Association of the Protein Kinases c-Bcr and Bcr-Abl with Proteins of the 14-3-3 Family

In this study, a protein that interacts with sequences encoded by the first exon of the protein kinase Bcr was cloned. The Bcr-associated protein 1 (Bap-1) is a member of the 14-3-3 family of proteins. Bap-1 interacts with full-length c-Bcr and with the chimeric Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1)-positive human leukemias. Bap-1 is a substrate for the Bcr serine-threonine kinase and is also phosphorylated on tyrosine by Bcr-Abl but not by c-Abl. Bap-1 may function in the regulation of c-Bcr and may contribute to the transforming activity of Bcr-Abl in vivo. 14-3-3 proteins are essential for cell proliferation and have a role in determining the timing of mitosis in yeast. Through direct binding to sequences present in Bcr and in other proteins implicated in signaling, the mammalian 14-3-3 proteins may link specific signaling protein components to mitogenic and cell-cycle control pathways.