Redox regulation of a protein tyrosine kinase in the endoplasmic reticulum

A R Bauskin1, I Alkalay, Y Ben-Neriah

  • 1Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology, Hebrew University, Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel.

Cell
|August 23, 1991
PubMed

Insights

The mouse Ltk protein tyrosine kinase is unusually located in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Its activity is regulated by cellular redox potential, a novel mechanism for protein tyrosine kinases.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Biochemistry

Background:

  • Protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs) play crucial roles in cellular signaling.
  • The Ltk transmembrane protein tyrosine kinase's function and localization are not fully understood.
  • Receptor tyrosine kinases are typically localized to the plasma membrane.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the subcellular localization of the mouse Ltk protein tyrosine kinase.
  • To investigate the regulatory mechanisms of Ltk activity.

Main Methods:

  • Indirect immunofluorescence and immunogold staining in transfected COS cells and lymphocytes.
  • Endoglycosidase analysis of Ltk in COS transfectants and lymphocytes.

Main Results:

  • Ltk was found to be unusually localized to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER).
  • Ltk activity is enhanced by alkylating and thiol-oxidizing agents, suggesting ligand-independent function.
  • Active Ltk exists as disulfide-linked multimers, indicating redox regulation.

Conclusions:

  • Ltk's catalytic activity in the ER may be regulated by cellular redox potential, a novel mechanism for PTKs.
  • This redox-sensitive regulation in the ER might be a shared feature with some receptor kinases.

Related Concept Videos

Enzyme-linked Receptors01:00

Enzyme-linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are proteins that act as both receptor and enzyme, activating multiple intracellular signals. This is a large group of receptors that include the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family. Many growth factors and hormones bind to and activate the RTKs.
Neurotrophin (NT) receptors are a family of RTKs, including trkA, trkB, and trkC (tropomyosin-related kinase) receptors. TrkA is specific for nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-6, and neurotrophin-7. TrkB binds...
Enzyme-linked Receptors01:00

Enzyme-linked Receptors

Enzyme-linked receptors are proteins that act as both receptor and enzyme, activating multiple intracellular signals. This is a large group of receptors that include the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) family. Many growth factors and hormones bind to and activate the RTKs.
Neurotrophin (NT) receptors are a family of RTKs, including trkA, trkB, and trkC (tropomyosin-related kinase) receptors. TrkA is specific for nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-6, and neurotrophin-7. TrkB binds...
Protein Modifications in the RER01:26

Protein Modifications in the RER

Modification of secretory and transmembrane proteins entering the rough ER begins in the ER lumen. These modifications aid in protein folding and stabilize the acquired tertiary structure. Protein modifications in the rough ER co-occur at different stages of protein folding.
Broadly, these modifications can be categorized into four main categories — glycosylation, formation of disulfide bonds, assembly of protein subunits, and specific proteolytic cleavages like removal of signal sequences.
The Unfolded Protein Response01:37

The Unfolded Protein Response

The ER is the hub of protein synthesis in a cell. It has robust systems to quality control protein folding and also for degradation of terminally misfolded proteins. Under normal conditions, a small proportion of misfolded proteins that cannot be salvaged need to be transported to the cytoplasm by the ER-associated degradation or ERAD pathways. However, if the ERAD cannot handle the misfolded proteins, the cell activates the unfolded protein response or UPR to adjust the protein folding...
Regulation of the Unfolded Protein Response01:31

Regulation of the Unfolded Protein Response

Inositol-requiring kinase one or IRE1 is the most conserved eukaryotic unfolded protein response (UPR) receptor. It is a type I transmembrane protein kinase receptor with a distinctive site-specific RNase activity. As the binding mechanics of the misfolded proteins with the N-terminal domain of IRE-1 are unclear, three binding models — direct, indirect, and allosteric -- are proposed for receptor activation. Nevertheless, it is known that once a misfolded protein associates with IRE1, it...
Receptor Tyrosine Kinases01:26

Receptor Tyrosine Kinases

Receptor tyrosine kinases or RTKs are membrane-bound receptors that phosphorylate specific tyrosine on protein substrates. RTKs regulate cellular growth, differentiation, survival, and migration. They contain an extracellular ligand binding domain, a transmembrane domain, and a cytosolic tail with intrinsic kinase activity. Several extracellular signaling molecules activate RTKs in one or more ways and relay the signal downstream. Ligands such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) or...