Prior studies have described two functionally distinct ligand-binding sites on whole diphtheria toxin, the NAD site, which catalyzes the intracellular ADP-ribosylation reaction, and the P site, which affects toxin binding to sensitive cells. Occupancy of the P site by ATP or other phosphorylated compounds inhibits toxin attachment to cells. Here we show that binding of NAD site and P site ligan...

Fibroblast growth factors (fgfs) are widely believed to activate their receptors by mediating receptor dimerization. Here we show, however, that the FGF receptors form dimers in the absence of ligand, and that these unliganded dimers are phosphorylated. We further show that ligand binding triggers structural changes in the FGFR dimers, which increase FGFR phosphorylation. The observed effects d...

Chiral hexamine macrocycle derived from trans-1,2-diaminocyclohexane (DACH) in a complex with diethylzinc efficiently catalyzes the asymmetric hydrosilylation of N-phosphorylated aryl-alkyl or aryl-aryl ketimines in protic media with enantiomeric excess of the product approaching 100%. The cyclic structure of the trianglamine ligand increases the enantioselectivity and/or the yield of the react...

Engagement of the T cell antigen receptor (TCR) results in activation of several tyrosine kinases leading to tyrosine phosphorylation of protein substrates and activation of multiple biochemical pathways. TCR-mediated activation of the src-family kinases, Lck and Fyn, results in tyrosine phosphorylation of the TCR zeta and CD3 chains. The site of phosphorylation in these chains is the tyrosine-...

The c-kit receptor tyrosine kinase (KIT) is activated upon ligand binding, thereby leading to a variety of signaling events that play a fundamental role in hematopoiesis. In addition to ligand-dependent activation, we have previously shown that KIT is constitutively activated in a ligand-independent manner by two point mutations, Val-559-->Gly (G559) mutation in the juxtamembrane domain and Asp...

In the present study, we examined the relationships among quantitative aspects of TCR engagement as measured by receptor down-modulation, functional responses, and biochemical signaling events using both mouse and human T cell clones. For T cells from both species, ligands that are more potent in inducing functional responses promote TCR down-modulation more efficiently than weaker ligands. At ...

Transcription factor c-Jun is proposed to control neuronal cell death and survival, but its activation by N-terminal phosphorylation and the underlying activity of the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) remain to be elucidated in the adult mammalian brain. We generated a polyclonal antiserum that specifically recognizes c-Jun phosphorylated at its serine 73 (S73) residue after UV irradiation of 3T...

The steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily of ligand-activated transcription factors encompasses not only the receptors for steroids, thyroid hormone, retinoids and vitamin D, but also a large number of proteins whose functions and/or ligands are unknown and which are thus termed orphan receptors. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of phosphorylation in receptor function. Alth...

E-selectin, a selectin expressed on activated vascular endothelium, supports rolling and stable adhesion of leukocytes at sites of inflammation. Previously, we have reported that leukocyte adhesion to cultured endothelial cells induces association of the cytoplasmic domain of E-selectin with cytoskeletal elements, suggesting that outside-in signaling may occur during E-selectin-mediated adhesio...

The postsynaptic glycine receptor purified from rat spinal cord is rapidly and specifically phosphorylated by protein kinase C. The target for phosphorylation is the strychnine-binding subunit of the receptor (molecular mass of approximately 48 kDa), which is phosphorylated on serine residues to a final stoichiometry of approximately 0.8 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit. The 48-kDa phosphoprotei...