An Eph receptor regulates integrin activity through R-Ras

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1999 Nov 23;96(24):13813-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.96.24.13813.

Abstract

The ability of integrins to mediate cell attachment to extracellular matrices and to blood proteins is regulated from inside the cell. Increased ligand-binding activity of integrins is critical for platelet aggregation upon blood clotting and for leukocyte extravasation to inflamed tissues. Decreased adhesion is thought to promote tumor cell invasion. R-Ras, a small intracellular GTPase, regulates the binding of integrins to their ligands outside the cell. Here we show that the Eph receptor tyrosine kinase, EphB2, can control integrin activity through R-Ras. Cells in which EphB2 is activated become poorly adherent to substrates coated with integrin ligands, and a tyrosine residue in the R-Ras effector domain is phosphorylated. The R-Ras phosphorylation and loss of cell adhesion are causally related, because forced expression of an R-Ras variant resistant to phosphorylation at the critical site made cells unresponsive to the anti-adhesive effect of EphB2. This is an unusual regulatory pathway among the small GTPases. Reduced adhesiveness induced through the Eph/R-Ras pathway may explain the repulsive effect of the Eph receptors in axonal pathfinding and may facilitate tumor cell invasion and angiogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • 3T3 Cells
  • Animals
  • Cell Adhesion / physiology
  • Cell Line, Transformed
  • Chickens
  • Humans
  • Integrins / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Phosphorylation
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Receptor, EphB2
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • ras Proteins / genetics
  • ras Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Integrins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptor, EphB2
  • ras Proteins