Characterization of a tyrosine kinase activity associated with the high-affinity interleukin 2 receptor complex

The IL-2 receptor complex is minimally composed of two genetically unrelated subunits of relative molecular masses 55 and 75 kDa respectively. Structural information deduced from the cDNA sequences of either subunit have not revealed significant information as to the basis of the mechanisms of IL-2 receptor signal transduction. Nevertheless, IL-2 stimulates the activation of one or more tyrosine kinases requiring the functional participation of the p75 member of the receptor complex. Here we have developed the methods to isolate the receptor complex with an associated tyrosine protein kinase. Extracts of membrane glycoproteins from activated normal human T lymphocytes and cell lines demonstrated catalytic activation of tyrosine kinase activity when stimulated with IL-2. Purification of the receptor complex with biotinylated IL-2 revealed the presence of two dominant phosphotyrosyl-proteins of approximate molecular masses 58 and 97 kDa. Denaturation gel electrophoresis followed by renaturation of proteins associated with the IL-2 receptor complex demonstrated that the 97 kDa protein had catalytic autophosphorylation activity. The results indicate that the 58 and 97 kDa phosphotyrosyl-proteins can be found to co-precipitate with the IL-2 receptor complex and that the 97 kDa protein was demonstrated to have protein kinase activity. The association of such kinases with receptors devoid of catalytic structure may represent a unique paradigm of growth-factor receptor mechanisms.