ABSTRACT
The mixed lineage kinase MLK3 plays a crucial role in compromising mitochondrial integrity and functions as a proapoptotic competence factor in the early stages of cytokine-induced pancreatic ß cell death. In an effort to identify mechanisms that regulate MLK3 activity in ß cells, we discovered that IL-1ß stimulates Lys-63-linked ubiquitination of MLK3 via a conserved, TRAF6-binding peptapeptide motif in the catalytic domain of the kinase. TRAF6-mediated ubiquitination was required for dissociation of inactive monomeric MLK3 from the scaffold protein IB1/JIP1, facilitating the subsequent dimerization, autophosphorylation, and catalytic activation of MLK3. Inability to ubiquitinate MLK3, or the presence of A20, an upstream Lys-63-linked deubiquitinase, strongly curtailed the ability of MLK3 to affect the proapoptotic translocation of BAX in cytokine-stimulated pancreatic ß cells, an early step in the progression toward ß cell death. These studies suggest a novel mechanism for MLK3 activation and provide new clues for therapeutic intervention in promoting ß cell survival.
Subject(s)
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/metabolism , Insulin-Secreting Cells/cytology , Islets of Langerhans/cytology , Lysine/chemistry , MAP Kinase Kinase Kinases/metabolism , Ubiquitin/chemistry , Animals , Apoptosis , Cell Death , Cell Line , Coculture Techniques , Cytokines/metabolism , Diabetes Mellitus/metabolism , Dimerization , Hep G2 Cells , Humans , Mice , TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 6/metabolism , Toll-Like Receptors/metabolism , bcl-2-Associated X Protein/metabolism , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinase Kinase 11ABSTRACT
Mixed lineage kinases (MLKs) have been implicated in cytokine signaling as well as in cell death pathways. Our studies show that MLK3 is activated in leukocyte-infiltrated islets of non-obese diabetic mice and that MLK3 activation compromises mitochondrial integrity and induces apoptosis of beta cells. Using an ex vivo model of islet-splenocyte co-culture, we show that MLK3 mediates its effects via the pseudokinase TRB3, a mammalian homolog of Drosophila Tribbles. TRB3 expression strongly coincided with conformational change and mitochondrial translocation of BAX. Mechanistically, MLK3 directly interacted with and stabilized TRB3, resulting in inhibition of Akt, a strong suppressor of BAX translocation and mitochondrial membrane permeabilization. Accordingly, attenuation of MLK3 or TRB3 expression each prevented cytokine-induced BAX conformational change and attenuated the progression to apoptosis. We conclude that MLKs compromise mitochondrial integrity and suppress cellular survival mechanisms via TRB3-dependent inhibition of Akt.
