cSrc is a major cytosolic tyrosine kinase in vascular tissue

We are interested in identifying, in vascular tissue, nonreceptor tyrosine kinases that may be responsible for the contractile actions of G-protein-coupled agonists such as angiotensin II. By using a series of chromatographic steps, including ion exchange, hydrophobic, and affinity chromatography, we have isolated a major fraction of tyrosine kinase activity from the cytosolic fraction of porcine aorta tissue. According to (i) its immunologic cross-reactivity with the monoclonal anti-cSrc antibody, m327, and with the N-terminally directed monoclonal cSrc2-17 antibody, (ii) its inhibition by the C-terminal cSrc kinase, CSK, and (iii) its specificity for phosphorylating tyrosine 15 in the cdc2(6-20) peptide kinase substrate, we conclude that the kinase we have isolated represents porcine cSrc. A substantial proportion of the enzyme (>70%) was recovered in the cytoplasmic fraction from aorta tissue. The profile of inhibition of the human and porcine cSrc enzymes by a spectrum of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (PP1 >> AG82 > AG490 approximately/= genistein > AG10) was compared with the profile of inhibition of angiotensin II mediated contraction in a porcine coronary vascular preparation (AG10 >> genistein > or = AG82 > or = AG490; PP1 inactive). The different inhibitory profiles indicated that cSrc does not represent the vascular tyrosine kinase responsible for the contractile actions of angiotensin II. We suggest, nonetheless, that cSrc plays a key role for other actions of angiotensin II in intact vascular tissue, such as the regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and gene transcription.