ADAMs 10 and 17 represent differentially regulated components of a general shedding machinery for membrane proteins such as transforming growth factor α, l-selectin, and tumor necrosis factor α

Protein ectodomain shedding is a critical regulator of many membrane proteins, including epidermal growth factor receptor-ligands and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, providing a strong incentive to define the responsible sheddases. Previous studies identified ADAM17 as principal sheddase for transforming growth factor (TGF)-α and heparin-binding epidermal growth factor, but Ca ⁺⁺ influx activated an additional sheddase for these epidermal growth factor receptor ligands in AdamT7-l- cells. Here, we show that Ca ⁺⁺ influx and stimulation of the P2X7R signaling pathway activate ADAM10 as sheddase of many ADAM17 substrates in Adam17-l- fibroblasts and primary B cells. Importantly, although ADAM10 can shed all substrates of ADAM17 tested here in Adam17-l- cells, acute treatment of wild-type cells with a highly selective ADAM17 inhibitor (SP26) showed that ADAM17 is nevertheless the principal sheddase when both ADAMs 10 and 17 are present. However, chronic treatment of wild-type cells with SP26 promoted processing of ADAM17 substrates by ADAM10, thus generating conditions such as in Adam17-l- cells. These results have general implications for understanding the substrate selectivity of two major cellular sheddases, ADAMs 10 and 17.