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Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) is a potent stimulator of cell growth, survival and motility. PDGF exerts its function by binding to specific tyrosine kinase receptors, initiating receptor auotphosphorylation and initiation of specific signaling pathways that regulates the cellular response. It is critical that these signals can be modulated and terminated, since over-activation of signaling pathways are often found in diseases, such as cancer. Protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) counteract the tyrosine kinases by dephosphorylating proteins, thereby playing a crucial role in the control of signaling events. The aim of this thesis has been to study the regulation of PDGF receptor signaling by the T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP).

In the first two studies, we demonstrated that loss of TC-PTP specifically redirected the PDGF β-receptor towards a rapid Rab4a-dependent recycling after ligand-induced internalization. Furthermore, we found that the sorting of activated PDGF β-receptor into the recycling pathway was dependent on sequential PKCα and Rab4a activation. Since the PDGF α-receptor did not recycle in the absence of TC-PTP, this study displays the first evidence of differences in trafficking of the PDGF receptor family members. PDGF β-receptor recycling was also induced by activating PKCα through the LPA receptor. The LPA-induced PDGF β-receptor recycling correlated with increased receptor phosphorylation and cell migration at low concentrations of PDGF-BB. The data suggests that PKCα activation could serve as a point of cross-talk between receptor families, regulating the duration and magnitude of PDGF β-receptor signaling.

In the last study, we searched for novel substrates for TC-PTP downstream of the PDGF β-receptor, and identified the pyruvate kinase M2, PK-M2, as a possible substrate. PK-M2 is expressed in cells that proliferate rapidly, including tumor cells. Our data suggests that TC-PTP can interact with the glycolytic complex, affecting the activity of PK-M2 and hence, altering the glucose metabolism for proliferating tumor cells.