Ligands for EPH-related receptor tyrosine kinases that require membrane attachment or clustering for activity

Science. 1994 Nov 4;266(5186):816-9. doi: 10.1126/science.7973638.

Abstract

The EPH-related transmembrane tyrosine kinases constitute the largest known family of receptor-like tyrosine kinases, with many members displaying specific patterns of expression in the developing and adult nervous system. A family of cell surface-bound ligands exhibiting distinct, but overlapping, specificities for these EPH-related kinases was identified. These ligands were unable to act as conventional soluble factors. However, they did function when presented in membrane-bound form, suggesting that they require direct cell-to-cell contact to activate their receptors. Membrane attachment may serve to facilitate ligand dimerization or aggregation, because antibody-mediated clustering activated previously inactive soluble forms of these ligands.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins*
  • Ephrin-A1
  • Ephrin-B1
  • Humans
  • Ligands
  • Membrane Proteins / chemistry
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • Proteins / chemistry
  • Proteins / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins*
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Receptor, EphA5*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / metabolism*
  • Solubility
  • Transcription Factors*
  • Transfection
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • ets-Domain Protein Elk-1

Substances

  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • EHK1 ligand
  • Ephrin-A1
  • Ephrin-B1
  • Ligands
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic
  • Transcription Factors
  • ets-Domain Protein Elk-1
  • EPHA5 protein, human
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Receptor, EphA5