Binding to the platelet-derived growth factor receptor transiently activates the p85alpha-p110alpha phosphoinositide 3-kinase complex in vivo.

Ligand stimulation of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor results in its association with phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity and a corresponding synthesis of 3'-phosphorylated lipids. Early studies that examined this interaction in vivo employed anti-phosphotyrosine antiserum or antiserum against the PDGF receptor. The recent identification of multiple isoforms of both the regulatory and the catalytic subunit of the enzyme have led us to utilize antisera against p85alpha and p110alpha to characterize the association of this particular phosphoinositide 3-kinase complex with the PDGF receptor following ligand stimulation of murine fibroblasts. Both the p85alpha and p110alpha subunits rapidly associated with the ligand-activated receptor resulting in a transient, 2-fold increase in the total pool of p110alpha lipid kinase activity. This association was stable for 15 min after initial stimulation. Subsequently, both subunits began to dissociate from the receptor with similar kinetics. By 60 min this process was complete, demonstrating that p85alpha and p110alpha both associate with the receptor and dissociate from the receptor as a dimeric complex. At this time, marked PDGF receptor down-regulation was observed. Immunoprecipitation from metabolically labeled cells revealed that p85alpha is constitutively phosphorylated on serine residues in quiescent cultures. Upon PDGF stimulation, this phosphorylation upon serine residues was maintained in addition to tyrosine phosphorylation of this subunit. No phosphorylation of the p110alpha subunit was detected in either quiescent or PDGF-stimulated cells. Quantitation of Western blot analysis demonstrated that only 5% of the total pool of p85alpha associated with the PDGF receptor upon ligand stimulation. The 2-fold increase in the lipid kinase activity measured in immunoprecipitates using either anti-p85alpha or anti-p110alpha antiserum therefore reflects a far greater increase in the specific activity of the enzyme upon its association with the PDGF receptor.