Automated tracking of cell migration in phase contrast images with CellTraxx.

The ability of cells to move and migrate is required during development, but also in the adult in processes such as wound healing and immune responses. In addition, cancer cells exploit the cells' ability to migrate and invade to spread into nearby tissue and eventually metastasize. The majority of cancer deaths are caused by metastasis and the process of cell migration is therefore intensively studied. A common way to study cell migration is to observe cells through an optical microscope and record their movements over time. However, segmenting and tracking moving cells in phase contrast time-lapse video sequences is a challenging task. Several tools to track the velocity of migrating cells have been developed. Unfortunately, most of the automated tools are made for fluorescence images even though unlabelled cells are often preferred to avoid phototoxicity. Consequently, researchers are constrained with laborious manual tracking tools using ImageJ or similar software. We have therefore developed a freely available, user-friendly, automated tracking tool called CellTraxx. This software makes it easy to measure the velocity and directness of migrating cells in phase contrast images. Here, we demonstrate that our tool efficiently recognizes and tracks unlabelled cells of different morphologies and sizes (HeLa, RPE1, MDA-MB-231, HT1080, U2OS, PC-3) in several types of cell migration assays (random migration, wound healing and cells embedded in collagen). We also provide a detailed protocol and download instructions for CellTraxx.

Roles of the FGF-FGFR Signaling System in Cancer Development and Inflammation.

For multi-cellular organisms to organize tissues, their cells must communicate with each other [...].

Efficacy and Selectivity of FGF2-Saporin Cytosolically Delivered by PCI in Cells Overexpressing FGFR1.

Fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) have become an attractive target in cancer research and therapy due to their implication in several cancers. Limitations of current treatment options require a need for additional, more specific and potent strategies to overcome cancers driven by FGFRs. Photochemical internalization (PCI) is a light-controlled method for cytosolic delivery of drugs that are entrapped in endosomes and lysosomes. We here evaluated the efficacy and selectivity of PCI of FGF2-saporin (FGF-SAP) in cells overexpressing FGFR1. FGF-SAP is a conjugate of FGF2 and the highly cytotoxic ribosome-inactivating protein (RIP) saporin, which is used as payload to eliminate cancer cells. Evaluation of the targeting effect of PCI of FGF-SAP was done by comparing the cytotoxic response in osteosarcoma cells with very low levels of FGFR1 (U2OS) to cells overexpressing FGFR1 (U2OS-R1). We demonstrate that PCI greatly enhances cytotoxicity of the drug showing efficient cell killing at pM concentrations of the drug in U2OS-R1 cells. However, U2OS cells were also sensitive to the toxin after PCI. Binding experiments using confocal microscopy and Western blotting techniques indicate that FGF-SAP is taken up by cells through heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) in U2OS cells. We further show that the cytotoxicity of FGF-SAP in U2OS cells was reduced when cells were co-treated with heparin to compete out binding to HSPG, demonstrating that the cytotoxic effect was due to internalization by HSPGs. We conclude that to prevent off-target effects of FGF-based toxins, it will be necessary to circumvent binding to HSPGs, for example by mutating the binding site of FGF2 to HSPGs.

Negative Regulation of FGFR (Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor) Signaling.

FGFR (fibroblast growth factor receptor) signaling controls fundamental processes in embryonic, fetal and adult human life. The magnitude, duration, and location of FGFR signaling must be strictly controlled in order to induce the correct biological response. Uncontrolled receptor signaling has been shown to lead to a variety of diseases, such as skeletal disorders and cancer. Here we review the numerous cellular mechanisms that regulate and turn off FGFR signaling, once the receptor is activated. These mechanisms include endocytosis and endocytic sorting, phosphatase activity, negative regulatory proteins and negative feedback phosphorylation events. The mechanisms act together simultaneously or sequentially, controlling the same or different steps in FGFR signaling. Although more work is needed to fully understand the regulation of FGFR signaling, it is clear that the cells in our body have evolved an extensive repertoire of mechanisms that together keep FGFR signaling tightly controlled and prevent excess FGFR signaling.

WDFY2 restrains matrix metalloproteinase secretion and cell invasion by controlling VAMP3-dependent recycling.

Cancer cells secrete matrix metalloproteinases to remodel the extracellular matrix, which enables them to overcome tissue barriers and form metastases. The membrane-bound matrix metalloproteinase MT1-MMP (MMP14) is internalized by endocytosis and recycled in endosomal compartments. It is largely unknown how endosomal sorting and recycling of MT1-MMP are controlled. Here, we show that the endosomal protein WDFY2 controls the recycling of MT1-MMP. WDFY2 localizes to endosomal tubules by binding to membranes enriched in phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate (PtdIns3P). We identify the v-SNARE VAMP3 as an interaction partner of WDFY2. WDFY2 knockout causes a strong redistribution of VAMP3 into small vesicles near the plasma membrane. This is accompanied by increased, VAMP3-dependent secretion of MT1-MMP, enhanced degradation of extracellular matrix, and increased cell invasion. WDFY2 is frequently lost in metastatic cancers, most predominantly in ovarian and prostate cancer. We propose that WDFY2 acts as a tumor suppressor by serving as a gatekeeper for VAMP3 recycling.

Cancer Mutations in FGFR2 Prevent a Negative Feedback Loop Mediated by the ERK1/2 Pathway.

Tight regulation of signaling from receptor tyrosine kinases is required for normal cellular functions and uncontrolled signaling can lead to cancer. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that induces proliferation and migration. Deregulation of FGFR2 contributes to tumor progression and activating mutations in FGFR2 are found in several types of cancer. Here, we identified a negative feedback loop regulating FGFR2 signaling. FGFR2 stimulates the Ras/MAPK signaling pathway consisting of Ras-Raf-MEK1/2-ERK1/2. Inhibition of this pathway using a MEK1/2 inhibitor increased FGFR2 signaling. The putative ERK1/2 phosphorylation site at serine 780 (S780) in FGFR2 corresponds to serine 777 in FGFR1 which is directly phosphorylated by ERK1/2. Substitution of S780 in FGFR2 to an alanine also increased signaling. Truncated forms of FGFR2 lacking the C-terminal tail, including S780, have been identified in cancer and S780 has been found mutated to leucine in bladder cancer. Substituting S780 in FGFR2 with leucine increased FGFR2 signaling. Importantly, cells expressing these mutated versions of S780 migrated faster than cells expressing wild-type FGFR2. Thus, ERK1/2-mediated phosphorylation of S780 in FGFR2 constitutes a negative feedback loop and inactivation of this feedback loop in cancer cells causes hyperactivation of FGFR2 signaling, which may result in increased invasive properties.

Endocytosis and Transport of Growth Factor Receptors in Peripheral Axon Regeneration: Novel Lessons from Neurons Expressing Lysine-Deficient FGF Receptor Type 1 in vitro.

In the course of peripheral nerve regeneration, axons encounter different extracellular growth factors secreted by non-neuronal cells at the injury site and retrogradely transported after binding to neuronal membrane receptor tyrosine kinases. The present study reviews the role of receptor transport in peripheral axon outgrowth and provides novel data on trafficking of fibroblast growth factor receptor type 1 (FGFR1). Differences in receptor transport are determined by different numbers of lysine residues acting as ubiquitination sites in the intracellular receptor domain. We previously demonstrated that overexpression of mutant FGFR1-25R (25 out of 29 intracellular lysines replaced with arginine) results in enhanced receptor recycling as compared to wild-type FGFR1 followed by strong stimulation of elongative axon growth in vitro. Here, the effects of lysine-deficient FGFR1 (FGFR1-29R lacking all 29 cytoplasmic lysine residues) or of only 15 lysine mutations (FGFR1-15R) on axon outgrowth and concomitant changes in signal pathway activation were investigated by immunocytochemistry and morphometry of cultured primary neurons. Overexpression of FGFR1-15R in adult sensory neurons resulted in enhanced receptor recycling, which was accompanied by increased axon elongation without stimulating axon branching. By contrast, FGFR1-29R was neither endocytosed nor axon outgrowth affected. Although overexpression of FGFR1-15R or FGFR1-25Ra strongly promoted elongation, we did not detect increased signal pathway activation (ERK, AKT, PLC, or STAT3) in neurons expressing mutant FGFR1 as compared with wild-type neurons raising the possibility that other signaling pathways or signaling independent mechanisms may be involved in the axon outgrowth effects of recycled FGF receptors. Anat Rec, 302:1268-1275, 2019. © 2019 The Authors. The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Anatomists.

The inositol phosphatase SHIP2 enables sustained ERK activation downstream of FGF receptors by recruiting Src kinases.

Sustained activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) drives pathologies caused by mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs). We previously identified the inositol phosphatase SHIP2 (also known as INPPL1) as an FGFR-interacting protein and a target of the tyrosine kinase activities of FGFR1, FGFR3, and FGFR4. We report that loss of SHIP2 converted FGF-mediated sustained ERK activation into a transient signal and rescued cell phenotypes triggered by pathologic FGFR-ERK signaling. Mutant forms of SHIP2 lacking phosphoinositide phosphatase activity still associated with FGFRs and did not prevent FGF-induced sustained ERK activation, demonstrating that the adaptor rather than the catalytic activity of SHIP2 was required. SHIP2 recruited Src family kinases to the FGFRs, which promoted FGFR-mediated phosphorylation and assembly of protein complexes that relayed signaling to ERK. SHIP2 interacted with FGFRs, was phosphorylated by active FGFRs, and promoted FGFR-ERK signaling at the level of phosphorylation of the adaptor FRS2 and recruitment of the tyrosine phosphatase PTPN11. Thus, SHIP2 is an essential component of canonical FGF-FGFR signal transduction and a potential therapeutic target in FGFR-related disorders.

Proximity Labeling by a Recombinant APEX2-FGF1 Fusion Protein Reveals Interaction of FGF1 with the Proteoglycans CD44 and CSPG4.

Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) binds to specific FGF receptors (FGFRs) at the surface of target cells to initiate intracellular signaling. While heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs) are well-described coreceptors, it is uncertain whether there are additional binding sites for FGF1 at the cell surface. To address this, we devised and tested a method to identify novel binding sites for FGF1 at the cell surface, which may also be applicable for other protein ligands. We constructed an APEX2-FGF1 fusion protein to perform proximal biotin labeling of proteins following binding of the fusion protein to the cell surface. After functional validation of the fusion protein by a signaling assay, we used this method to identify binding sites for FGF1 on cell surfaces of living cells. We confirmed the feasibility of our approach by detection of FGFR4, a well-known and specific receptor for FGF1. We subsequently screened for novel interactors using RPE1 cells and identified the proteoglycans CSPG4 (NG2) and CD44. We found that FGF1 binds CD44 through its heparin-binding moiety. Moreover, we found that FGF1 was colocalized with both CSPG4 and CD44 at the cell surface, suggesting that these receptors act as storage molecules that create a reservoir of FGF1. Importantly, our data demonstrate that recombinant ligand-APEX2 fusion proteins can be used to identify novel receptor interactions on the cell surface.

Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type G (PTPRG) Controls Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) 1 Activity and Influences Sensitivity to FGFR Kinase Inhibitors.

Recently, FGFR1 was found to be overexpressed in osteosarcoma and represents an important target for precision medicine. However, because targeted cancer therapy based on FGFR inhibitors has so far been less efficient than expected, a detailed understanding of the target is important. We have here applied proximity-dependent biotin labeling combined with label-free quantitative mass spectrometry to identify determinants of FGFR1 activity in an osteosarcoma cell line. Many known FGFR interactors were identified (e.g. FRS2, PLCG1, RSK2, SRC), but the data also suggested novel determinants. A strong hit in our screen was the tyrosine phosphatase PTPRG. We show that PTPRG and FGFR1 interact and colocalize at the plasma membrane where PTPRG directly dephosphorylates activated FGFR1. We further show that osteosarcoma cell lines depleted for PTPRG display increased FGFR activity and are hypersensitive to stimulation by FGF1. In addition, PTPRG depletion elevated cell growth and negatively affected the efficacy of FGFR kinase inhibitors. Thus, PTPRG may have future clinical relevance by being a predictor of outcome after FGFR inhibitor treatment.

Proximity Labeling Reveals Molecular Determinants of FGFR4 Endosomal Transport.

The fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) are important oncogenes promoting tumor progression in many types of cancer, such as breast, bladder, and lung cancer as well as multiple myeloma and rhabdomyosarcoma. However, little is known about how these receptors are internalized and down-regulated in cells. We have here applied proximity biotin labeling to identify proteins involved in FGFR4 signaling and trafficking. For this purpose we fused a mutated biotin ligase, BirA*, to the C-terminal tail of FGFR4 (FGFR4-BirA*) and the fusion protein was stably expressed in U2OS cells. Upon addition of biotin to these cells, proteins in proximity to the FGFR4-BirA* fusion protein became biotinylated and could be isolated and identified by quantitative mass spectrometry. We identified in total 291 proteins, including 80 proteins that were enriched in samples where the receptor was activated by the ligand (FGF1), among them several proteins previously found to be involved in FGFR signaling (e.g., FRS2, PLCγ, RSK2 and NCK2). Interestingly, many of the identified proteins were implicated in endosomal transport, and by precise annotation we were able to trace the intracellular pathways of activated FGFR4. Validating the data by confocal and three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy analysis, we concluded that FGFR4 uses clathrin-mediated endocytosis for internalization and is further sorted from early endosomes to the recycling compartment and the trans-Golgi network. Depletion of cells for clathrin heavy chain led to accumulation of FGFR4 at the cell surface and increased levels of active FGFR4 and PLCγ, while AKT and ERK signaling was diminished, demonstrating that functional clathrin-mediated endocytosis is required for proper FGFR4 signaling. Thus, this study reveals proteins and pathways involved in FGFR4 transport and signaling that provide possible targets and opportunities for therapeutic intervention in FGFR4 aberrant cancer.

Phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate is a second messenger important for cell migration.

We recently showed that production of phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate (PtdIns5P or PI5P) upon growth factor stimulation is important for cell migration. However, it was not entirely clear if PI5P itself could be a second messenger in cell migration, or, if it was rather an intermediate for the production of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2 or PI(4,5)P2). Indeed, PI5P can be converted to PI(4,5)P2 by type II PIP4 kinases (PIP4K2s). We therefore decided to knock down PIP4K2α by siRNA to test if further conversion of PI5P to PI(4,5)P2 is important for cell migration. Even though we obtained an efficient knockdown of PIP4K2α in BJ human fibroblasts, we did not observe any change in cell velocity. Conversely, ectopic overexpression of PIP4K2α would consume PI5P to produce PI(4,5)P2 and we found that overexpressing PIP4K2α decreased cell migration speed. Taken together, the data clearly indicate that it is PI5P, and not PI(4,5)P2 produced from PI5P, that is the crucial signaling molecule in cell migration. We conclude, therefore, that PI5P is a true second messenger important for cell migration.

ERK-mediated phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 on Ser777 inhibits signaling.

Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) controls cellular activities through the activation of specific cell-surface FGF receptors (FGFRs). Transphosphorylation of tyrosine residues in the kinase domain of FGFRs leads to activation of intracellular signaling cascades, including those mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). FGFRs also contain a serine-rich C-terminal tail. We identified a regulatory mechanism of FGFR signaling involving phosphorylation of Ser(777) in the C-terminal region of FGFR1 by the MAPKs extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1 (ERK1) and ERK2. Prevention of the phosphorylation of Ser(777) in FGFR1 or mutation of Ser(777) to alanine enhanced FGF-stimulated receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and increased cell proliferation, cell migration, and axonal growth. A form of FGFR1 with a phosphomimetic mutation at Ser(777) exhibited reduced signaling. Activation of MAPKs by other receptor tyrosine kinases also resulted in phosphorylation of Ser(777) in FGFR1, thereby enabling crosstalk regulation of FGFR activity by other signaling pathways. Our data reveal a negative feedback mechanism that controls FGF signaling and thereby protects the cell from excessive activation of FGFR.

Leupeptin enhances cell surface localization of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 in adult sensory neurons by increased recycling.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) act as trophic factors during development and regeneration of the nervous system. FGFs mediate their responses by activation of four types of FGF receptors (FGFR1-4). FGFR1 is expressed in adult sensory neurons of dorsal root ganglia (DRG), and overexpression of FGFR1 enhances FGF-2-induced elongative axon growth in vitro. Ligand-induced activation of FGFR1 is followed by endocytosis and rapid lysosomal degradation. We previously reported that the lysosomal inhibitor leupeptin prevents degradation of FGFR1 and promotes FGF-2-induced elongative axon growth of DRG neurons overexpressing FGFR1. Therefore, we analyzed the effects of leupeptin on intracellular sorting of FGFR1 in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells and DRG neurons. Leupeptin increased colocalization of FGFR1 with lysosomes. Furthermore, leupeptin enhanced the cell surface localization of FGFR1 by increased receptor recycling and this effect was abolished by the recycling inhibitor monensin. In addition, a lysine mutant of FGFR1, which is preferentially recycled back to the cell surface, promoted elongative axon growth of DRG neurons similar to leupeptin. In contrast, the lysosomal inhibitor bafilomycin had no effect on surface localization of FGFR1, inhibited axon growth of DRG neurons and abolished the effects of leupeptin on receptor recycling. Together, our results strongly imply that increased recycling of FGFR1 promotes axon elongation, but not axonal branching, of adult DRG neurons in vitro.

The driver of malignancy in KG-1a leukemic cells, FGFR1OP2-FGFR1, encodes an HSP90 addicted oncoprotein.

The KG-1a cell line is developed from a human stem cell myeloproliferative neoplasm as the result of intragenic disruption and a chromosomal translocation of the FGFR1 gene and the FGFR1OP2 gene encoding a protein of unknown function called FOP2 (FGFR1 Oncogene Partner 2). The resulting fusion protein FOP2-FGFR1 is soluble and has constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. Since the heat shock protein HSP90 and its co-chaperone CDC37 have been shown to stabilize many oncogenic proteins, we investigated the requirement for HSP90 or HSP90-CDC37 assistance to maintain the stability or activity of FOP2-FGFR1 expressed in KG-1a cells. We found that HSP90-CDC37 forms a permanent complex with FOP2-FGFR1. This results in protection against degradation of FOP2-FGFR1 and holds the oncoprotein in a permanently active conformation. Inhibition of HSP90 or depletion of CDC37 or heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) reduced the expression level of FOP2-FGFR1 and was sufficient to block the oncoprotein induced proliferation of KG-1a cells. We conclude that the driver of malignancy in KG-1a leukemic cells, FOP2-FGFR1, is an HSP90 addicted oncoprotein. This provides a rationale for the therapeutic use of HSP90 inhibitors in myeloid leukemias that contain FGFR fusion proteins.

Clathrin- and dynamin-independent endocytosis of FGFR3--implications for signalling.

Endocytosis of tyrosine kinase receptors can influence both the duration and the specificity of the signal emitted. We have investigated the mechanisms of internalization of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) and compared it to that of FGFR1 which is internalized predominantly through clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Interestingly, we observed that FGFR3 was internalized at a slower rate than FGFR1 indicating that it may use a different endocytic mechanism than FGFR1. Indeed, after depletion of cells for clathrin, internalization of FGFR3 was only partly inhibited while endocytosis of FGFR1 was almost completely abolished. Similarly, expression of dominant negative mutants of dynamin resulted in partial inhibition of the endocytosis of FGFR3 whereas internalization of FGFR1 was blocked. Interfering with proposed regulators of clathrin-independent endocytosis such as Arf6, flotillin 1 and 2 and Cdc42 did not affect the endocytosis of FGFR1 or FGFR3. Furthermore, depletion of clathrin decreased the degradation of FGFR1 resulting in sustained signalling. In the case of FGFR3, both the degradation and the signalling were only slightly affected by clathrin depletion. The data indicate that clathrin-mediated endocytosis is required for efficient internalization and downregulation of FGFR1 while FGFR3, however, is internalized by both clathrin-dependent and clathrin-independent mechanisms.

Fibroblast growth factors and their receptors in cancer.

FGFs (fibroblast growth factors) and their receptors (FGFRs) play essential roles in tightly regulating cell proliferation, survival, migration and differentiation during development and adult life. Deregulation of FGFR signalling, on the other hand, has been associated with many developmental syndromes, and with human cancer. In cancer, FGFRs have been found to become overactivated by several mechanisms, including gene amplification, chromosomal translocation and mutations. FGFR alterations are detected in a variety of human cancers, such as breast, bladder, prostate, endometrial and lung cancers, as well as haematological malignancies. Accumulating evidence indicates that FGFs and FGFRs may act in an oncogenic fashion to promote multiple steps of cancer progression by inducing mitogenic and survival signals, as well as promoting epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion and tumour angiogenesis. Therapeutic strategies targeting FGFs and FGFRs in human cancer are therefore currently being explored. In the present review we will give an overview of FGF signalling, the main FGFR alterations found in human cancer to date, how they may contribute to specific cancer types and strategies for therapeutic intervention.

Roles of fibroblast growth factor receptors in carcinogenesis.

The fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR) play essential roles both during development and in the adult. Upon ligand binding, FGFRs induce intracellular signaling networks that tightly regulate key biological processes, such as cell proliferation, survival, migration, and differentiation. Deregulation of FGFR signaling can thus alter tissue homeostasis and has been associated with several developmental syndromes as well as with many types of cancer. In human cancer, FGFRs have been found to be deregulated by multiple mechanisms, including aberrant expression, mutations, chromosomal rearrangements, and amplifications. In this review, we will give an overview of the main FGFR alterations described in human cancer to date and discuss their contribution to cancer progression.

Ubiquitination of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 is required for its intracellular sorting but not for its endocytosis.

Endocytosis and targeting of growth factor receptors for lysosomal degradation have been associated with ubiquitination of the intracellular part of the receptors. To elucidate the role of receptor ubiquitination in internalization and sorting of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), we constructed several mutants of FGFR1 in which lysines, potential ubiquitination sites, were substituted for arginines. Substitution of all lysine residues in the intracellular part of FGFR1 resulted in inactivation of the tyrosine kinase domain of the receptor. However, several multilysine FGFR1 mutants, where up to 26 of 29 lysines in the intracellular part of the receptor were mutated, retained tyrosine kinase activity. The active multilysine mutants were poorly ubiquitinated, but internalized normally, indicating that ubiquitination of the receptor is not required for endocytosis. In contrast, degradation of the multilysine mutants was dramatically reduced as the mutants were inefficiently transported to lysosomes but rather sorted to recycling endosomes. The altered sorting resulted in sustained signaling. The duration of FGFR1 signaling seems to be tightly regulated by receptor ubiquitination and subsequent sorting to the lysosomes for degradation.

Phosphorylation of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor 1 at Ser777 by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase regulates translocation of exogenous FGF1 to the cytosol and nucleus.

Exogenous fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) signals through activation of transmembrane FGF receptors (FGFRs) but may also regulate cellular processes after translocation to the cytosol and nucleus of target cells. Translocation of FGF1 occurs across the limiting membrane of intracellular vesicles and is a regulated process that depends on the C-terminal tail of the FGFR. Here, we report that translocation of FGF1 requires activity of the alpha isoform of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). FGF1 translocation was inhibited after chemical inhibition of p38 MAPK or after small interfering RNA knockdown of p38alpha. Translocation was increased after stimulation of p38 MAPK with anisomycin, mannitol, or H2O2. The activity level of p38 MAPK was not found to affect endocytosis or intracellular sorting of FGF1/FGFR1. Instead, we found that p38 MAPK regulates FGF1 translocation by phosphorylation of FGFR1 at Ser777. The FGFR1 mutation S777A abolished FGF1 translocation, while phospho-mimetic mutations of Ser777 to Asp or Glu allowed translocation to take place and bypassed the requirement for active p38 MAPK. Ser777 in FGFR1 was directly phosphorylated by p38alpha in a cell-free system. These data demonstrate a crucial role for p38alpha MAPK in the regulated translocation of exogenous FGF1 into the cytosol/nucleus, and they reveal a specific role for p38alpha MAPK-mediated serine phosphorylation of FGFR1.