Characterization of interactions of Nck with Sos and dynamin

One of the adaptor proteins, Nck, comprises a single SH2 domain and three SH3 domains that are important in protein-protein interactions. The in vivo association of Nck with the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sos has been well documented; however, the precise nature of the interaction is unclear. To determine which SH3 domains are involved in the Nck-Sos interaction, individual SH3 domains of Nck were generated as glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins. We found that exclusively the third (C-terminal) SH3 domain of Nck has the ability to bind to Sos. In addition, in [35S]methionine labelled K562 cells, a 100,000 Mr protein was found to be associated with the third SH3 domain of Nck. This protein was identified as dynamin, a GTP-binding protein that has been implicated in clathrin-coated vesicle formation. Dynamin and Nck co-precipitated when cell lysates were immunoprecipitated with anti-Nck antibody. These data suggest that Nck may contribute to Ras activation and the function of dynamin in membrane trafficking through its third SH3 domain.