Ligand-independent tyrosine phosphorylation of the receptor encoded by the c-neu oncogene.

Incubation of Swiss 3T3 murine fibroblasts at low temperatures induces phosphorylation on tyrosine of a transmembrane protein of 175 kDa. This phenomenon is time and temperature dependent and reaches a maximum after 2 hr at 4 degrees C. The 175 kDa protein phosphorylated in vivo at low temperatures can be immunoprecipitated by phosphotyrosine antibodies and displays auto-kinase activity in vitro in the presence of radiolabelled ATP. This molecule was found to react with anti-peptide antibodies directed against the product of the HER2/neu proto-oncogene only when immunoprecipitated with phosphotyrosine antibodies from cold-stimulated cells. Activation of protein kinase-C by treatment of the cells with phorbol esters, bombesin or PDGF inhibits the effect of the exposure to low temperatures. Phosphorylation of p175 is not induced by treatment of the cells with the phosphatases inhibitor sodium orthovanadate. These results suggest that, at low temperatures, the tyrosine kinase associated with the putative receptor encoded by c-neu is activated by physico-chemical modifications of the plasma membrane.