Tyrosine phosphorylation of β2-chimaerin by Src-family kinase negatively regulates its Rac-specific GAP activity

Abstract β2-Chimaerin, an intracellular receptor for the second messenger diacylglycerol and phorbol esters, is a GTPase-activating protein (GAP) specific for Rac. β2-Chimaerin negatively controls many Rac-dependent pathophysiological events including tumor development. However, the regulatory mechanism of β2-chimaerin remains largely unknown. Here we report that β2-chimaerin is tyrosine-phosphorylated by Src-family kinases (SFKs) upon cell stimulation with epidermal growth factor (EGF). Mutational analysis identified Tyr-21 in the N-terminal regulatory region as a major phosphorylation site. Intriguingly, the addition of SFK inhibitor and the replacement of Tyr-21 with Phe (Y21F) markedly enhanced Rac-GAP activity of β2-chimaerin in EGF-treated cells. Moreover, the Y21F mutant inhibited integrin-dependent cell spreading, in which Rac1 plays a critical role, more strongly than wild-type β2-chimaerin. These results suggest Tyr-21 phosphorylation as a novel, SFK-dependent mechanism that negatively regulates β2-chimaerin Rac-GAP activity.