| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
ARTICLES |
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois 60611
Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Mary Hunzicker-Dunn, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Northwestern University Medical School, 303 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611. E-mail: mhd{at}nwu.edu
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
, did not hinder the ability of EGF to attenuate
hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity, indicating that
Gi did not mediate EGF-induced desensitization. Rather,
EGF-induced heterologous desensitization of LH/CG receptor in ovarian
membranes was closely associated with the specific and prominent
tyrosine phosphorylation of the 170-kDa EGF receptor. Both
EGF-stimulated autophosphorylation of EGF receptor and EGF-induced
LH/CG receptor desensitization were attenuated by genistein, a tyrosine
kinase inhibitor. These results suggest that tyrosine phosphorylation
of the 170-kDa EGF receptor is a necessary component of the signaling
pathway in EGF-induced heterologous desensitization of the LH/CG
receptor. | Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The mechanism(s) that mediates homologous desensitization of the LH/CG
receptor is not completely understood. Although the rat LH/CG receptor
in a heterologous expression system is readily phosphorylated in an
agonist-dependent manner (14, 15, 16), truncation of the cytoplasmic tail
of the receptor to remove phosphorylated serine and threonine residues
abolishes the rapid phase of adenylyl cyclase desensitization
(t1/2 = <5 min) (14), but does not affect the slower
component (t1/2 =
20 min) of the desensitization
response (14, 17). A similar delay in the rate of desensitization was
observed when phosphorylated serine and threonine residues in the
carboxyl-terminal tail of the LH/CG receptor were mutated to alanines
(18). Desensitization in intact follicles (9, 11) and in ovarian
follicular membranes (19, 20) exhibits a t1/2 of 1520
min, consistent with the phosphorylation-independent slower phase of
desensitization, and we have demonstrated that the LH/CG receptor in
porcine follicular membranes is not phosphorylated under conditions
that promote this slower phase of homologous adenylyl cyclase
desensitization (20). We and others have established, however, that
cell-free homologous LH/CG receptor desensitization exhibits a
stringent requirement for micromolar concentrations of GTP (7, 12, 21, 22).
The LH/CG receptor has also been reported to undergo heterologous
desensitization in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) in rat
luteal and MA-10 Leydig tumor cells and membranes (23, 24). The
mechanism by which EGF attenuates hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase
activity is not known, although it does not appear to involve changes
in the activity of either the stimulatory G protein
(Gs) or adenylyl cyclase, both of which remain
fully responsive to direct activators such as sodium fluoride and
forskolin, respectively (23, 24). EGF has also been shown to modulate
signaling pathways to cAMP production in other cells. EGF enhances
adenylyl cyclase activity in various cells, including bovine luteal
cells (25) and myocytes (26, 27). In cardiac membranes, EGF increases
adenylyl cyclase activity by activating Gs
(27) via EGF receptor-catalyzed tyrosine phosphorylation of
Gs
(27, 28). Stoichiometric association
between the EGF receptor and Gs
has been
demonstrated both by yeast two-hybrid assays and with purified
proteins, and this interaction is diminished with
Gs
activation (26). Conversely, recent studies
in various cells have shown that some G protein-coupled receptor
agonists (such as thrombin and lysophosphatidic acid) promote
ligand-independent EGF receptor activation and resulting signaling to
downstream effectors (29, 30, 31, 32). Conceivably, homologous LH/CG receptor
desensitization could be mediated by ligand-independent activation of
the EGF receptor to attenuate hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity,
although only phosphoserine has been detected in the phosphorylated rat
LH/CG receptor upon agonist stimulation (16). In our continuing efforts
to understand the mechanism(s) that mediates homologous LH/CG receptor
desensitization in ovarian tissues, we investigated possible signaling
pathways by which EGF promotes heterologous LH/CG receptor
desensitization.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
subunit, and phosphorylated A431 proteins
from Upstate Biotechnology, Inc. (Lake Placid, NY);
electrophoresis purity reagents from Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Richmond, CA); prestained mol wt markers from Diversified
Biotech (Newton Center, MA); Rainbow mol wt markers, enhanced
chemiluminescence (ECL) Western blotting detection reagents, Hybond-C
extra membrane, and [2,8-3H]cAMP (41 Ci/mmol) from
Amersham (Arlington Heights, IL);
[
-32P]ATP (1050 Ci/mmol) and [32P]NAD
(30 Ci/mmol) from New England Nuclear Research Products (Boston, MA);
and human recombinant EGF (used in experiments with porcine follicular
membranes), murine (m) EGF [purified to
98% purity from
submaxillary glands and containing 5 U endotoxin (and correspondingly
17 ng lipopolysaccharide)/100 µg EGF, according to specifications
from Sigma Chemical Co., St. Louis, MO), PMSG, goat
antimouse and antirabbit IgG peroxide conjugate, nucleotides, and most
other reagents from Sigma Chemical Co.
Preparation of ovarian membranes
Female 21-day-old rats were obtained from Charles River Laboratories, Inc. (Portage, MI) and were maintained in
accordance with the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory
Animals at the Northwestern University Animal Care Facility. All
protocols were approved by the Northwestern University animal care and
use committee. Superovulation in rats was induced via sc injection with
50 IU PMSG followed 54 h later with 50 IU hCG. Rats were killed 7
days after hCG injection. To obtain preovulatory follicles, rats were
injected sc with 25 IU PMSG and killed 48 h later. Ovaries were
homogenized in 1 mM EDTA and 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH
7.2, and a 20,000 x g membrane fraction enriched in
adenylyl cyclase activity was prepared as previously described (12).
Pig ovaries were obtained from a local slaughterhouse and immediately
transported to the laboratory on ice. The walls from follicles larger
than 6 mm in diameter were dissected, and a membrane fraction enriched
in adenylyl cyclase activity was prepared (12). All membrane
preparations were stored at -70 C at a protein concentration of 35
mg/ml in 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.2. Protein concentrations
were determined using BSA as standard (33).
Desensitization reaction and adenylyl cyclase assay
All incubations were performed in an incubation
medium/ATP-regenerating system (IMRS) consisting of 25 mM
1,3-bis[Tris(hydroxymethyl)-methylamino]propane-HCl (pH 7.2), 0.4
mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 20 mM
phosphocreatine, 0.2 mg/ml creatine phosphokinase (163 U/mg), and 5
mM MgCl2. Unless otherwise stated,
concentrations of reagents in the final reaction volume (of 50 µl)
are given for this and subsequent reactions. Ovarian membranes were
subjected to a two-stage reaction. In the desensitization reaction
(stage 1), membranes (4060 µg) were preincubated either at 30 C for
varying periods of time (130 min) or at 4 C for 60 min in a 40-µl
volume of IMRS containing 10 or 100 µM GTP, 2
mM ATP, and either 1 µg/ml BSA or hCG or the indicated
concentrations of EGF. Immediately after the stage 1 preincubation,
assay for adenylyl cyclase (stage 2) was preformed at 30 C for 5 min
(10 min when preincubation was at 4 C) with the addition of a 10-µl
volume containing the following components: 100 µM GTP,
[
-32P]ATP (100200 cpm/pmol), 1 mM
[3H]cAMP (
10,000 cpm), and 10 µg/ml BSA or hCG, or,
when indicated, 10 µM forskolin or
20 µM
AlF-4, the latter formed by adding 10
mM NaF and 20 µM AlCl2 (34). The
reaction was stopped by the addition of a 100-µl volume of 40
mM ATP, 10 mM cAMP, and 1% SDS followed by
boiling for 3 min in a water bath. [32P]cAMP was purified
and quantitated (6). All determinations were run in triplicate. The
presence of BSA in stages 1 and 2 was a measure of basal
adenylyl cyclase activity, BSA in stage 1 and hCG in stage 2 was a
measure of full hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity, hCG in
stages 1 and 2 was a measure of hCG-induced desensitization of
adenylyl cyclase activity, and EGF in stage 1 and hCG in stage 2 was a
measure of EGF-induced desensitization of hCG-stimulated
adenylyl cyclase activity. The percent reduction of full hCG-stimulated
adenylyl cyclase activity above basal adenylyl cyclase activity,
expressed as the percent desensitization, was used as a measure of the
extent of LH/CG receptor desensitization.
Treatment with kinase inhibitors
Rat luteal membranes (40 µg) were preincubated at 30 C for 1
min in a 40-µl volume of IMRS containing 100 µM GTP and
2 mM ATP with or without 5 µg/ml EGF in the presence of
10 µM genistein [or 0.01% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as
vehicle control]. Thereafter, an assay for adenylyl cyclase activity
was performed as described above. When membranes were analyzed for
phosphotyrosine immunoreactivity, membranes were resuspended in
electrophoresis sample buffer immediately after preincubation. In other
experiments, rat luteal membranes (50 µg) were preincubated at 4 C
for 60 min in a 40-µl volume of IMRS containing 100 µM
GTP and 2 mM ATP with or without 10 µg/ml EGF in the
absence and presence of 60 µM H7. Thereafter, an assay
for adenylyl cyclase activity was performed as described above.
ADP-ribosylation with PTX
PTX (50 µg) was activated at 30 C for 30 min in a 100-µl
volume of 25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4), 0.5 mM EDTA,
25 mM sodium chloride, and 25 mM
dithiothreitol. The activated toxin mixture was diluted 2.5-fold with
25 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4) and 0.1% BSA. Rat luteal membranes
(0.31 mg) were preincubated for 15 min at 30 C in a 500-µl volume
of buffer containing 25 mM
1,3-bis[Tris(hydroxymethyl)-methylamino]propane-HCl (pH 7.2), 0.5
mM EDTA, 1 mM EGTA, 1 µg/ml BSA, 100
µM GTP, 1 mM ATP, 10 mM
thymidine, 10 or 20 µM NAD, and activated PTX (3
µg/ml). The reaction was stopped by dilution with cold 10
mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.2), and 1 mM EDTA, followed
by centrifugation at 10,000 x g for 5 min at 4 C. The
washing procedure was repeated, and membranes were resuspended in 10
mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.2. Aliquots (20 µl;
2030 µg) of
PTX-treated membranes were added to 20 µl IMRS containing 100
µM GTP and 2 mM ATP with or without 10
µg/ml EGF, and the stage 1 reaction was performed at 4 C for 60 min.
Thereafter, the assay for adenylyl cyclase was performed as described
above. In some experiments, [32P]NAD (
15 µCi) was
used to ADP-ribosylate proteins.
SDS-PAGE and immunoblot procedures
SDS-PAGE was performed under reducing conditions using 5%
stacking and 7.5% or 10% resolving polyacrylamide slab gels (35).
Equal amounts of protein were loaded into gel lanes. For immunoblot
analyses, proteins were transferred onto Hybond-C Extra
(nitrocellulose) paper overnight at 4 C using 0.1-A constant current in
buffer consisting of 25 mM Tris, 192 mM glycine
(pH 8.3), and 20% methanol. After transfer, blots were incubated as
follows: 1 h at 40 C in blocking buffer (PBS, pH 7.4, containing
0.1% Tween-20 and 10% nonfat milk), 1 h at room temperature with
antiphosphotyrosine mouse monoclonal antibody or
anti-Gi
rabbit antiserum, and 1 h at room
temperature with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated goat antimouse or
antirabbit antibodies. In between incubations, blots were washed
several times with PBS-0.1% Tween-20 buffer. Blots were finally
incubated with detection reagents for ECL according to the
manufacturers instructions (Amersham). Blots were
exposed to Kodak film (Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, NY)
for 0.55 min for autoradiographic analysis.
Statistics
Results (mean ± SEM) were analyzed using
Students t test or Duncans one-way ANOVA
(P
0.05) (36).
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
to activate protein
kinase C (PKC) (37, 38, 39). Therefore, it was of interest to determine
whether EGF-induced desensitization of the LH/CG receptor in rat luteal
membranes involved the tyrosine kinase activity of the EGF receptor. To
identify EGF-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of protein substrates,
luteal membranes were incubated with or without EGF, and membrane
proteins were separated by SDS-PAGE and analyzed for tyrosine
phosphorylation in immunoblots with an antiphosphotyrosine
antibody.
Preincubation with 5 µg/ml EGF for 60 min at 4 C increased the
tyrosine phosphorylation predominately of a 170-kDa protein band
(denoted by arrow) in rat luteal membranes (Fig. 4
, compare lanes 1 and 2) and rat
follicular membranes (lanes 3 and 4), but not in porcine follicular
membranes (compare lanes 5 and 6). The migration of the 170-kDa protein
was coincident with that of the tyrosine-phosphorylated EGF receptor
obtained from A431 cells (Fig. 4
, lane 7). Identical results were
obtained when preincubation was conducted at 30 C for 1 min with 5
µg/ml EGF (not shown). Tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor
was observed upon preincubation of rat luteal membranes at 30 C for 1
min with the lowest dose of EGF used (0.1 µg/ml; Fig. 5
, lane 3), and the extent of
phosphorylation did not differ with increasing concentrations of EGF
(Fig. 5
, lanes 47). Tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor was
not stimulated when incubations were performed in the absence of EGF
(Fig. 5
, lane 2). Inclusion of hCG to activate the LH/CG receptor also
did not stimulate the tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor
(Fig. 5
, lane 1; see Fig. 7B
, lane 4). Unlike EGF-induced
desensitization of hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity, which
abated after 1 min, the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF
receptor did not differ with increasing time of incubation of luteal
membranes with EGF at 30 C (Fig. 6
),
suggesting that the loss of the effect on hCG-stimulated adenylyl
cyclase activity was not due to EGF receptor down-regulation or
inactivation.
|
|
|
|
Effect of the serine/threonine kinase inhibitor, H7
EGF-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation may also lead to
activation of serine/threonine kinases such as PKC via PLC-
(39, 41). To determine whether EGF-induced desensitization of hCG-stimulated
adenylyl cyclase activity was mediated by serine/threonine
phosphorylation, rat luteal membranes were incubated with 10 µg/ml
EGF at 4 C for 60 min in the absence or presence of 60 µM
H7, an equipotent inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA),
cGMP-dependent protein kinases (PKG), and PKC (42). H7 did not inhibit
the ability of EGF to induce desensitization of hCG-stimulated adenylyl
cyclase activity (32.0 ± 1.9% and 35.9 ± 2.1%
desensitization in the absence and presence of H7, respectively;
mean ± SEM; n = 3 experiments).
Effect of ADP-ribosylation by PTX
PTX-catalyzed ADP-ribosylation of Gi family
proteins inactivates receptor coupling to these G proteins (43, 44).
Several EGF receptor-mediated actions involve PTX-sensitive G proteins,
based on the ability of PTX to block EGF-stimulated responses (45, 46, 47, 48).
Therefore, we determined whether PTX-sensitive G proteins also mediated
EGF-stimulated heterologous desensitization of LH/CG
receptor-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in rat luteal membranes.
We first determined whether rat luteal membranes contained a G protein
that could be ADP-ribosylated by PTX. Results show that treatment of
luteal membranes with activated PTX in the presence of
[32P]NAD caused the specific ADP-ribosylation of a
protein that migrated at 40 kDa (Fig. 8A
)
and exhibited immunoreactivity with an antibody against
Gi
on immunoblot analysis (Fig. 8B
). However,
treatment of rat luteal membranes with 3 µg/ml PTX did not inhibit
the ability of EGF to induce desensitization of hCG-stimulated adenylyl
cyclase activity (Fig. 8C
). PTX treatment did not affect either basal
adenylyl cyclase activity (42.3 ± 12.4 and 41.3 ± 7.5 pmol
cAMP formed/min·mg protein in the absence and presence of PTX,
respectively; mean ± range; n = 2 experiments) or full
hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity (188.7 ± 48.6 and
184.0 ± 40.4 pmol cAMP formed/min·mg protein in the absence and
presence of PTX, respectively; mean ± range; n = 2
experiments).
|
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
We provide evidence that demonstrates that the tyrosine phosphorylation of the 170-kDa EGF receptor is necessary for EGF to induce heterologous LH/CG receptor desensitization. Both EGF-stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor and desensitization of hCG-responsive adenylyl cyclase activity in rat luteal membranes are inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. In rat follicular membranes where EGF also attenuates hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity, EGF promotes the tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor, whereas in the porcine follicular membrane model where EGF does not modulate adenylyl cyclase activity, EGF does not promote detectable tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor. The requirement for EGF receptor tyrosine phosphorylation is consistent with an earlier report demonstrating the requirement for ATP in the presence of EGF to promote heterologous adenylyl cyclase desensitization (24).
It is not known how the tyrosine kinase activity of the EGF receptor is
involved in heterologous LH/CG receptor desensitization in a cell-free
membrane model. Conceivably, the activated EGF receptor tyrosine kinase
directly or indirectly via a cascade of phosphorylation events
phosphorylates either the LH/CG receptor and attenuates its interaction
with Gs or phosphorylates
Gs
to attenuate its activation of adenylyl
cyclase. The intracellular carboxyl-terminal region of the LH/CG
receptor contains, in addition to serine and threonine residues,
tyrosine residues that are potential sites for phosphorylation (1, 2).
However, agonist-dependent LH/CG receptor activation has not been shown
to promote detectable tyrosine phosphorylation of the LH/CG receptor
based on phosphoamino acid analysis (16). In this report we show that
hCG does not promote the ligand-independent activation of the EGF
receptor in rat luteal membranes. These results suggest that homologous
desensitization of the LH/CG receptor is not mediated by
ligand-independent activation of the EGF receptor. However, it is not
known whether EGF-dependent activation of the EGF receptor promotes
tyrosine phosphorylation of the LH/CG receptor. It is unlikely that a
serine/threonine phosphorylation event catalyzed by a second messenger
protein kinase is involved in EGF receptor-mediated heterologous LH/CG
receptor desensitization, because H7, an equipotent inhibitor of PKA,
PKG, and PKC, does not inhibit the ability of EGF to decrease
hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity. This idea is consistent with
our earlier data showing that cell-free desensitization of
hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase is unaffected by activation or
inhibition of endogenous PKA, PKG, or PKC (51). Several studies have
linked EGF actions with PTX-sensitive Gi proteins
(43, 47). Based upon our data, however, Gi
proteins do not appear to mediate the effect of EGF on LH/CG receptor
desensitization. PTX-mediated ADP ribosylation of a 40-kDa luteal
membrane protein that cross-reacts with an antibody against
Gi
does not hinder the ability of EGF to
attenuate hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity in rat luteal
membranes. Likewise, PTX failed to inhibit the ability of EGF to
attenuate the hCG-stimulated accumulation of cAMP in MA-10 Leydig cells
(23).
Although EGF receptor activation leads to the apparent direct tyrosine
phosphorylation and activation of Gs
in
cardiac membranes (27, 28) and to activation of the type V adenylyl
cyclase (52), the lack of an effect of EGF on fluoride-stimulated (Ref.
24 and this report) or on CTX-stimulated (24) adenylyl cyclase
activities in rat luteal membranes suggests that the EGF effect in rat
luteal membranes to attenuate hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity
is upstream of Gs
. Thus, EGF may have
interfered with the ability of the LH/CG receptor to interact fully
with Gs, possibly by catalyzing phosphorylation
of the LH/CG receptor.
To summarize, EGF attenuates the hCG-responsive adenylyl cyclase activity in rat luteal and rat follicular, but not porcine follicular, membranes. Although EGF-induced heterologous LH/CG receptor desensitization is not mediated by a serine/threonine phosphorylation event catalyzed by PKC, PKA, or PKG or by the inhibitory G protein Gi, the tyrosine phosphorylation of the EGF receptor is a necessary component of the signaling pathway in LH/CG receptor desensitization.
| Footnotes |
|---|
2 Recipient of National Research Service Award HD-07348 from the
NICHHD, NIH. Current address: Department of Urology, Northwestern
University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois 60611. ![]()
Among all experiments with rat luteal membranes, EGF promoted a 30.6 ± 2.0% (n = 22; mean ± SEM of 22 independent experiments) attenuation (i.e. desensitization) of hCG-stimulated adenylyl cyclase activity above basal activity.
Received March 25, 1998.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
mediates epidermal growth factor-elicited stimulation of rat cardiac
adenylate cyclase. J Biol Chem 265:2131721322
by the epidermal growth factor receptor
involves phosphorylation. J Biol Chem 271:69476951
in rat hepatocytes. J Biol Chem 266:2245122458This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. Yacoub, W. Hawkins, D. Hanna, H. Young, M. A. Park, M. Grant, J. D. Roberts, D. T. Curiel, P. B. Fisher, K. Valerie, et al. Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Modulates Prostate Cancer Cell Survival after Irradiation or HMG CoA Reductase Inhibitor Treatment Mol. Pharmacol., January 1, 2007; 71(1): 259 - 275. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
P. R Manna, S. P Chandrala, Y. Jo, and D. M Stocco cAMP-independent signaling regulates steroidogenesis in mouse Leydig cells in the absence of StAR phosphorylation. J. Mol. Endocrinol., August 1, 2006; 37(1): 81 - 95. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
X. Chen, J. Aravindakshan, Y. Yang, R. Tiwari-Pandey, and M.R. Sairam Aberrant expression of PDGF ligands and receptors in the tumor prone ovary of follitropin receptor knockout (FORKO) mouse Carcinogenesis, May 1, 2006; 27(5): 903 - 915. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
Y. Wang and W. Ge Cloning of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) and EGF Receptor from the Zebrafish Ovary: Evidence for EGF as a Potential Paracrine Factor from the Oocyte to Regulate Activin/Follistatin System in the Follicle Cells Biol Reprod, September 1, 2004; 71(3): 749 - 760. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
L. M. Salvador, S. Mukherjee, R. A. Kahn, M. L. G. Lamm, A. T. Fazleabas, E. T. Maizels, M.-F. Bader, H. Hamm, M. M. Rasenick, J. E. Casanova, et al. Activation of the Luteinizing Hormone/Choriogonadotropin Hormone Receptor Promotes ADP Ribosylation Factor 6 Activation in Porcine Ovarian Follicular Membranes J. Biol. Chem., August 31, 2001; 276(36): 33773 - 33781. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
![]() |
J. S. Grewal, L. M. Luttrell, and J. R. Raymond G Protein-coupled Receptors Desensitize and Down-regulate Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors in Renal Mesangial Cells J. Biol. Chem., July 13, 2001; 276(29): 27335 - 27344. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| HO |