SH2/SH3 adapters are thought to function in signal transduction pathways by coupling inputs from tyrosine kinases to downstream effectors such as Ras. Members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase family are known to be activated by a variety of mitogenic stimuli, including tyrosine kinases such as Abl and the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. We have used activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase Erk-1 as a model system with which to examine whether various dominant-negative SH2/SH3 adapters (Grb2, Crk, and Nck) could block signaling pathways leading to Erk activation. Activation of Erk-1 by oncogenic Abl was effectively inhibited by Grb2 with mutations in either its SH2 or SH3 domain or by Crk-1 with an SH3 domain mutation. The Crk-1 SH2 mutant was less effective, while Nck SH2 and SH3 mutants had little or no effect on Erk activation. These results suggest that both Crk and Grb2 may contribute to the activation of Erk by oncogenic Abl, whereas Nck is unlikely to participate in this pathway. Next we examined whether combinations of these dominant-negative adapters could inhibit Erk activation more effectively than each mutant alone. When combinations of Crk-1 and Grb2 mutants were analyzed, the combination of the Crk-1 SH3 mutant plus the Grb2 SH3 mutant gave a striking synergistic effect. This finding suggests that in Abl-transformed cells, more than one class of tyrosine-phosphorylated sites (those that bind the Grb2 SH2 domain and those that bind the Crk SH2 domain) can lead to Ras activation. In contrast to results with Abl, Erk activation by EGF was strongly inhibited only by Grb2 mutants; Crk and Nck mutants had little or no effect. This finding suggests that Grb2 is the only adapter involved in the activation of Erk by EGF. Dominant-negative adaptors provide a novel means to identify binding interactions important in vivo for signaling in response to a variety of stimuli.