SH2-containing phosphotyrosine phosphatase Syp is a target of p210bcr-abl tyrosine kinase

The phosphorylation of proteins at tyrosine residues is critical in cellular signal transduction and neoplastic transformation. These mechanisms are regulated by the activities of both protein-tyrosine kinases and protein-tyrosine phosphatases. Recent studies have identified a novel protein-tyrosine phosphatase, termed Syp, that is widely expressed in various tissues. Syp encodes a cytoplasmic phosphatase that contains two Src homology 2 (SH2) domains. Since SH2 domains have been shown to target the association of signal-transducing molecules to activated tyrosine kinases, experiments were performed to determine whether Syp might form specific complexes with p210bcr-abl, a fusion protein believed to be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic myelogenous leukemia and, thus, possibly alter or mediate p210bcr-abl tyrosine kinase activity. We found that Syp was highly and constitutively tyrosine phosphorylated in three different murine cell lines transfected with a p210bcr-abl expression vector. Furthermore, p210bcr-abl, Syp, and Grb2 formed stable complexes in BCR-ABL-expressing cells. Complex formation between p210bcr-abl and Syp was mediated in vitro by the NH2-terminal SH2 domain of Syp. Last, p210bcr-abl tyrosine kinase was effectively dephosphorylated by Syp in vitro. These results suggest an interaction between Syp and BCR-ABL protein, which might play a role in cellular transformation of BCR-ABL.