Sos, Vav, and C3G participate in B cell receptor-induced signaling pathways and differentially associate with Shc-Grb2, Crk, and Crk-L adaptors

J Biol Chem. 1996 Apr 12;271(15):8564-9. doi: 10.1074/jbc.271.15.8564.

Abstract

B cell antigen receptor (BCR)-mediated signal transduction controls B cell proliferation and differentiation. The BCR activates Ras, presumably by the formation of a Shc-Grb2 adaptor complex, which recruits the Grb2-associated guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sos to the plasma membrane. In order to reveal additional BCR-induced signaling events involving the Grb2 adaptor, we undertook the isolation of Grb2-binding proteins. Using the yeast two-hybrid system and bacterial fusion proteins, Vav and C3G were identified as Grb2 binders. Vav is a putative nucleotide exchange factor and a target for BCR-induced tyrosine phosphorylation. C3G exerts nucleotide exchange activity on the Ras-related Rap1 protein. While Sos binds to both Grb2 Src homology-3 (SH3) domains, Vav was found to associate selectively with the carboxyl-terminal SH3 domain, while C3G bound selectively to the amino-terminal SH3 domain of bacterially expressed Grb2. Despite the association of Vav with Grb2 in vitro, we could not demonstrate an interaction between endogenous Vav and Grb2 molecules in primary B cells. Instead, Vav was found to inducibly associate with the Grb2-related adaptor protein Crk upon BCR stimulation. C3G did not bind to either Grb2, Shc, or Crk in vivo. Instead, C3G was found in association with the Crk-L adaptor, both before and after BCR stimulation. We show that Crk-L also participates in BCR signaling, since it inducibly interacts with tyrosine-phosphorylated Cbl. We conclude that, in addition to Sos, Vav and C3G play a role in BCR-mediated signal transduction. These guanine nucleotide exchange factors selectively associate with Grb2, Crk, and Crk-L, respectively, which may serve to direct them to different target molecules. Since Cbl binds to Grb2, Crk, as well as Crk-L, we hypothesize that Cbl may affect the function of all three exchangers.

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing*
  • Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • B-Lymphocytes / physiology*
  • Base Sequence
  • Cell Cycle Proteins*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • DNA Primers / chemistry
  • GRB2 Adaptor Protein
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors
  • Humans
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism
  • Proteins / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / physiology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-crk
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / metabolism*
  • Shc Signaling Adaptor Proteins
  • Signal Transduction
  • Son of Sevenless Proteins
  • Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing, Transforming Protein 1
  • ras Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport
  • CRKL protein
  • Cell Cycle Proteins
  • DNA Primers
  • GRB2 Adaptor Protein
  • GRB2 protein, human
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-crk
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-vav
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell
  • SHC1 protein, human
  • Shc Signaling Adaptor Proteins
  • Son of Sevenless Proteins
  • Src Homology 2 Domain-Containing, Transforming Protein 1
  • VAV1 protein, human
  • ras Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors