Phosphorylation of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) binding protein-3 by breast cancer cell membranes enhances IGF-I...

Cross-linking of nonglycosylated biotinylated IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 to T-47D cell membranes identifies complexes with Mr of 32, 50, 70, and 100 kDa. Nonbiotinylated glycosylated IGFBP-3 competed for binding to each of these sites. The 32-kDa band approximated the size of intact nonglycosylated IGFBP-3, but its abundance was enhanced by cross-linking, and it had a more acidic isoelectric point on isoelectric focusing, suggesting that it had undergone phosphorylation. Immobilized IGFBP-3 was phosphorylated in the presence of (32)P-gamma ATP by both T-47D cell membranes and by intact cells treated with phenylarsine oxide to inhibit internalization. MCF-7 and COS-1 cells were also able to bind and phosphorylated IGFBP-3. IGF-I inhibited both IGFBP-3 binding to membranes and phosphorylation. However, incubation of T-47D cells with IGFBP-3 enhanced binding of (125)I-IGF-I to the cell monolayer indicating that membrane bound IGFBP-3 was able to bind IGF-I. Immobilized IGFBP-3 when phosphorylated by T-47D membranes bound significantly more (125)I-IGF-I than nonphosphorylated IGFBP-3. Treatment with alkaline phosphatase significantly reduced (125)I-IGF-I binding to phosphorylated immobilized IGFBP-3 and also reduced (125)I-IGF-I to T-47D cell monolayers preincubated with IGFBP-3. Phosphorylation of IGFBP-3 by T-47D membranes was partially blocked by inhibitors of both protein kinase A and C. These data demonstrate that binding of IGFBP-3 to breast cancer membranes is accompanied by phosphorylation at the plasma membrane and that both processes are inhibited by IGF-I. However, once phosphorylated the ability of IGFBP-3 to bind IGF-I is enhanced, resulting in increased association of the IGF-I with the cell membrane.