Phosphorylation of WAVE downstream of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling

WAVE is a Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP)-family protein that functions in membrane-ruffling formation induced by Rac, a Rho family small GTPase. Here we report that WAVE is a phosphoprotein whose phosphorylation increases in response to various external stimuli that activate mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signaling. When Swiss 3T3 cells are stimulated with platelet-derived growth factor, electrophoretic mobility shift occurs to WAVE, which reflects hyperphosphorylation. This is perfectly inhibited by the addition of PD98059, a specific inhibitor of MAP kinase kinase. Indeed, the ectopic expression of an activated mutant of MAP kinase kinase induces WAVE mobility shift. When MAP kinase activation is suppressed by PD98059, the intensity of platelet-derived growth factor-induced membrane ruffling is greatly reduced. In various cancer cell lines, the amount of WAVE mobility shift was found to increase significantly, suggesting the importance of WAVE hyperphosphorylation in the formation of membrane ruffles and oncogenic transformation.