The Regulation of the Expression, Phosphorylation, and Protein Associations of pp125FAKduring Rat Brain Development

Abstract We have studied both the expression and the interactions of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) during brain development. We have discovered that during different periods of development, FAK apparently has different properties. During the early stage of neurogenesis, FAK is phosphorylated, shows multiple isoforms, and interacts with the proto-oncogenes, src, fyn, and lyn. At this stage, FAK also interacts with both the N- and C-terminal SH2 domains of GAP, a negative regulator of the ras pathway. During later embryonic development, none of these protein interactions are apparent even though FAK is still predominantly phosphorylated. By adulthood FAK is largely unphosphorylated and migrates as a single protein species on SDS–PAGE. We discuss these results in terms of the dynamic cell movements that occur during embryonic brain development.