The Role of the Grb14 Adaptor Protein in Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Signalling
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The role of the Grb14 adaptor protein in receptor tyrosine kinase signalling Rania Kairouz A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Faculty of Medicine University of New South Wales 2002 a:Jedication irhis undeservin8 thesis is dedicated to the Creator of a(( discoveries, for mercifu((y hefpin8 us to make them 11 !Jl.cinowfedgments 'The simpler one writes the better it will be' St. Bernadette Soubirous Whether this thesis lives up to St. Bernadette's wisdom remains to be seen, but I can state with certainty that this work would not have been possible without dedicated individuals with whom I had the pleasure to work and learn. First and foremost, my dear and kind supervisors. Roger Daly, in particular, for his invaluable guidance at every step, during the highs, lows and the flatlines... His unwavering positivism and insight regarding experiments are quite appreciated, in addition to his eagerness in viewing Western blots (or any blot!) and his magnanimous endurance in hearing and editing some of my 'favourite' words, including 'basically' and the most recent 'plethora', so BASICALLY thanks Rog. I also sincerely thank Rob Sutherland for providing continuous support and morale-boosting advice on scientific and career issues, and for giving me the opportunity and the privilege to work in such a stimulating, friendly and intricately well-managed environment. Many thanks also to Liz Musgrove, for all her help and guidance when I joined forces with the Cell Cyders. For advice and help with this thesis, I also thank Big Bad Boris, Dr Dan, and Gary Leong. I appreciate the assistance from Sue, Carsten and Tuan for statistical analysis. My heartfelt thanks to all those who contributed to this work (see Chapter 2), including Georgina Sanderson and Roger for the 184 library screening. In particular, I BASICALLY thank Ruth for technical advice and help, and the lovely Jayamala with whom I worked during the latter part of my PhD. Thankyou to all my precious Cancerites and Garvanites for your support throughout my PhD, you are all like a second family to me (my sympathy to those unfortunate individuals whom I pestered with questions). I am grateful to Fireman Charlie who 'always saves the day', for sending me references (and jokes) during my 'hermitress' writing phase. It is no secret that working in lab 1 is never monotonous, and here I have the opportunity to reveal all. However, I shall leave that for my upcoming bestseller and contend with thanking Colonel Michelle (whose favourite pasttime was to answer my questions), Suzann for being lll a 'pseudo' big sister, Mel for being a 'pseudo' little sister, Amanda! Amanda! Amanda! for making sure I was 'stirred not shaken', Psycho Sam for bravely enduring repetitions of 'catch a falling star' and Prof. Clancy, my partner-in-crime (that's in my bestseller), for allowing me to metastasise to her bench. Frequently. Thanks also to Steph and Perla Preciosa Marcia for all the fun outings. I am grateful to Damien for the med/bird stories, Superflower Laura for baby Angelica (who fought her way into this world during my writing) and D.J. for the jokes and discussions (Damien and D. J., I think we agree to disagree!). My cherished family and friends .... Well, thankyou for so much incredible support. You guys have astounded me! I am greatly indebted to Mirna and Carmen for help with proofreading and for effortlessly transforming the rania Frown into a huge smile©. Thanks for the encouragement of those who have been patiently waiting for me to finish, in order to 'party', organise a wedding, travel, and catch up ... This includes the enchanting bride-to be Zara, Laura, Aline (i.e. Amex IT expert), Ruby, Sr. Margaret (the gifted branch!), and the State Bodybuilding Champion Charbel (Bro, are we related?). Mum and Dad, my guardian angels, where would I be without you?. A special thanks to my grandparents for their love and prayers: Najla and Joseph Antoun, and Teta Atour. During my PhD, I had to say goodbye to two very dear persons to whom I am greatly indebted. First, the Poet Naeim Khoury, for his amazing talent, kind support and bravery. I have never witnessed anyone fight lung cancer like this man. He remains an unending inspiration to me, to his oncologists and cancer researchers alike ... Second, and most recently, to my dear late grandfather, the legendary Mayor Ibrahim Kairouz, for his constant loving support, and for teaching me what I will never forget... May this work be a tribute to these inspiring souls. Ah! My beautiful Patroness, 'Star of the sea', how can one ever thank another for saving their life? Your Maternal guidance is always my shield ... Finally, and most importantly, to the Knight in Shining Armour I have been waiting for my entire life, who, cleverly hidden but always so close, finally succeeded in rescuing me. Every single heartbeat I make belongs to you, my Merciful Knight, and I look forward to galloping away with you up that steep mountain into eternal bliss ... IV !Jl.bstract The Grb7 family of SH2 domain-containing signalling proteins, which comprises Grb7, -10 and -14, perform both adaptor and regulatory roles in receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signalling. Overexpression of Grb7 family proteins has been detected in several types of human cancer or cancer cell lines, and Grb7 has been linked with enhanced tumour invasion. In addition, splice variants with alterations in key functional domains that display distinct RTK recruitment profiles have been identified for Grb7 and -10. However, the function of Grb14, the most recent member of this family, remains undefined and its interacting partners unidentified. Therefore, this study sought to characterise the role of Grb 14 in cellular signalling. Using RT-PCR, a novel human Grb14 isoform was identified and designated Grb14 ~- This isoform contains a 94 bp deletion in SH2 domain-encoding sequences and a premature termination codon that truncates the SH2 module and abrogates its function. 3/12 cDNA clones isolated from a human breast epithelial cDNA library also contained this deletion. Further, PCR from genomic DNA demonstrated that the deleted region in the Grb14 gene is flanked by exon-intron junctions, suggesting that Grb14 ~ transcripts originate by alternative mRNA splicing. Interestingly, differential expression of Grb14 isoforms was detected amongst breast cancer cell lines. In order to functionally characterise the two variants, association with particular RTKs was investigated by co immunoprecipitation analysis and GST fusion protein pulldowns. FGFR-1 was identified as a novel Grb14 a binding partner. Further analysis revealed that both Grb14 a and~ bind the insulin receptor in an interaction mediated by the 'between PH and SH2' (BPS) domain and that the SH2 domain is dispensable for this signalling role. However Grb14 a, but not ~' bound FGFR-1 since this interaction requires a functional SH2 domain. Therefore, alternative mRNA splicing regulates association of Grb14 with particular RTKs, where the distinct functional modules mediate interactions with different receptors. V While this work was in progress, a study demonstrated inhibition of FGF-induced DNA synthesis by overexpression of Grb14. It also reported enhancement of this FGF-induced response by overexpression of a Grb14 protein that cannot bind the FGFR-1 due to a generated point-mutation (R466K) in the SH2 domain. Since this may have functional implications for the novel Grb14 splice variant which also fails to mediate receptor binding, the functional effect of Grb 14 ~ in FGF-stimulated proliferation of fibroblasts was examined using thymidine incorporation analysis and flow cytometry. This revealed that Grb14 ~ did not affect FGF-stimulated DNA synthesis or cell cycle progression. A significant effect of Grb14 a overexpression on these endpoints was not observed, indicating that Grb14 is not a major physiological regulator of FGF-induced mitogenesis. Grb14 is implicated in regulation of insulin signalling and it is differentially expressed in breast cancer cell lines, although little is known about its regulation. Thus, the regulation of this protein by insulin/IGF-I and estrogen was investigated, since these hormones synergise in the regulation of breast cancer cell proliferation. In MCF-7 cells maintained in charcoal-stripped serum, Grb14 expression was downregulated by estradiol and increased by the pure antiestrogen ICI 182780. Under serum-free conditions, insulin enhanced Grb14 expression but this effect was repressed by estradiol when both hormones were used in combination. Using a system in which c-Myc induction drives cell cycle progression independently of estradiol, Grb14 regulation was specific to estradiol treatment. Finally, a novel functional role was revealed for Grb14 whereby its overexpression inhibited not only insulin- but also estrogen-induced cell cycle progression. These data represent the first demonstration of regulation of Grb14 expression levels in response to hormonal stimuli, and are consistent with its role as a repressor of insulin/IGF signalling. Furthermore, they implicate a modulatory role for Grb14 in hormonal cooperativity in regulating the proliferation of breast cancer cells. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication -------------------------------ii Ac know Ie d gmen t s _________________________ iii Abstract ____________________________ v Figures ______________________________ x Abbreviations xii Chapter 1 - Literature Review ____________________ 1 1. 1 Signalling by receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs)