The TGFβ receptor-interacting protein km23-1/DYNLRB1 plays an adaptor role in TGFβ1 autoinduction via its association with Ras.

We have previously elucidated the signaling events that are required for TGFβ1 autoinduction (Yue, J., and Mulder, K. M. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 30765-30773). Further, we have reported that the TGFβ receptor (TβR)-interacting protein km23-1 plays an important role in TGFβ signal transduction (Jin, Q., Ding, W., and Mulder, K. M. (2007) J. Biol. Chem. 282, 19122-19132). Here we examined the role of km23-1 in TGFβ1 autoinduction in TGFβ-sensitive epithelial cells. siRNA blockade of km23-1 reduced TGFβ1 mRNA expression, as well as DNA binding and transcriptional activation of the relevant activator protein-1 site in the human TGFβ1 promoter. Further, knockdown of km23-1 inhibited TGFβ-mediated activation of ERK and JNK, phosphorylation of c-Jun, and transactivation of the c-Jun promoter. Sucrose gradient analyses indicate that km23-1 was present in lipid rafts together with Ras and TβRII after TGFβ treatment. Immunoprecipitation/blot analyses revealed the formation of a TGFβ-inducible complex between Ras and km23-1 in vivo within minutes of TGFβ addition. Moreover, we demonstrate for the first time that km23-1 is required for Ras activation by TGFβ. Our results indicate that km23-1 is required for TGFβ1 autoinduction through Smad2-independent Ras/ERK/JNK pathways. More importantly, our findings demonstrate that km23-1 functions as a critical adaptor coupling TβR activation to activation of Ras effector pathways downstream.