ADP-ribosylation factor 4 small GTPase mediates epidermal growth factor receptor-dependent phospholipase D2 activation

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) plays a critical role in the development, proliferation, and differentiation of cells of epithelial and mesenchymal origin. These EGFR-dependent cellular processes are mediated by a repertoire of intracellular signaling pathways triggered by the activation of the EGFR cytoplasmic domain, which originates from ligand binding of its extracellular domain. To understand the molecular mechanisms by which the intracellular domain of EGFR transmits mitogenic messages to the downstream signaling pathways, we used the cytoplasmic region of EGFR as bait in yeast two-hybrid screening. We found that ADP-ribosylation factor 4 (ARF4) interacts with the intracellular part of EGFR and mediates the EGF-dependent cellular activation of phospholipase D2 (PLD2) but does not mediate the activation of PLD1. In addition, ARF4-mediated PLD2 activation leads to dramatic activation of the transcription factor activator protein 1 (AP-1), and, importantly, ARF4 activity is required for EGF-induced activation of cellular AP-1. Our findings indicate that ARF4 is a critical molecule that directly regulates cellular PLD2 activity and that this ARF4-mediated PLD2 activation stimulates AP-1-dependent transcription in the EGF-induced cellular response.