Shc phosphotyrosine-binding domain dominantly interacts with epidermal growth factor receptors and mediates Ras activation in intact cells.

The adaptor protein Shc contains a phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain and a Src homology 2 (SH2) domain, both of which are known to interact with phosphorylated tyrosines. We have shown previously that tyrosine 1148 of the activated epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor is a major binding site for Shc while tyrosine 1173 is a secondary binding site in intact cells. In the present study, we investigated the interaction between the PTB and SH2 domains of Shc and the activated human EGF receptor. Mutant 52-kDa Shc with an arginine-to-lysine substitution at residue 175 in the PTB domain (Shc R175K) or 397 in the SH2 domain (Shc R397K) was coexpressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells overexpressing the wild-type or mutant EGF receptors that retained only one of the autophosphorylation sites at tyrosine 1148 (QM1148) or 1173 (QM1173). Shc R397K was coprecipitated with the QM1148 and QM1173 receptors, was tyrosine-phosphorylated, and associated with Grb2 and Sos. In contrast, coprecipitation of Shc R175K with the mutant receptors was barely detectable. In cells expressing the QM1173 receptor, Shc R175K was tyrosine-phosphorylated and associated with Grb2, while association of Sos was barely detectable. In cells expressing the QM1148 receptor, tyrosine phosphorylation of Shc R175K was markedly reduced. When both Shc R175K and 46-kDa Shc R397K were coexpressed with the mutant receptors, p46 Shc R397K was dominantly tyrosine-phosphorylated. In cells expressing the wild-type receptor, Shc R397K, but not Shc R175K, translocated to the membrane in an EGF-dependent manner. In addition, Ras activity stimulated by the immunoprecipitates of Shc R397K was significantly higher than that by the immunoprecipitates of Shc R175K. The present results indicate that tyrosine 1148 of the activated EGF receptor mainly interacts with the Shc PTB domain in intact cells. Tyrosine 1173 interacts with both the PTB and SH2 domains, although the interaction with the PTB domain is dominant. In addition, Shc bound to the activated EGF receptor via the PTB domain dominantly interacts with Grb2-Sos complex and plays a major role in the Ras-signaling pathway.