Steel factor enhances integrin-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (pp125FAK) and paxillin.

Integrin-mediated interaction of hematopoietic progenitor cells with bone marrow stromal extracellular matrix components is important in hematopoiesis. Focal adhesion kinase (pp125FAK) plays a central role in signal transduction through integrin receptors. We studied matrix-integrin interaction and subsequent signaling in human growth factor-dependent cell line, TF-1. Adherence of unstimulated TF-1 cells to fibronectin-coated wells was blocked by antiintegrin beta 1 and combination of anti-alpha 4 with anti-alpha 5 antibodies, indicating alpha 4 beta 1 and alpha 5 beta 1 integrin mediated adherence. Steel factor (SLF) increased TF-1 adhesion to fibronectin dose-dependently and 10(-7) mol/L wortmannin suppressed SLF-induced adhesion. Immunoprecipitation and immunoblotting with antiphosphotyrosine antibody showed that adherence of TF-1 cells to fibronectin without cytokine caused tyrosine phosphorylation of several proteins identified as pp125FAK and paxillin. SLF induced spreading of adherent TF-1 cells and enhanced tyrosine phosphorylation of pp125FAK and paxillin in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment with SLF without plating on fibronectin did not induce tyrosine phosphorylation of pp125FAK. Wortmannin, at 10(-7) mol/L, completely abolished SLF-induced enhancement of pp125FAK tyrosine phosphorylation, while c-kit autophosphorylation was not affected. This suggests that increase of pp125FAK tyrosine phosphorylation was mediated through a wortmannin sensitive pathway, rather than by direct action on c-kit tyrosine kinase. Treatment of adherent TF-1 cells with RGDS peptide plus anti-alpha 4 antibody also inhibited SLF-induced enhancement of pp125FAK tyrosine phosphorylation without detachment of TF-1 cells. These data suggest that SLF enhances integrin-fibronectin-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of pp125FAK through activation of integrin ("inside-out" signaling) and following integrin occupancy. This establishes a novel linkage between c-kit/SLF pathway and integrin fibronectin signaling.