Differential expression of the cellular src gene during vertebrate development.

Cellular genes that are homologous to the transforming genes of certain RNA tumor viruses are suspected to play a functional role during normal developmental processes. To investigate this further, we are studying the expression of the cellular homolog of the Rous sarcoma virus transforming gene (c-src) during embryogenesis of fish, frog, and chicken by quantitative determination of the activity of the c-src encoded protein kinase (pp60c-src). The kinase activity from embryos of fish, frog, and chicken displays the same enzymatic characteristics as the kinase from adult animals: It phosphorylates only tyrosine residues in protein substrates, and its activity is relatively insensitive to inhibition by the diadenosine nucleotide Ap4A. During the course of development, the varying kinase activity level reflects differential expression of the c-src gene product. The kinase activity is low during early development, increases dramatically during organogenesis, and decreases thereafter to the level found in adult animals. The kinase activity displays an organ specificity, with brain showing the highest activity in embryos as well as in adults. Muscle, however, shows high activities during organogenesis, but no or barely detectable activity in adult animals. Our data suggest, therefore, that the c-src gene product plays more of a role in differentiation than in proliferation processes during embryogenesis, and that it may act as a pleiotropic effector.