Differential Effects of Platelet-derived Growth Factor BB on p125 Focal Adhesion Kinase and Paxillin Tyrosine Phosphorylation and on Cell Migration in Rabbit Aortic Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Swiss 3T3 Fibroblasts

In rabbit aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB) stimulated the tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase C-γ, p120 GTPase-activating protein, and the p85α subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3′-kinase only at high concentrations (5–25 ng/ml). In contrast, PDGF-BB induced a rapid and concentration-dependent increase in p125 focal adhesion kinase (p125FAK) tyrosine phosphorylation, which was half-maximal and maximum at 1 and 2.5 ng/ml, respectively. Saliently, stimulation of p125FAK tyrosine phosphorylation was sustained at up to 100 ng/ml PDGF-BB and for prolonged times of treatment. With similar concentration dependence, PDGF-BB stimulated the tyrosine phosphorylation of the 68-kDa focal adhesion-associated protein, paxillin. PDGF-BB also induced p125FAK and paxillin tyrosine phosphorylation in human aortic VSMC. PDGF-BB caused no detectable disruption of the actin cytoskeleton in VSMC. PDGF-BB stimulated rabbit VSMC migration with a very similar concentration dependence to that for p125FAK and paxillin tyrosine phosphorylation. PDGF-BB was equally effective in stimulating p125FAK and paxillin tyrosine phosphorylation under conditions similar to those used for cell migration. In Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts, PDGF-BB and -AA stimulated p125FAK tyrosine phosphorylation and cell migration only at low concentrations, and stimulation was abolished at 10–25 ng/ml. PDGF-AA failed to stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation, mitogenesis, and chemotaxis in rabbit VSMC, and immunoblot analysis showed that rabbit VSMC expressed PDGF β-receptors but no α-receptors. These results implicate p125FAK in the chemotactic response to PDGF-BB and suggest that the ability of PDGF-BB to trigger the p125FAK pathway may be dependent both upon cell type and receptor isotype expression.