Tyrosine protein kinase activity of the HZ4-feline sarcoma virus P80(gag-kit)-transforming protein

The Hardy-Zuckerman 4 feline sarcoma virus (HZ4-FeSV), isolated from a feline fibrosarcoma, is a replication defective acute transforming feline retrovirus that originated by transduction of feline c-kit sequences with feline leukemia virus (FeLV). The v-kit sequences of the HZ4-FeSV, a segment of 1106 nucleotides, correspond to sequences of the cytoplasmic domain of the c-kit receptor kinase. The HZ4-FeSV is known to encode an 80-kilodalton protein with FeLV gag and kit determinants. The P80(gag-kit) protein and its associated activities from HZ4-FeSV-transformed mink cells were characterized. The P80(gag-kit) protein was found to be myristoylated, suggesting a membrane associated for this protein. In agreement with the predicted relationship with tyrosine kinases, by using the in vitro immune complex-kinase procedure, the P80(gag-kit) protein was shown to display a tyrosine-specific autophosphorylation activity. In vivo, the P80 protein was found to be phosphorylated on serine and threonine and to a lesser degree on tyrosine. In addition, potential in vivo protein substrates for tyrosine-specific phosphorylation mediated by the P80(gag-kit) kinase were identified in HZ4-FeSV-transformed cells.