A cross-talk between oncogenic Ras and tumor suppressor PTEN through FAK Tyr861 phosphorylation in NIH/3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

Although Ras is a potent oncogene, its tumorigenicity depends on cellular context and cooperative events. Tumor suppressor PTEN is the most important negative regulator of the cell-survival signaling pathway initiated by phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase. Previously, we established various NIH/3T3 cells expressing H-Ras mutant proteins. This report shows that expression of PTEN is suppressed by the oncogenic H-Ras at its protein and transcript levels as well as by oncogenic K- and N-Ras. This activity of oncogenic Ras is mediated by Raf-1/Erk/MEK signaling pathway. In our previous reports, FAK Y(861) phosphorylation is higher in H-Ras transformed NIH/3T3 cells. In this report, level of FAK pY(861) was examined in Ras mutant cell lines. By generating wild-type PTEN, lipid phosphatase-deficient PTEN and activity-inert PTEN-inducible cell lines in the background of oncogenic H-Ras stable expression in NIH/3T3 cells, we show level of FAK pY(861) is decreased by protein phosphatase activity of PTEN.