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DOCK proteins are guanine nucleotide exchange factors for Rac and Cdc42 GTPases. DOCK1 is the founding member of the family and acts downstream of integrins via the canonical Crk-p130Cas complex to activate Rac GTPases in numerous contexts. In contrast, DOCK5, which possesses the greatest similarity to DOCK1, remains sparingly studied. Here we establish that DOCK5 has a non-redundant role in regulating motile and invasive capacities of epithelial cells. DOCK1 is constitutively associated with sites of integrin attachment termed focal adhesions (FAs). In contrast, we demonstrate that DOCK5 recruitment to FAs in Hela cells is restricted by GIT2, an established regulator of FA signaling. We determine that GIT2 is targeted to FAs in response to Rho-ROCK signaling and actomyosin contractility. Accordingly, inhibition of ROCK activity or MLC function promotes enrichment of DOCK5 in membrane protrusions and nascent cell–substratum adhesions. We further demonstrate that GIT2 inhibits the interaction of DOCK5 with Crk. Moreover, we show that depletion of GIT2 promotes DOCK5-dependent activation of the Crk-p130Cas signaling cascade to promote Rac1-mediated lamellipodial protrusion and FA turnover. The antagonism between GIT2 and DOCK5 extends to non-transformed MCF10A mammary epithelial cells, with DOCK5 ‘dialing-up’ and GIT2 ‘dialing-down’ invasiveness. Finally, we determine that DOCK5 inhibition attenuates invasion and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 cells and prolongs life span of mice injected with these cells. Collectively, our work identifies DOCK5 as a key regulator of epithelial invasion and metastasis, and demonstrates that suppression of DOCK5 by GIT2 represents a previously unappreciated mechanism for coordination of Rho and Rac GTPases.

90-kDa ribosomal S6 kinase-2 (RSK2) belongs to a family of growth factor-activated serine/threonine kinases composed of two kinase domains connected by a regulatory linker region. The N-terminal kinase of RSK2 is involved in substrate phosphorylation. Its activation requires phosphorylation of the linker region at Ser(369), catalyzed by extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), and at Ser(386), catalyzed by the C-terminal kinase, after its activation by ERK. In addition, the N-terminal kinase must be phosphorylated at Ser(227) in the activation loop by an as yet unidentified kinase. Here, we show that the isolated N-terminal kinase of RSK2 (amino acids 1-360) is phosphorylated at Ser(227) by PDK1, a constitutively active kinase, leading to 100-fold stimulation of kinase activity. In COS7 cells, ectopic PDK1 induced the phosphorylation of full-length RSK2 at Ser(227) and Ser(386), without involvement of ERK, leading to partial activation of RSK2. Similarly, two other members of the RSK family, RSK1 and RSK3, were partially activated by PDK1 in COS7 cells. Finally, our data indicate that full activation of RSK2 by growth factor requires the cooperation of ERK and PDK1 through phosphorylation of Ser(227), Ser(369), and Ser(386). Our study extend recent findings which implicate PDK1 in the activation of protein kinases B and C and p70(S6K), suggesting that PDK1 controls several major growth factor-activated signal transduction pathways.

In PC12 cells, cAMP stimulates the MAP kinase pathway by an unknown mechanism. Firstly, we examined the role of calcium ion mobilization and of protein kinase C in cAMP‐stimulated MAP kinase activation. We show that cAMP stimulates p44mapkindependently of these events. Secondly, we studied the role of B‐Raf in this process. We observed that NGF, PMA and cAMP induce the phosphorylation of B‐Raf as well as an upward shift in its electrophoretic mobility. We show that B‐Raf is activated following NGF and PMA treatment of PC12 cells, and that it can phosphorylate and activate MEK‐1. However, cAMP inhibits B‐Raf autokinase activity as well as its ability to phosphorylate and activate MEK‐1. This inhibition is likely to be due to a direct effect since we found that PKA phosphorylates B‐Raf in vitro. Further, we show that B‐Raf binds to p21ras, but more important, this binding to p21rasis virtually abolished with B‐Raf from PC12 cells treated with CPT‐cAMP. Hence, these data indicate that the PKA‐mediated phosphorylation of B‐Raf hampers its interaction with p21ras, which is responsible for the PKA‐mediated decrease in B‐Raf activity. Finally, our work suggests that in PC12 cells, cAMP stimulates MAP kinase through the activation of an unidentified MEK kinase and/or the inhibition of a MEK phosphatase.

In PC12 cells, cAMP stimulates the MAP kinase pathway by an unknown mechanism. Firstly, we examined the role of calcium ion mobilization and of protein kinase C in cAMP-stimulated MAP kinase activation. We show that cAMP stimulates p44 mapkindependently of these events. Secondly, we studied the role of B-Raf in this process. We observed that NGF, PMA and cAMP induce the phosphorylation of B-Raf as well as an upward shift in its electrophoretic mobility. We show that B-Raf is activated following NGF and PMA treatment of PC12 cells, and that it can phosphorylate and activate MEK-1. However, cAMP inhibits B-Raf autokinase activity as well as its ability to phosphorylate and activate MEK-1. This inhibition is likely to be due to a direct effect since we found that PKA phosphorylates B-Raf in vitro. Further, we show that B-Raf binds to p21 ras, but more important, this binding to p21 rasis virtually abolished with B-Raf from PC12 cells treated with CPT-cAMP. Hence, these data indicate that the PKA-mediated phosphorylation of B-Raf hampers its interaction with p21 ras, which is responsible for the PKA-mediated decrease in B-Raf activity. Finally, our work suggests that in PC12 cells, cAMP stimulates MAP kinase through the activation of an unidentified MEK kinase and/or the inhibition of a MEK phosphatase.

We have investigated the effects of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), and nerve growth factor (NGF) on DNA synthesis in cultured chromaffin cells from fetal, neonatal, and adult rats by using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdUrd) pulse labeling for 24 or 48 h and immunocytochemical staining of cell nuclei. After 6 days in culture in the absence of growth factors, nuclear BrdUrd incorporation was detected in 30% of fetal chromaffin cells, 1.5% of neonatal cells, and 0.1% of adult cells. Addition of 10 nM IGF-I or IGF-II increased the fraction of BrdUrd-labeled nuclei to 50% of fetal, 20% of neonatal, and 2% of adult chromaffin cells. The ED50 value of IGF-I- and IGF-II-stimulated BrdUrd labeling in neonatal chromaffin cells was 0.3 nM and 0.8 nM, respectively. In neonatal and adult chromaffin cells, addition of 1 nM bFGF or 2 nM NGF stimulated nuclear BrdUrd incorporation to approximately the same level as 10 nM IGF-I or IGF-II. However, the response to bFGF or NGF in combination with either IGF-I or IGF-II was more than additive, indicating that the combined effect of the IGFs and bFGF or NGF is synergistic. The degree of synergism was 2- to 4-fold in neonatal chromaffin cells and 10- to 20-fold in adult chromaffin cells compared with the effect of each growth factor alone. In contrast, the action of bFGF and NGF added together in the absence of IGFs was not synergistic or additive. IGF-II acted also as a survival factor on neonatal chromaffin cells and the cell survival was further improved when bFGF or NGF was added together with IGF-II. In conclusion, we propose that IGF-I and IGF-II act in synergy with bFGF and NGF to stimulate proliferation and survival of chromaffin cells during neonatal growth and adult maintenance of the adrenal medulla. Our findings may have implications for improving the survival of chromaffin cell implants in diseased human brain.

The signaling pathways whereby glucose and hormonal secretagogues regulate insulin-secretory function, gene transcription, and proliferation of pancreatic beta-cells are not well defined. We show that in the glucose-responsive beta-cell line INS-1, major secretagogue-stimulated signaling pathways converge to activate 44-kDa mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. Thus, glucose-induced insulin secretion was found to be associated with a small stimulatory effect on 44-kDa MAP kinase, which was synergistically enhanced by increased levels of intracellular cAMP and by the hormonal secretagogues glucagon-like peptide-1 and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide. Activation of 44-kDa MAP kinase by glucose was dependent on Ca2+ influx and may in part be mediated by MEK-1, a MAP kinase kinase. Stimulation of Ca2+ influx by KCl was in itself sufficient to activate 44-kDa MAP kinase and MEK-1. Phorbol ester, an activator of protein kinase C, stimulated 44-kDa MAP kinase by both Ca(2+)-dependent and -independent pathways. Nerve growth factor, independently of changes in cytosolic Ca2+, efficiently stimulated 44-kDa MAP kinase without causing insulin release, indicating that activation of this kinase is not sufficient for secretion. In the presence of glucose, however, nerve growth factor potentiated insulin secretion. In INS-1 cells, activation of 44-kDa MAP kinase was partially correlated with the induction of early response genes junB, nur77, and zif268 but not with stimulation of DNA synthesis. Our findings suggest a role of 44-kDa MAP kinase in mediating some of the pleiotropic actions of secretagogues on the pancreatic beta-cell.