Direct binding of Shc, Grb2, SHP-2 and p40 to the murine granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) mediates the proliferation, differentiation and activation of cells in the granulocytic lineage. However, knowledge about the specific signaling pathways utilized by the G-CSF receptor (G-CSF-R) upon ligand binding remains limited. In this report, we show rapid phosphorylation of Shc upon stimulation of NFS-60 cells with G-CSF, and inducible association of Shc and Grb2 with the G-CSF-R in these cells. Using a tyrosine-phosphorylated GST-G-CSF-R fusion we demonstrate that Shc, Grb2 and SHP-2 directly bind the receptor via their respective SH2 domains, suggesting multiple routes of MAPK activation from the G-CSF-R are possible. In addition, we have identified an unknown p40 molecule which is associated with the G-CSF-R transiently following G-CSF stimulation, and a constitutively-associated p37 molecule.