Purification and characterization of the neu/erb B2 ligand-growth factor from bovine kidney.

A neu/erb B2 ligand growth factor (NEL-GF) was purified to homogeneity from bovine kidney by a procedure involving ammonium sulfate fractionation (35-70% saturation) followed by sequential column chromatography on DEAE-cellulose (DE52), Sulfadex (sulfated Sephadex G-50), heparin-Sepharose 4B, and Superdex 75 (fast protein liquid chromatography). NEL-GF was found to be a 25-kDa polypeptide according to the analysis by gel filtration on Superdex 75 and 10% sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. NEL-GF stimulated the tyrosine-specific autophosphorylation of the neu/erb B2 gene product purified by immunoabsorbent and tyrosine-specific phosphorylation of the neu/erb B2 gene product in intact dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR/G-8 cells (NIH 3T3 cells transfected with rat c-neu). NEL-GF also down-regulated the cell surface neu/erb B2 gene product in DHFR/G-8 cells. NEL-GF was mitogenic toward NIH 3T3 cells, DHFR/G-8 cells, A431 cells (human epidermoid carcinoma cells), and SK-BR-3 cells (human breast carcinoma cells) but inactive toward bovine aorta endothelial cells. NEL-GF was sensitive to 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid but resistant to 5% beta-mercaptoethanol and appeared to be distinct from a neu protein-specific activating factor (Davis, J. G., Hamuro, J., Shim, C. Y., Samanta, A., Greene, M. I., and Dobashi, K. (1991) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 179, 1536-1542) and a 30-kDa glycoprotein which competed with a monoclonal antibody for binding to the neu/erb B2 gene product (Lupu, R., Colomer, R., Zugmaier, G., Sarup, J., Shepard, M., Slamon, D., and Lippman, M. E. (1990) Science 249, 1552-1555).