Comparison of src-family cDNAs reveals distinct mechanisms underlying focus formation in transfected fibroblasts

Despite the intensive study of both cellular transformation and src-family protein-tyrosine kinases, there have been no direct comparisons of transforming potency for normal members of this gene-family. In this study, the focus-forming activity of normal c-src, fyn, and lck cDNAs were compared in NIH 3T3 cell transfection assays. Focus formation was studied quantitatively, and individual foci were analyzed for phosphotyrosine content and expression of appropriate translational products. Each foci arising from c-src transfectants had a marked increase in phosphotyrosine content, and the majority of these foci expressed a c-src protein with an aberrant carboxyl terminus. Foci derived from lck transfectants also had a marked increase in phosphotyrosine content, and some foci expressed a lck protein with an aberrant carboxyl terminus. In contrast, foci from fyn-transfected cells were not distinguished from G418-selected mass cultures in terms of total phosphotyrosine content or expression of p59fyn. These studies support the previously published concept that overexpression of the normal fyn protein contributes to focus formation in transfected NIH 3T3 cells but suggest that the focus-forming activity observed after c-src or lck transfections is frequently attributable to mutational events. Because lck mutations have not been previously described in transformed foci, we characterized the lck transcript expressed in two foci and identified a novel point mutation that encodes a lck protein with increased in vivo kinase and focus-forming activity.