Correspondence between immunological and functional domains in the transforming protein of Fujinami sarcoma virus

Delineation of functional determinants in the transforming protein of Fujinami sarcoma virus

We analyzed linker insertion mutations throughout the 3' region of the v-fps gene of Fujinami sarcoma virus to identify tyrosine kinase transforming protein (P130gag-fps) determinants that are important for catalysis and transforming activity and, in particular, to define residues that participate in substrate selection. Mutations that encode kinase-active, transformation-defective v-fps alleles were recovered, defining sites in the transforming protein that may normally facilitate kinase-substrate interaction. Additionally, one region within the catalytic domain of the transforming protein (amino acid residues 1012 to 1020) that tolerates peptide insertions without loss of transforming activity was discovered, although the insertion mutations in this region of v-fps exhibited qualitatively abnormal transforming function. Transformed rat cell lines that express these mutations displayed unusual phenotypes, including giant cells and cells with an extremely fusiform shape. Furthermore, the insertion mutations in this region were temperature sensitive, transformed cells assumed a flat morphology, cellular protein phosphotyrosine was reduced, and the kinase activity of the transforming protein was decreased when cells were incubated at 40.5 degrees C. Point mutations that specify the ancestral chicken c-fps sequence in the insertion-tolerant region were also introduced into v-fps. These back mutations led to a modest decrease in kinase activity, decreased tumorigenic potential in chickens, and an unexpected increase in transforming activity in rat cells. These results indicate that the insertion-tolerant region of P130gag-fps influences the biologic activity and thermostability of the kinase.

The myristylation signal of p60v-src functionally complements the N-terminal fps-specific region of P130gag-fps

The P130gag-fps protein-tyrosine kinase of Fujinami sarcoma virus contains an N-terminal fps-specific domain (Nfps) that is important for oncogenicity. The N-terminal 14 amino acids of p60v-src, which direct myristylation and membrane association, can replace the gag-Nfps sequences of P130gag-fps (residues 1 to 635), producing a highly transforming src-fps polypeptide. Conversely, gag-Nfps can restore modest transforming activity to a nonmyristylated v-src polypeptide. These results emphasize the modular construction of protein-tyrosine kinases and indicate that Nfps, possibly in conjunction with gag, functions in the subcellular localization of P130gag-fps.

The myristylation signal of p60v-src functionally complements the N-terminal fps-specific region of P130gag-fps

The P130gag-fps protein-tyrosine kinase of Fujinami sarcoma virus contains an N-terminal fps-specific domain (Nfps) that is important for oncogenicity. The N-terminal 14 amino acids of p60v-src, which direct myristylation and membrane association, can replace the gag-Nfps sequences of P130gag-fps (residues 1 to 635), producing a highly transforming src-fps polypeptide. Conversely, gag-Nfps can restore modest transforming activity to a nonmyristylated v-src polypeptide. These results emphasize the modular construction of protein-tyrosine kinases and indicate that Nfps, possibly in conjunction with gag, functions in the subcellular localization of P130gag-fps.

A noncatalytic domain conserved among cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinases modifies the kinase function and transforming activity of Fujinami sarcoma virus P130gag-fps

Proteins encoded by oncogenes such as v-fps/fes, v-src, v-yes, v-abl, and v-fgr are cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases which, unlike transmembrane receptors, are localized to the inside of the cell. These proteins possess two contiguous regions of sequence identity: a C-terminal catalytic domain of 260 residues with homology to other tyrosine-specific and serine-threonine-specific protein kinases, and a unique domain of approximately 100 residues which is located N terminal to the kinase region and is absent from kinases that span the plasma membrane. In-frame linker insertion mutations in Fujinami avian sarcoma virus which introduced dipeptide insertions into the most stringently conserved segment of this N-terminal domain in P130gag-fps impaired the ability of Fujinami avian sarcoma virus to transform rat-2 cells. The P130gag-fps proteins encoded by these transformation-defective mutants were deficient in protein-tyrosine kinase activity in rat cells. However v-fps polypeptides derived from the mutant Fujinami avian sarcoma virus genomes and expressed in Escherichia coli as trpE-v-fps fusion proteins displayed essentially wild-type enzymatic activity, even though they contained the mutated sites. Deletion of the N-terminal domain from wild-type and mutant v-fps bacterial proteins had little effect on autophosphorylating activity. The conserved N-terminal domain of P130gag-fps is therefore not required for catalytic activity, but can profoundly influence the adjacent kinase region. The presence of this noncatalytic domain in all known cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases of higher and lower eucaryotes argues for an important biological function. The relative inactivity of the mutant proteins in rat-2 cells compared with bacteria suggests that the noncatalytic domain may direct specific interactions of the enzymatic region with cellular components that regulate or mediate tyrosine kinase function.

A noncatalytic domain conserved among cytoplasmic protein-tyrosine kinases modifies the kinase function and transforming activity of Fujinami sarcoma virus P130gag-fps

Proteins encoded by oncogenes such as v-fps/fes, v-src, v-yes, v-abl, and v-fgr are cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinases which, unlike transmembrane receptors, are localized to the inside of the cell. These proteins possess two contiguous regions of sequence identity: a C-terminal catalytic domain of 260 residues with homology to other tyrosine-specific and serine-threonine-specific protein kinases, and a unique domain of approximately 100 residues which is located N terminal to the kinase region and is absent from kinases that span the plasma membrane. In-frame linker insertion mutations in Fujinami avian sarcoma virus which introduced dipeptide insertions into the most stringently conserved segment of this N-terminal domain in P130gag-fps impaired the ability of Fujinami avian sarcoma virus to transform rat-2 cells. The P130gag-fps proteins encoded by these transformation-defective mutants were deficient in protein-tyrosine kinase activity in rat cells. However v-fps polypeptides derived from the mutant Fujinami avian sarcoma virus genomes and expressed in Escherichia coli as trpE-v-fps fusion proteins displayed essentially wild-type enzymatic activity, even though they contained the mutated sites. Deletion of the N-terminal domain from wild-type and mutant v-fps bacterial proteins had little effect on autophosphorylating activity. The conserved N-terminal domain of P130gag-fps is therefore not required for catalytic activity, but can profoundly influence the adjacent kinase region. The presence of this noncatalytic domain in all known cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases of higher and lower eucaryotes argues for an important biological function. The relative inactivity of the mutant proteins in rat-2 cells compared with bacteria suggests that the noncatalytic domain may direct specific interactions of the enzymatic region with cellular components that regulate or mediate tyrosine kinase function.