Physiological concentrations of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) stimulated a chemotactic response in human monocytic THP‐1 through binding to the urokinase receptor (uPAR). The effect did not require the protease moiety of uPA, as stimulation was achieved also with the N‐terminal fragment (ATF), while the 33 kDa low molecular weight uPA was ineffective. Co‐immunoprecipitation experiments showed association of uPAR with intracellular kinase(s), as demonstrated by in vitro kinase assays. Use of specific antibodies identified p56/p59hck as a kinase associated with uPAR in THP‐1 cell extracts. Upon addition of ATF, p56/p59hck activity was stimulated within 2 min and returned to normal after 30 min. Since uPAR lacks an intracellular domain capable of interacting with intracellular kinase, activation of p56/p59hck must require a transmembrane adaptor. Evidence for this was strongly supported by the finding that a soluble form of uPAR (suPAR) was capable of inducing chemotaxis not only in THP‐1 cells but also in cells lacking endogenous uPAR (IC50, 5 pM). However, activity of suPAR require chymotrypsin cleavage between the N‐terminal domain D1 and D2 + D3. Chymotrypsin‐cleaved suPAR also induced activation of p56/p59hck in THP‐1 cells, with a time course comparable with ATF. Our data show that uPA‐induced signal transduction takes place via uPAR, involves activation of intracellular tyrosine kinase(s) and requires an as yet undefined adaptor capable of connecting the extracellular ligand binding uPAR to intracellular transducer(s).

The role of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR/CD87) in cell migration and invasion is well substantiated. Recently, uPA has been shown to be essential in cell migration, since uPA -/-mice are greatly impaired in inflammatory cell recruitment. We have shown previously that the uPA-induced chemotaxis requires interaction with and modification of uPAR/CD87, which is the true chemoattracting molecule acting through an unidentified cell surface component which mediates this cell surface chemokine activity. By expressing and testing several uPAR/CD87 variants, we have located and functionally characterized a potent uPAR/CD87 epitope that mimics the effects of the uPA-uPAR interaction. The chemotactic activity lies in the region linking domains 1 and 2, the only protease-sensitive region of uPAR/CD87, efficiently cleaved by uPA at physiological concentrations. Synthetic peptides carrying this epitope promote chemotaxis and activate p56/p59 hck tyrosine kinase. Both chemotaxis and kinase activation are pertussis toxin sensitive, involving a G i/o protein in the pathway.

An expression cloning method which allows direct isolation of cDNAs encoding substrates for tyrosine kinases was applied to the study of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway. A previously undescribed cDNA was isolated and designated eps15. The structural features of the predicted eps15 gene product allow its subdivision into three domains. Domain I contains signatures of a regulatory domain, including a candidate tyrosine phosphorylation site and EF-hand-type calcium-binding domains. Domain II presents the characteristic heptad repeats of coiled-coil rod-like proteins, and domain III displays a repeated aspartic acid-proline-phenylalanine motif similar to a consensus sequence of several methylases. Antibodies specific for the eps15 gene product recognize two proteins: a major species of 142 kDa and a minor component of 155 kDa, both of which are phosphorylated on tyrosine following EGFR activation by EGF in vivo. EGFR is also able to directly phosphorylate the eps15 product in vitro. In addition, phosphorylation of the eps15 gene product in vivo is relatively receptor specific, since the erbB-2 kinase phosphorylates it very inefficiently. Finally, overexpression of eps15 is sufficient to transform NIH 3T3 cells, thus suggesting that the eps15 gene product is involved in the regulation of mitogenic signals.

A method which allows direct cloning of intracellular substrates for receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) was developed. By applying this technique to the study of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling pathway, we have isolated a cDNA, designated eps8, which predicts a approximately 92 kDa protein containing an SH3 domain. Eps8 also contains a putative nuclear targeting sequence. Antibodies specific to the eps8 gene product recognize a protein of M(r) 97 kDa and a minor 68 kDa component, which are closely related, as demonstrated by V8 proteolytic mapping. The product of the eps8 gene is tyrosine‐phosphorylated in vivo following EGF stimulation of intact cells and associates with the EGFR, despite the lack of a functional SH2 domain. Several other RTKs are also able to phosphorylate p97eps8. Thus, the eps8 gene product represents a novel substrate for RTKs. Adoptive expression of the eps8 cDNA in fibroblastic or hematopoietic target cells expressing the EGFR resulted in increased mitogenic response to EGF, implicating the eps8 gene product in the control of mitogenic signals.