Possible involvement of a novel STAM-associated molecule "AMSH" in intracellular signal transduction mediated by cytokines

STAM containing an SH3 (Src homology 3) domain and an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif was previously revealed to be implicated in signaling pathways immediately downstream of JAK2 and JAK3 tyrosine kinases associated with cytokine receptors. We molecularly cloned a novel molecule interacting with the SH3 domain of STAM, which was named AMSH (associated molecule with the SH3 domain of STAM). AMSH contains a putative bipartite nuclear localization signal and a homologous region of a c-Jun activation domain-binding protein 1 (JAB1) subdomain in addition to a binding site for the SH3 domain of STAM. AMSH mutant deleted of the C-terminal half conferred dominant negative effects on signaling for DNA synthesis and c-Myc induction mediated by interleukin 2 and granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor. These results suggest that AMSH plays a critical role in the cytokine-mediated intracellular signal transduction downstream of the JAK2/JAK3.STAM complex.