

Tr-kit
is a truncated form of the tyrosine kinase receptor
c-kit expressed in the haploid phase of spermatogenesis. Upon microinjection, tr-kit triggers metaphase-to-anaphase transition in mouse
eggs by the sequential activation of Fyn
and PLCgamma1. Here, we show that tr-kit promotes the
interaction of several tyrosine-phosphorylated
proteins with the SH3 domain of PLCgamma1. Western blot analysis indicates that
one of these proteins is Sam68, an RNA-binding protein that is known to
interact with and be phosphorylated by Src-like kinases in mitosis. tr-kit
promotes the association of Sam68 with PLCgamma1 and Fyn in a multimolecular
complex, as demonstrated by co-immunoprecipitation of
the phosphorylated forms of these proteins using
antibodies directed to anyone of the partners of the complex. Expression of tr-kit potentiates the
interaction of endogenous Sam68 also with the SH3 domain of Fyn. Furthermore, the subcellular
localization of Sam68 is affected by tr-kit through
activation of Fyn in live
cells. Lastly, we show that interaction with the SH3 domain of Fyn triggers the release of Sam68 from bound
RNA. Thus, our data suggest that tr-kit promotes the
formation of a multimolecular complex composed of Fyn, PLCgamma1 and Sam68, which allows phosphorylation of PLCgamma1 by Fyn, and may modulate RNA metabolism.