Flotillin-1/reggie-2 protein plays dual role in activation of receptor-tyrosine kinase/mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling

J Biol Chem. 2012 Mar 2;287(10):7265-78. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M111.287599. Epub 2012 Jan 9.

Abstract

Our previous work has shown that the membrane microdomain-associated flotillin proteins are potentially involved in epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor signaling. Here we show that knockdown of flotillin-1/reggie-2 results in reduced EGF-induced phosphorylation of specific tyrosines in the EGF receptor (EGFR) and in inefficient activation of the downstream mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and Akt signaling. Although flotillin-1 has been implicated in endocytosis, its depletion affects neither the endocytosis nor the ubiquitination of the EGFR. However, EGF-induced clustering of EGFR at the cell surface is altered in cells lacking flotillin-1. Furthermore, we show that flotillins form molecular complexes with EGFR in an EGF/EGFR kinase-independent manner. However, knockdown of flotillin-1 appears to affect the activation of the downstream MAP kinase signaling more directly. We here show that flotillin-1 forms a complex with CRAF, MEK1, ERK, and KSR1 (kinase suppressor of RAS) and that flotillin-1 knockdown leads to a direct inactivation of ERK1/2. Thus, flotillin-1 plays a direct role during both the early phase (activation of the receptor) and late (activation of MAP kinases) phase of growth factor signaling. Our results here unveil a novel role for flotillin-1 as a scaffolding factor in the regulation of classical MAP kinase signaling. Furthermore, our results imply that other receptor-tyrosine kinases may also rely on flotillin-1 upon activation, thus suggesting a general role for flotillin-1 as a novel factor in receptor-tyrosine kinase/MAP kinase signaling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Enzyme Activation / physiology
  • Epidermal Growth Factor / genetics
  • Epidermal Growth Factor / metabolism
  • ErbB Receptors / genetics
  • ErbB Receptors / metabolism*
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / genetics
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System / physiology*
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism*
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / genetics
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / genetics
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / metabolism
  • Multiprotein Complexes / genetics
  • Multiprotein Complexes / metabolism*
  • Protein Kinases / genetics
  • Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • Multiprotein Complexes
  • flotillins
  • Epidermal Growth Factor
  • Protein Kinases
  • KSR-1 protein kinase
  • EGFR protein, human
  • ErbB Receptors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • MAPK1 protein, human
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3
  • MAP Kinase Kinase 1
  • MAP2K1 protein, human