Regulation of the RNA-binding protein Smaug by the GPCR Smoothened via the kinase Fused.

From fly to mammals, the Smaug/Samd4 family of prion-like RNA-binding proteins control gene expression by destabilizing and/or repressing the translation of numerous target transcripts. However, the regulation of its activity remains poorly understood. We show that Smaug's protein levels and mRNA repressive activity are downregulated by Hedgehog signaling in tissue culture cells. These effects rely on the interaction of Smaug with the G-protein coupled receptor Smoothened, which promotes the phosphorylation of Smaug by recruiting the kinase Fused. The activation of Fused and its binding to Smaug are sufficient to suppress its ability to form cytosolic bodies and to antagonize its negative effects on endogenous targets. Importantly, we demonstrate in vivo that HH reduces the levels of smaug mRNA and increases the level of several mRNAs downregulated by Smaug. Finally, we show that Smaug acts as a positive regulator of Hedgehog signaling during wing morphogenesis. These data constitute the first evidence for a post-translational regulation of Smaug and reveal that the fate of several mRNAs bound to Smaug is modulated by a major signaling pathway.

Dose-dependent transduction of Hedgehog relies on phosphorylation-based feedback between the G-protein-coupled receptor Smoothened and the kinase Fused.

Smoothened (SMO) is a G-protein-coupled receptor-related protein required for the transduction of Hedgehog (HH). The HH gradient leads to graded phosphorylation of SMO, mainly by the PKA and CKI kinases. How thresholds in HH morphogen regulate SMO to promote switch-like transcriptional responses is a central unsolved issue. Using the wing imaginal disc model in Drosophila, we identified new SMO phosphosites that enhance the effects of the PKA/CKI kinases on SMO accumulation, its localization at the plasma membrane and its activity. Surprisingly, phosphorylation at these sites is induced by the kinase Fused (FU), a known downstream effector of SMO. In turn, activation of SMO induces FU to act on its downstream targets. Overall, our data provide evidence for a SMO/FU positive regulatory loop nested within a multikinase phosphorylation cascade. We propose that this complex interplay amplifies signaling above a threshold that allows high HH signaling.

Biophysical characterisation of the novel zinc binding property in Suppressor of Fused.

Suppressor of Fused (SUFU) is a highly conserved protein that acts as a negative regulator of the Hedgehog (HH) signalling pathway, a major determinant of cell differentiation and proliferation. Therefore, SUFU deletion in mammals has devastating effects on embryo development. SUFU is part of a multi-protein cytoplasmic signal-transducing complex. Its partners include the Gli family of transcription factors that function either as repressors, or as transcription activators according to the HH activation state. The crystal structure of SUFU revealed a two-domain arrangement, which undergoes a closing movement upon binding a peptide from Gli1. There remains however, much to be discovered about SUFU's behaviour. To this end, we expressed recombinant, full-length SUFU from Drosophila, Zebrafish and Human. Guided by a sequence analysis that revealed a conserved potential metal binding site, we discovered that SUFU binds zinc. This binding was found to occur with a nanomolar affinity to SUFU from all three species. Mutation of one histidine from the conserved motif induces a moderate decrease in affinity for zinc, while circular dichroism indicates that the mutant remains structured. Our results reveal new metal binding affinity characteristics about SUFU that could be of importance for its regulatory function in HH.