Mitogenic effects of fibroblast growth factors in cultured fibroblasts. Interaction with the G-protein-mediated signaling pathways.

We have shown that FGF (basic or acidic) is mitogenic for quiescent hamster lung fibroblasts (CCL39 line). It is active alone but is much more efficient in synergistic combinations with G-protein-activating agents. When used alone, FGF appears to exert its mitogenic effects without involving any of the major G-protein-mediated signaling pathways. It causes no significant hydrolysis of phosphoinositides, it does not alter the activity of adenylate cyclase, and its mitogenicity is insensitive to pertussis toxin. It therefore seems likely that all pleiotropic actions of FGF are primarily mediated by the intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase of its receptors. However, FGF, acting through its receptor tyrosine kinase, and thrombin, acting through G-protein-coupled receptors, induce a common set of early responses detected within seconds or minutes at the level of membranes, cytoplasm, and nuclei. Typical examples of early responses are activation of Na/H antiporter and Na/K/Cl cotransporter, phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6, and increased transcription of early-immediate genes (c-fos, c-jun, and c-myc). Not only various classes of growth factors acting via distinct transducing mechanisms activate common targets, but also their synergistic effects on reinitiation of DNA synthesis is reflected on the early responses. How does the coordination of these signaling events take place? A partial answer to this question is illustrated in Figure 6 in which "switch kinases" play the role of integrators of multiple extracellular signals. Raf and, perhaps more convincingly, MAP kinases that are activated by dual phosphorylation on tyrosine and threonine residues are potential good candidates for this integration. This hypothetical scheme could therefore explain, in part, the coordination and the synergy commonly observed in the mitogenic response. The synergy could be generated at the level of MAP kinases simply by dual activating phosphorylations. With the recent cloning of MAP kinases, these questions will be more easily addressed. Another important gap that will have to be filled in future studies is the identification of all the members of the kinase cascade. When used in synergistic combinations with G-protein-activating agents, FGF does exert in contrast some effects on the G-protein-mediated pathways. It potentiates the G-protein-mediated activations of both PIP2-PLC and adenylate cyclase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)