p140/c-Abl that binds DNA is preferentially phosphorylated at tyrosine residues.

EP is a DNA element found in the enhancer and promoter regions of several cellular and viral genes. Previously, we have identified the DNA binding p140/c-Abl protein that specifically recognizes this element. Here we show that phosphorylation is essential for the p140/c-Abl DNA binding activity and for the formation of DNA-protein complexes. Furthermore, by 32P labeling of cells and protein purification, we demonstrate that in vivo the EP-DNA-associated p140/c-Abl is a tyrosine phosphoprotein. By employing two different c-Abl antibodies, we demonstrate the existence of two distinct c-Abl populations in cellular extracts. p140/c-Abl is quantitatively the minor population, is heavily phosphorylated at both serine and tyrosine residues, and is active in autophosphorylation reactions.