ErbB2 and ErbB4 Cbl binding sites can functionally replace the ErbB1 Cbl binding site

• Published in: Cellular signalling Vol. 21; no. 5; pp. 810 - 818
• Main Authors: Jansen, Suzanne M., Sleumer, Laura S., Damen, Ester, Meijer, Inez M.J., van Zoelen, Everardus J.J., van Leeuwen, Jeroen E.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Inc 01.05.2009
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Amino Acid Substitution; Animals; Binding Sites; Cbl; Cell Line; Degradation; Down-Regulation; EGFR; Endosome; Endosomes - enzymology; Humans; Mice; NIH 3T3 Cells; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-cbl - metabolism; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - metabolism; Receptor, ErbB-2 - metabolism; Receptor, ErbB-4; Signal Transduction; Ubiquitin; Ubiquitination; Ubiquitin; Degradation; Cbl; Endosome; EGFR
• ISSN: 0898-6568; 1873-3913
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2009.01.028

Poor downregulation of ErbB receptors is associated with enhanced downstream signaling and tumorigenesis. It has been suggested that poor downregulation of ErbB-2, -3 and -4 receptors when compared to ErbB1 is due to decreased recruitment of Cbl E3 ligase proteins. However, a highly conserved Cbl binding site is not only present in ErbB1/EGFR (FLQRpY 1045SSDP), but also in ErbB2 (PLQRpY 1091SEDP) and ErbB4 (STQRpY 1103SADP). We therefore replaced the ErbB1 Cbl binding site by that of ErbB2 and ErbB4. Whereas retrovirally infected NIH3T3 cells containing the EGFR Y1045F mutation showed dramatically impaired Cbl recruitment, EGFR ubiquitination and delayed EGFR degradation, replacement of the EGFR Cbl binding site by that of ErbB2 or ErbB4 did not affect Cbl recruitment, receptor-ubiquitination, -degradation, -downregulation or ligand degradation. We conclude that poor downregulation of ErbB2 and ErbB4 receptors is not due to sequence variations in the Cbl binding site of these receptors.