JAK2 is essential for activation of c-fos and c-myc promoters and cell proliferation through the human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor in BA/F3 cells.

Interleukin-3 (IL-3) or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is known to activate JAK2 in various cells, but the role of JAK2 in IL-3 or GM-CSF receptor signal transduction is largely unknown. We have now examined the role of JAK2 in GM-CSF-induced signaling events in BA/F3 cells. In BA/F3 cells expressing hGMR, activation of JAK2 by hGM-CSF requires the box1 region of hGMR beta. Dominant negative JAK2 (delta JAK2), which lacked the kinase domain suppressed mIL-3 or hGM-CSF-induced c-fos promoter activation as well as c-myc promoter activation/cell proliferation, thereby suggesting that JAK2 is involved in the signaling of both pathways. Further analyses of the role of JAK2 in c-fos gene activation in BA/F3 cells expressing hGMR revealed that delta JAK2 inhibited hGM-CSF-induced phosphorylation of Shc and protein tyrosine phosphatase 1D. Within hGMR beta, the several tyrosine residues which exist are related to activation of Shc or protein tyrosine phosphate 1D, and are phosphorylated in response to hGM-CSF stimulation. In addition, we observed that delta JAK2 inhibited hGM-CSF-induced phosphorylation of hGMR beta. Taken together, our results suggest that JAK2 activated by the box1 region of hGMR mediates hGM-CSF-induced c-fos promoter activation through phosphorylation of hGMR.