Toshihide Iwashita

Transforming activity of the c-ret proto-oncogene with multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 2A mutations was investigated by transfection of NIH 3T3 cells. Mutant c-ret genes driven by the simian virus 40 or cytomegalovirus promoter induced transformation with high efficiencies. The 170-kDa Ret protein present on the cell surface of transformed cells was highly phosphorylated on tyrosine and formed disulfide-linked homodimers. This result indicated that MEN 2A mutations induced ligand-independent dimerization of the c-Ret protein on the cell surface, leading to activation of its intrinsic tyrosine kinase. In addition to the MEN 2A mutations, we further introduced a mutation (lysine for asparaginic acid at codon 300 [D300K]) in a putative Ca(2+)-binding site of the cadherin-like domain. When c-ret cDNA with both MEN 2A and D300K mutations was transfected into NIH 3T3 cells, transforming activity drastically decreased. Western blot (immunoblot) analysis revealed that very little of the 170-kDa Ret protein with the D300K mutation was expressed in transfectants while expression of the 150-kDa Ret protein retained in the endoplasmic reticulum was not affected. This result also demonstrated that transport of the Ret protein to the plasma membrane is required for its transforming activity.

Immunohistochemical analysis with the anti-Ret antibody was performed to investigate the expression of the c-ret proto-oncogene product (c-Ret protein) in embryonic, infant and adult rat tissues. During embryogenesis, the c-Ret expression became detectable by day 11.5 in the developing peripheral and central nervous systems as well as in the excretory system. In the peripheral nervous system of the trunk, it was expressed at high levels in the enteric neuroblasts and the autonomic and dorsal root ganglia. c-Ret positive cells appeared in the mesenchyme around the foregut and the dorsal aorta at day 11.5 and formed the myenteric plexus of the whole embryonic gut and the sympathetic trunk at later stages respectively. Examination of the cranial region revealed that the c-Ret protein was expressed in neural crest cells migrating from rhombomere 4 at day 11.5 and then became positive in the facial, glossopharyngeal and vagus cranial ganglia at day 12.5-13.5. After day 16.5 of gestation, the c-Ret expression was also observed in the trigeminal ganglion. In the central nervous system, the c-Ret protein was expressed in the neuroepithelial cells of the ventral neural tube (day 11.5-14.5), the motor neurons of the spinal cord (day 18.5) as well as in the embryonic neuroretina (day 18.5). In addition to the nervous system, the c-Ret expression was detected in the nephric duct (day 11.5), the ureteric bud (day 13.5) and the collecting ducts of the kidney (day 16.5). After birth, neurons in the nervous systems mentioned above continued to express the c-Ret protein at variable levels while no c-Ret expression was observed in the kidney of adult rats. Furthermore, the c-Ret expression was found in the acinar cells of the salivary gland, the epithelial cells of the thymus and the follicular dendritic cells of the spleen and lymph node in infant and adult rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)