Src Kinase Activates Endothelial Nitric-oxide Synthase by Phosphorylating Tyr-83

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry Vol. 280; no. 43; pp. 35943 - 35952
• Main Authors: Fulton, David, Church, Jarrod E., Ruan, Ling, Li, Chunying, Sood, Sarika G., Kemp, Bruce E., Jennings, Ian G., Venema, Richard C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 28.10.2005; American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Subjects: Animals; Calcium - metabolism; Cattle; Cells, Cultured; Chlorocebus aethiops; COS Cells; Immunoblotting; Immunoprecipitation; Inflammation; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III - metabolism; Phosphorylation; Protein Structure, Tertiary; Pyrimidines - pharmacology; src-Family Kinases - metabolism; src-Family Kinases - physiology; Time Factors; Transfection; Tyrosine - chemistry; Tyrosine - metabolism
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M504606200

The endothelial nitric-oxide synthase (eNOS) is regulated in part by serine/threonine phosphorylation, but eNOS tyrosine phosphorylation is less well understood. In the present study we have examined the tyrosine phosphorylation of eNOS in bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) exposed to oxidant stress. Hydrogen peroxide and pervanadate (PV) treatment stimulates eNOS tyrosine phosphorylation in BAECs. Phosphorylation is blocked by the Src kinase family inhibitor, 4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl)pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidine (PP2). Moreover, eNOS and c-Src can be coimmunoprecipitated from BAEC lysates by antibodies directed against either protein. Domain mapping and site-directed mutagenesis studies in COS-7 cells transfected with either eNOS alone and then treated with PV or cotransfected with eNOS and constitutively active v-Src identified Tyr-83 (bovine sequence) as the major eNOS tyrosine phosphorylation site. Tyr-83 phosphorylation is associated with a 3-fold increase in basal NO release from cotransfected cells. Furthermore, the Y83F eNOS mutation attenuated thapsigargin-stimulated NO production. Taken together, these data indicate that Src-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of eNOS at Tyr-83 modulates eNOS activity in endothelial cells.