Skip to main content
Molecular and Cellular Biology logoLink to Molecular and Cellular Biology
. 1993 Dec;13(12):7645–7651. doi: 10.1128/mcb.13.12.7645

Hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine couples Ras to activation of Raf protein kinase during mitogenic signal transduction.

H Cai 1, P Erhardt 1, J Troppmair 1, M T Diaz-Meco 1, G Sithanandam 1, U R Rapp 1, J Moscat 1, G M Cooper 1
PMCID: PMC364836  PMID: 8246981

Abstract

We have investigated the relationship between hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and activation of the Raf-1 protein kinase in Ras-mediated transduction of mitogenic signals. As previously reported, cotransfection of a PC-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) expression plasmid bypassed the block to cell proliferation resulting from expression of the dominant inhibitory mutant Ras N-17. In contrast, PC-PLC failed to bypass the inhibitory effect of dominant negative Raf mutants, suggesting that PC-PLC functions downstream of Ras but upstream of Raf. Consistent with this hypothesis, treatment of quiescent cells with exogenous PC-PLC induced Raf activation, even when normal Ras function was blocked by Ras N-17 expression. Further, activation of Raf in response to mitogenic growth factors was blocked by inhibition of endogenous PC-PLC. Taken together, these results indicate that hydrolysis of PC mediates Raf activation in response to mitogenic growth factors.

Full text

PDF
7645

Images in this article

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bruder J. T., Heidecker G., Rapp U. R. Serum-, TPA-, and Ras-induced expression from Ap-1/Ets-driven promoters requires Raf-1 kinase. Genes Dev. 1992 Apr;6(4):545–556. doi: 10.1101/gad.6.4.545. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cai H., Erhardt P., Szeberényi J., Diaz-Meco M. T., Johansen T., Moscat J., Cooper G. M. Hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine is stimulated by Ras proteins during mitogenic signal transduction. Mol Cell Biol. 1992 Dec;12(12):5329–5335. doi: 10.1128/mcb.12.12.5329. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cai H., Szeberényi J., Cooper G. M. Effect of a dominant inhibitory Ha-ras mutation on mitogenic signal transduction in NIH 3T3 cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 Oct;10(10):5314–5323. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.10.5314. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cuadrado A., Bruder J. T., Heidaran M. A., App H., Rapp U. R., Aaronson S. A. H-ras and raf-1 cooperate in transformation of NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Oncogene. 1993 Sep;8(9):2443–2448. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dent P., Haser W., Haystead T. A., Vincent L. A., Roberts T. M., Sturgill T. W. Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase by v-Raf in NIH 3T3 cells and in vitro. Science. 1992 Sep 4;257(5075):1404–1407. doi: 10.1126/science.1326789. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Exton J. H. Signaling through phosphatidylcholine breakdown. J Biol Chem. 1990 Jan 5;265(1):1–4. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Feig L. A., Cooper G. M. Inhibition of NIH 3T3 cell proliferation by a mutant ras protein with preferential affinity for GDP. Mol Cell Biol. 1988 Aug;8(8):3235–3243. doi: 10.1128/mcb.8.8.3235. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Hagag N., Halegoua S., Viola M. Inhibition of growth factor-induced differentiation of PC12 cells by microinjection of antibody to ras p21. Nature. 1986 Feb 20;319(6055):680–682. doi: 10.1038/319680a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Han M., Sternberg P. W. let-60, a gene that specifies cell fates during C. elegans vulval induction, encodes a ras protein. Cell. 1990 Nov 30;63(5):921–931. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90495-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Howe L. R., Leevers S. J., Gómez N., Nakielny S., Cohen P., Marshall C. J. Activation of the MAP kinase pathway by the protein kinase raf. Cell. 1992 Oct 16;71(2):335–342. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90361-f. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Kolch W., Heidecker G., Kochs G., Hummel R., Vahidi H., Mischak H., Finkenzeller G., Marmé D., Rapp U. R. Protein kinase C alpha activates RAF-1 by direct phosphorylation. Nature. 1993 Jul 15;364(6434):249–252. doi: 10.1038/364249a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kolch W., Heidecker G., Lloyd P., Rapp U. R. Raf-1 protein kinase is required for growth of induced NIH/3T3 cells. Nature. 1991 Jan 31;349(6308):426–428. doi: 10.1038/349426a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kyriakis J. M., App H., Zhang X. F., Banerjee P., Brautigan D. L., Rapp U. R., Avruch J. Raf-1 activates MAP kinase-kinase. Nature. 1992 Jul 30;358(6385):417–421. doi: 10.1038/358417a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Kyriakis J. M., Force T. L., Rapp U. R., Bonventre J. V., Avruch J. Mitogen regulation of c-Raf-1 protein kinase activity toward mitogen-activated protein kinase-kinase. J Biol Chem. 1993 Jul 25;268(21):16009–16019. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lacal J. C., Moscat J., Aaronson S. A. Novel source of 1,2-diacylglycerol elevated in cells transformed by Ha-ras oncogene. Nature. 1987 Nov 19;330(6145):269–272. doi: 10.1038/330269a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Larrodera P., Cornet M. E., Diaz-Meco M. T., Lopez-Barahona M., Diaz-Laviada I., Guddal P. H., Johansen T., Moscat J. Phospholipase C-mediated hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine is an important step in PDGF-stimulated DNA synthesis. Cell. 1990 Jun 15;61(6):1113–1120. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(90)90074-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Leach K. L., Ruff V. A., Wright T. M., Pessin M. S., Raben D. M. Dissociation of protein kinase C activation and sn-1,2-diacylglycerol formation. Comparison of phosphatidylinositol- and phosphatidylcholine-derived diglycerides in alpha-thrombin-stimulated fibroblasts. J Biol Chem. 1991 Feb 15;266(5):3215–3221. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Leevers S. J., Marshall C. J. Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase, ERK2, by p21ras oncoprotein. EMBO J. 1992 Feb;11(2):569–574. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05088.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. McGrew B. R., Nichols D. W., Stanton V. P., Jr, Cai H., Whorf R. C., Patel V., Cooper G. M., Laudano A. P. Phosphorylation occurs in the amino terminus of the Raf-1 protein. Oncogene. 1992 Jan;7(1):33–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. McKenzie F. R., Seuwen K., Pouysségur J. Stimulation of phosphatidylcholine breakdown by thrombin and carbachol but not by tyrosine kinase receptor ligands in cells transfected with M1 muscarinic receptors. Rapid desensitization of phosphocholine-specific (PC) phospholipase D but sustained activity of PC-phospholipase C. J Biol Chem. 1992 Nov 15;267(32):22759–22769. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Moodie S. A., Willumsen B. M., Weber M. J., Wolfman A. Complexes of Ras.GTP with Raf-1 and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase. Science. 1993 Jun 11;260(5114):1658–1661. doi: 10.1126/science.8503013. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Mulcahy L. S., Smith M. R., Stacey D. W. Requirement for ras proto-oncogene function during serum-stimulated growth of NIH 3T3 cells. Nature. 1985 Jan 17;313(5999):241–243. doi: 10.1038/313241a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Nishizuka Y. Intracellular signaling by hydrolysis of phospholipids and activation of protein kinase C. Science. 1992 Oct 23;258(5082):607–614. doi: 10.1126/science.1411571. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Pessin M. S., Baldassare J. J., Raben D. M. Molecular species analysis of mitogen-stimulated 1,2-diglycerides in fibroblasts. Comparison of alpha-thrombin, epidermal growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor. J Biol Chem. 1990 May 15;265(14):7959–7966. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Pessin M. S., Raben D. M. Molecular species analysis of 1,2-diglycerides stimulated by alpha-thrombin in cultured fibroblasts. J Biol Chem. 1989 May 25;264(15):8729–8738. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Price B. D., Morris J. D., Marshall C. J., Hall A. Stimulation of phosphatidylcholine hydrolysis, diacylglycerol release, and arachidonic acid production by oncogenic ras is a consequence of protein kinase C activation. J Biol Chem. 1989 Oct 5;264(28):16638–16643. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Schütze S., Potthoff K., Machleidt T., Berkovic D., Wiegmann K., Krönke M. TNF activates NF-kappa B by phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C-induced "acidic" sphingomyelin breakdown. Cell. 1992 Nov 27;71(5):765–776. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90553-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Seger R., Seger D., Lozeman F. J., Ahn N. G., Graves L. M., Campbell J. S., Ericsson L., Harrylock M., Jensen A. M., Krebs E. G. Human T-cell mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases are related to yeast signal transduction kinases. J Biol Chem. 1992 Dec 25;267(36):25628–25631. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Simon M. A., Bowtell D. D., Dodson G. S., Laverty T. R., Rubin G. M. Ras1 and a putative guanine nucleotide exchange factor perform crucial steps in signaling by the sevenless protein tyrosine kinase. Cell. 1991 Nov 15;67(4):701–716. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90065-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Smith M. R., DeGudicibus S. J., Stacey D. W. Requirement for c-ras proteins during viral oncogene transformation. Nature. 1986 Apr 10;320(6062):540–543. doi: 10.1038/320540a0. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Stanton V. P., Jr, Nichols D. W., Laudano A. P., Cooper G. M. Definition of the human raf amino-terminal regulatory region by deletion mutagenesis. Mol Cell Biol. 1989 Feb;9(2):639–647. doi: 10.1128/mcb.9.2.639. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Szeberényi J., Cai H., Cooper G. M. Effect of a dominant inhibitory Ha-ras mutation on neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. Mol Cell Biol. 1990 Oct;10(10):5324–5332. doi: 10.1128/mcb.10.10.5324. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Szeberényi J., Erhardt P., Cai H., Cooper G. M. Role of Ras in signal transduction from the nerve growth factor receptor: relationship to protein kinase C, calcium and cyclic AMP. Oncogene. 1992 Nov;7(11):2105–2113. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Sözeri O., Vollmer K., Liyanage M., Frith D., Kour G., Mark G. E., 3rd, Stabel S. Activation of the c-Raf protein kinase by protein kinase C phosphorylation. Oncogene. 1992 Nov;7(11):2259–2262. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Thomas S. M., DeMarco M., D'Arcangelo G., Halegoua S., Brugge J. S. Ras is essential for nerve growth factor- and phorbol ester-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of MAP kinases. Cell. 1992 Mar 20;68(6):1031–1040. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90075-n. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Trenn G., Taffs R., Hohman R., Kincaid R., Shevach E. M., Sitkovsky M. Biochemical characterization of the inhibitory effect of CsA on cytolytic T lymphocyte effector functions. J Immunol. 1989 Jun 1;142(11):3796–3802. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Troppmair J., Bruder J. T., App H., Cai H., Liptak L., Szeberényi J., Cooper G. M., Rapp U. R. Ras controls coupling of growth factor receptors and protein kinase C in the membrane to Raf-1 and B-Raf protein serine kinases in the cytosol. Oncogene. 1992 Sep;7(9):1867–1873. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. Van Aelst L., Barr M., Marcus S., Polverino A., Wigler M. Complex formation between RAS and RAF and other protein kinases. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993 Jul 1;90(13):6213–6217. doi: 10.1073/pnas.90.13.6213. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Vojtek A. B., Hollenberg S. M., Cooper J. A. Mammalian Ras interacts directly with the serine/threonine kinase Raf. Cell. 1993 Jul 16;74(1):205–214. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90307-c. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Warne P. H., Viciana P. R., Downward J. Direct interaction of Ras and the amino-terminal region of Raf-1 in vitro. Nature. 1993 Jul 22;364(6435):352–355. doi: 10.1038/364352a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Wolfman A., Macara I. G. Elevated levels of diacylglycerol and decreased phorbol ester sensitivity in ras-transformed fibroblasts. Nature. 1987 Jan 22;325(6102):359–361. doi: 10.1038/325359a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Wood K. W., Sarnecki C., Roberts T. M., Blenis J. ras mediates nerve growth factor receptor modulation of three signal-transducing protein kinases: MAP kinase, Raf-1, and RSK. Cell. 1992 Mar 20;68(6):1041–1050. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90076-o. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Wright T. M., Willenberger S., Raben D. M. Activation of phospholipase D by alpha-thrombin or epidermal growth factor contributes to the formation of phosphatidic acid, but not to observed increases in 1,2-diacylglycerol. Biochem J. 1992 Jul 15;285(Pt 2):395–400. doi: 10.1042/bj2850395. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Zhang X. F., Settleman J., Kyriakis J. M., Takeuchi-Suzuki E., Elledge S. J., Marshall M. S., Bruder J. T., Rapp U. R., Avruch J. Normal and oncogenic p21ras proteins bind to the amino-terminal regulatory domain of c-Raf-1. Nature. 1993 Jul 22;364(6435):308–313. doi: 10.1038/364308a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. de Vries-Smits A. M., Burgering B. M., Leevers S. J., Marshall C. J., Bos J. L. Involvement of p21ras in activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 2. Nature. 1992 Jun 18;357(6379):602–604. doi: 10.1038/357602a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Molecular and Cellular Biology are provided here courtesy of Taylor & Francis

RESOURCES