Src-mediated phosphorylation of Hsp90 in response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is required for VEGF receptor-2 signaling to endothelial NO synthase.

Nitric oxide (NO) release from endothelial cells, via endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activation, is central to the proangiogenic actions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). VEGF signaling to eNOS is principally mediated by an Akt-dependent phosphorylation of eNOS and by increased association of eNOS to the molecular chaperone, heat-shock protein 90 kDa (Hsp90). Herein, we report that VEGFR-2 activation induces tyrosine phosphorylation of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR-2)-associated Hsp90beta. Tyrosine phosphorylation of Hsp90beta in response to VEGF is dependent on internalization of the VEGFR-2 and on Src kinase activation. Furthermore, we demonstrate that c-Src directly phosphorylates Hsp90 on tyrosine 300 residue and that this event is essential for VEGF-stimulated eNOS association to Hsp90 and thus NO release from endothelial cells. Our work identifies Y300 phosphorylation of Hsp90 as a novel regulated posttranslational modification of the chaperone and demonstrates its importance in the proangiogenic actions of VEGF, namely by regulating NO release from endothelial cells.