing internalization motifs
(30, 34); perhaps similarly acting elements are exposed in the type I
TGF
receptor following activation by the type II receptor
kinase.
Ligand internalization is routinely followed by a decrease in cell
surface receptor binding referred to as down-regulation. As shown in
Fig. 6, treatment of heteromeric wild type chimeric TGF
receptors
with GM-CSF results in a 60-80% down-regulation of surface binding by
2-4 h. Consistent with that observed for the internalization studies
in Fig. 4, inactivation of the type I TGF
receptor kinase (A700s,
II
I K232R) did not affect receptor down-regulation. Since type I
receptor kinase activity is required for cellular signaling (Figs. 2
and 3 and data not shown), yet no effect is observed on heteromeric
TGF
receptor internalization and down-regulation in the absence of a
functional type I receptor kinase (Figs. 4 and 6), this supports the
hypothesis that receptor endocytosis is not dependent upon, or the
result of, TGF
receptor signaling. However, in contrast to that
observed in the A700 clones, mutation of the type II TGF
receptor
kinase (A600s,
I
II K277R) decreased both internalization and
receptor down-regulation by approximately 50% (Figs. 4 and 6). While
these data show a primary regulatory role for the type II TGF
receptor kinase, it is of interest that the A600 clones have residual
endocytic activity. This suggests involvement of other receptor
elements, substrates, and/or receptor interactions in addition to
kinase activity in regulating TGF
receptor endocytosis.
The signaling activity of the type II TGF
receptor has been recently
shown to be both positively and negatively regulated by various
phosphorylations (18, 57, 58). In addition to these
autophosphorylations, the type II receptor associates with, transphosphorylates, and activates the type I receptor. No other kinase
has been shown to phosphorylate the type I receptor in vivo,
nor have other substrates been reported for the type II receptor. Since
Figs. 4 and 6 demonstrated that the endocytic response of the TGF
receptor complex was dependent upon the type II receptor kinase, we
next wished to determine whether this was a reflection of either the
auto- or transphosphorylating activity of the type II receptor. To
address this question, a proline to leucine mutation at amino acid 525 was made in the chimeric type II receptor, which had been previously
shown to abolish type II receptor transphosphorylating activity but
have no effect on autophosphorylation (12). When the endocytic response
of these clones was examined, ligand internalization and receptor
down-regulation was affected similarly to that seen in cultures
containing a kinase-inactive type II receptor (compare Figs. 4 and 6
with Figs. 8 and 9, respectively). The data are consistent with a model
whereby phosphorylation of the type I receptor (or some other
substrate) by the type II TGF
receptor is necessary for efficient
receptor down-regulation and trafficking. Direct test of this model
will include 1) identifying the particular site(s) in the type I
receptor phosphorylated by the type II receptor necessary for
appropriate receptor cross-talk and/or 2) determining whether a
substrate (in addition to the type I TGF
receptor) for the type II
receptor kinase is required for endocytosis similar to that proposed
for the epidermal growth factor receptor (31).
The present results add several new concepts to our understanding
TGF
receptor interactions including 1) documenting the requirement
for both type I and type II TGF
receptor kinase activity in chimeric
receptor signaling; 2) providing additional evidence that the chimeric
and endogenous TGF
receptors are functionally independent; 3)
showing that internalization mediated through heteromeric TGF
receptors can occur independent of type I receptor kinase activity; 4)
demonstrating that the endocytic and signaling activities of the TGF
receptors are distinctly regulated; and 5) determining that ligand
internalization and receptor down-regulation are controlled, at least
in part, by the transphosphorylating activity of the type II TGF
receptor. It is becoming increasingly clear that the paradigms
developed for other receptor families may need to be modified as we
further characterize the signaling and endocytic activities of the
TGF
receptor superfamily.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT |
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We thank M. Edens for excellent technical assistance.
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FOOTNOTES |
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* This work was supported by National Institutes of Health Grants GM 54200 and GM 55816.The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
To whom correspondence should be addressed: Guggenheim 642C, Mayo
Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905. Tel.: 507-284-5717; Fax: 507-284-4521; E-mail: leof.edward{at}mayo.edu.
The abbreviations used are: TGF, transforming growth factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor; FBS, fetal bovine serum; DMEM, Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium; FACS, fluorescence-activated cell sorting; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline; PAI-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1.
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