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Constitutive activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins has been detected in a wide variety of human primary tumor specimens and tumor cell lines including blood malignancies, head and neck cancer, and breast cancer. We have previously demonstrated a high frequency of Stat3 DNA-binding activity that is constitutively-induced by an unknown mechanism in human breast cancer cell lines possessing elevated EGF receptor (EGF-R) and c-Src kinase activities. Using tyrosine kinase selective inhibitors, we show here that Src and JAK family tyrosine kinases cooperate to mediate constitutive Stat3 activation in the absence of EGF stimulation in model human breast cancer cell lines. Inhibition of Src or JAKs results in dose-dependent suppression of Stat3 DNA-binding activity, which is accompanied by growth inhibition and induction of programmed cell death. In addition, transfection of a dominant-negative form of Stat3 leads to growth inhibition involving apoptosis of breast cancer cells. These results indicate that the biological effects of the Src and JAK tyrosine kinase inhibitors are at least partially mediated by blocking Stat3 signaling. While EGF-R kinase activity is not required for constitutive Stat3 activation in breast cancer cells, EGF stimulation further increases STAT DNA-binding activity, consistent with an important role for EGF-R in STAT signaling and malignant progression. Analysis of primary breast tumor specimens from patients with advanced disease revealed that the majority exhibit elevated STAT DNA-binding activity compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues. Our findings, taken together, suggest that tyrosine kinases transduce signals through Stat3 protein that contribute to the growth and survival of human breast cancer cells in culture and potentially in vivo.

Evidence from murine fibroblast models and human breast cancer cells indicates that c-Src and human EGF receptor (HER1) synergize to enhance neoplastic growth of mammary epithelial cells. To investigate whether interactions between c-Src and other HER family members may also play a role in breast tumor progression, we characterized 13 human breast carcinoma cell lines and 13 tumor samples for expression of HER family members and c-Src and examined a subset of the cell lines for Src-dependent, heregulin (HRG)-augmented, anchorage-dependent and independent growth. By immunoblotting, we found that all cell lines overexpressed one or more HER family member, and 60% overexpressed c-Src. Seventy-five per cent of the tumor tissues overexpressed HER2, while 64% overexpressed c-Src. Colony formation in soft agar was enhanced by HRG in three of five cell lines tested, a response that correlated with the presence of a c-Src/HER2 heterocomplex. This result suggests that HRG may act through both HER2 and c-Src to facilitate anchorage-independent growth. In contrast, HRG had little effect on anchorage-dependent growth in any of the cell lines tested. PP1, a Src family kinase inhibitor, reduced or ablated HRG-dependent and independent soft agar growth or anchorage dependent growth, and triggered apoptosis in all cell lines tested. The apoptotic effect of PP1 could be partially or completely reversed by HRG, depending on the cell line. These results suggest that while Src family kinases may cooperate with HRG to promote the survival and growth of human breast tumor cells, they also function independently of HER2/HRG in these processes.

While examining the role of pp60c-src in cellular proliferation, we found that overexpression of c-src in C3H10T1/2 murine fibroblasts results in an augmented mitogenic response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) [Luttrell, D.K., Luttrell, L.M. & Parsons, S.J. (1988). Mol. Cell. Biol., 8, 497-501; Wilson, L.K., Luttrell, D.K., Parsons, S.J. (1989). Mol. Cell. Biol., 9, 1536-1544] and enhanced tyrosyl phosphorylation of specific cellular proteins [Wilson, L.K. & Parsons, S.J. (1990). 5, 1471-1480]. Here we identify two of these proteins as the GAP (GTPase-activating protein of p21ras)-associated proteins, p190 and p62. Evidence is presented to support the notion that, in 10T1/2 fibroblasts, p190 is a preferred substrate of pp60c-src, while p62 is preferentially phosphorylated by the EGF receptor. First, the phosphotyrosine content of p190 in quiescent cells is three- to fivefold higher in c-src overexpressors than in control cells and is not altered by growth factor treatment. In contrast, tyrosyl phosphorylation of p62 is undetectable in quiescent cells and transiently observable upon EGF addition. Second, the phosphotyrosine content of p190 in cells overexpressing defective pp60c-src is reduced in comparison with wild-type (wt) c-src overexpressors, while that of p62 is significantly less affected. Further studies revealed that tyrosyl phosphorylation of p190 and p62 is not required for GAP complex formation, as equal amounts of p190 and p62 proteins could be detected in GAP complexes from wt and variant c-src overexpressors both before and after EGF stimulation. However, analysis of GTP-bound p21ras revealed higher basal and EGF-stimulated levels in c-src overexpressors than in control cells. Taken together, these results suggest that one mechanism by which pp60c-src may contribute to early events in the EGF-induced mitogenic pathway in 10T1/2 fibroblasts is by increasing the level of GAP-associated p190 and p62 tyrosyl phosphorylation, which in turn results in higher levels of p21ras-GTP.

In studies aimed at identifying and characterizing pp60c-src substrates that participate in the enhanced mitogenic response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) observed in murine C3H10T1/2 fibroblasts overexpressing c-src, we have identified a 75-kDa protein (p75) whose properties are consistent with those expected of such a substrate. We present evidence to show that p75 is immunologically related to a recently described, cytoskeleton-associated, pp60v-src substrate [Wu et al. (1991). Mol. Cell. Biol., 11, 5113-5124), and that its phosphotyrosine content is increased cooperatively by c-src overexpression and EGF stimulation. p75 is rapidly (within 2 min) phosphorylated on tyrosine upon EGF treatment and undergoes a second, prolonged phase of tyrosyl phosphorylation from 7 to 21 h after EGF addition, suggesting that tyrosyl phosphorylation of p75 is important for late as well as early events following EGF receptor activation. Enhanced tyrosyl phosphorylation of p75 is also seen when cells overexpressing c-src are treated with platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), but significantly less phosphorylation is observed with insulin and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). Both basal and EGF-induced tyrosyl phosphorylation of p75 are reduced in cells overexpressing mutated forms of c-src (unmyristylated, or kinase deficient) as compared with wild-type c-src overexpressers, indicating the dependence of the enhanced tyrosyl phosphorylation on membrane-associated, enzymatically active pp60c-src. In cellular fractionation experiments p75 partitions with the cytosol, while immunofluorescence studies reveal a striking colocalization with pp60c-src at the plasma membrane and in the perinuclear region. Partial co-staining of p75 and actin occurs at the cell's periphery. These data provide evidence for p75 being a direct substrate of pp60c-src. The possible role of p75 in the enhanced response to EGF seen in c-src overexpressers is discussed.

In previous studies examining the role of pp60c-src in cellular proliferation, we demonstrated that overexpression of wild type (wt) but not mutated c-src in C3H10T1/2 murine embryo fibroblasts resulted in a 2 to 5 fold enhancement of DNA synthesis in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF). Using phosphotyrosine antiserum to probe Western immunoblots of whole cell lysates, we determined in the present study that proteins migrating at approximately 170 (EGF receptor), 125, 100, 75, 63 and 57 kDa exhibited EGF-dependent tyrosine phosphorylations that were approximately 3 fold higher in the wt c-src overexpressors than in control cells, while proteins of 125, 100 and 75 kDa displayed basal, unstimulated levels that were approximately 2 fold higher. Pp60c-src-associated hyperphosphorylation of all but the 63 and 57 kDa proteins was reduced or ablated in cells overproducing structurally-altered forms of c-src. Furthermore, in contrast to control cells, wt c-src overexpressors retained EGF-induced tyrosine phosphorylations on the 125, 100 and 75 kDa proteins for up to 9 h of EGF treatment. These results illuminate potential substrates for pp60c-src and suggest that overproduced pp60c-src potentiates the EGF mitogenic response by increasing the extent and duration of tyrosine phosphorylations on proteins involved in EGF mitogenic signalling.

Tumor-derived Syrian hamster embryo (SHE) cell lines, induced in vitro by treatment with chemical carcinogens, contained increased levels of pp60c-src kinase activity compared to preneoplastic parental cell lines and normal SHE cells. The increased kinase activity did not result from an increase in the pp60c-src content of the SHE cell lines, but represented a 4-11 fold increase in pp60c-src kinase specific activity. Both the extent of phosphorylation and the velocity of pp60c-src phosphotransferase activity were increased in the tumor-derived cell lines. SHE cell lines producing chicken pp60c-src were isolated following co-transfection with plasmids bearing the chicken c-src and neoR genes. Chicken pp60c-src expressed in an asbestos-transformed, tumor-derived cell line showed an approximate 3-fold activation of tyrosine kinase activity compared to chicken pp60c-src expressed in the preneoplastic cell line. We suggest that these results indicate that activation of pp60c-src is mediated by trans-acting cellular factors present in the tumor-derived cells. Analysis of pp60c-src in normal SHE cells, preneoplastic cell lines and tumor-derived cell lines showed no alteration in the phosphorylation of tyr-527 or tyr-416, two tyrosine residues whose phosphorylation states have been associated with modulation of kinase activity. These studies indicate that the neoplastic progression of cells may be accompanied by the activation of proto-oncogene products, such as the pp60c-src tyrosine kinase, by mechanisms that may not directly involve genetic alteration of the proto-oncogene DNA sequence.

Insulin and phorbol esters have been shown to produce similar, non-additive metabolic effects in BC3H-1 murine myocytes. Recently, it has been demonstrated that insulin stimulation of these cells increases production of diacylglycerol, a known activator of protein kinase C (PK-C). To determine if insulin stimulation results in the activation of PK-C, we have examined the effects of insulin and the tumor promoting phorbol ester, 12-0-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), on the phosphorylation of a known PK-C substrate in vivo, the cellular proto-oncogene product, pp60c-src. Differentiated BC3H-1 monocytes showed an approximate twofold elevation in the [32P] content of pp60c-src following stimulation with insulin or TPA for 20 min, with no detectable change in the level of immunoprecipitable c-src protein. The enhanced phosphorylation in response to each agent localized to serine residues in the amino terminal 16 kD staphylococcal V8 proteolytic fragment. Tryptic phosphopeptide analysis revealed that TPA stimulation resulted in an approximate 18-fold increase in phosphorylation of the serine 12-containing tryptic fragment. Insulin stimulation, however, resulted in an approximate 10-fold increase in phosphorylation of the serine 17-containing tryptic fragment with little or no accompanying increase in serine 12 phosphorylation. In cells exposed to high concentrations of TPA for 16 h to deplete PK-C activity, insulin, but not TPA, stimulated phosphorylation of pp60c-src. These data suggest that insulin and phorbol ester induce phosphorylation of pp60c-src by distinct protein kinases.