Isolation of ras GTP-binding mutants using an in situ colony-binding assay.

We have developed a strategy to isolate mutant ras genes encoding proteins defective in GTP binding. Random in vitro mutagenesis of a v-Harvey (Ha)-ras expression vector was followed by an in situ GTP-binding assay on lysed bacterial colonies. Single amino acid substitutions at ras codon 83, 119, or 144 decreased the affinity of p21 for GTP by a factor of 25-100 primarily as a consequence of increased rates of dissociation of GTP from p21. Nevertheless, these mutant genes induced transformation of NIH 3T3 cells with efficiencies comparable to wild-type v-Ha-ras. In transformed cells, mutant p21s were phosphorylated to a degree similar to that of wild-type v-Ha-ras p21, suggesting that a decrease in affinity by a factor of 100 did not prevent the mutant ras protein from binding GTP in vivo. These results are discussed with respect to the role of GTP in the regulation of p21 function.