Protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 contributes to GDNF neurotrophic activity through direct binding to phospho-Tyr687 in the RET receptor tyrosine kinase.

The signaling mechanisms by which neurotrophic receptors regulate neuronal survival and axonal growth are still incompletely understood. In the receptor tyrosine kinase RET, a receptor for GDNF (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor), the functions of the majority of tyrosine residues that become phosphorylated are still unknown. Here we have identified the protein-tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 as a novel direct interactor of RET and the first effector known to bind to phosphorylated Tyr(687) in the juxtamembrane region of the receptor. We show that SHP2 is recruited to RET upon ligand binding in a cooperative fashion, such that both interaction with Tyr(687) and association with components of the Tyr(1062) signaling complex are required for stable recruitment of SHP2 to the receptor. SHP2 recruitment contributes to the ability of RET to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway and promote survival and neurite outgrowth in primary neurons. Furthermore, we find that activation of protein kinase A (PKA) by forskolin reduces the recruitment of SHP2 to RET and negatively affects ligand-mediated neurite outgrowth. In agreement with this, mutation of Ser(696), a known PKA phosphorylation site in RET, enhances SHP2 binding to the receptor and eliminates the effect of forskolin on ligand-induced outgrowth. Together, these findings establish SHP2 as a novel positive regulator of the neurotrophic activities of RET and reveal Tyr(687) as a critical platform for integration of RET and PKA signals. We anticipate that several other phosphotyrosines of unknown function in neuronal receptor tyrosine kinases will also support similar regulatory functions.