Characterization of a modified ROCK2 protein that allows use of N6-ATP analogs for the identification of novel substrates.

BACKGROUND: The Rho-associated coiled-coil kinase-2 (ROCK2) is an important signaling transducer in the transmission of extracellular signals effecting organization of the actin cytoskeleton. ROCK2 has been implicated in numerous pathologies and the current focus is on understanding the molecular events that couple ROCK2 activity to biological function. To aid in the search for new ROCK2 substrates, we have developed an analog-sensitive (AS) ROCK2 protein that allows the use of selective ATP analogs that are not efficiently utilized by other protein kinases. RESULTS: The analog sensitive protein, M160A ROCK2, was highly active and could phosphorylate proteins from a cellular homogenate with γ32P-N6 (benzyl)ATP. We show the utility of this approach by identifying a putative ROCK2 substrate, elongation initiation factor-1-α1. We further show that the major site of ROCK2 phosphorylation of EIF1α1 is Thr432. CONCLUSIONS: Our work demonstrates that AS-ROCK2 could be useful in a systematic proteomic approach for identifying novel ROCK2 substrates.

MEKK2 kinase association with 14-3-3 protein regulates activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase.

MEKK2 (MAP/ERK kinase kinase-2) is a serine/threonine kinase that belongs to the MEKK/STE11 family of MAP kinase kinase kinases (MAP(3)Ks). MEKK2 integrates stress and mitogenic signals to the activation of NF-κB, JNK1/2, p38, and ERK5 pathways. We have found that MEKK2 is regulated through a phosphorylation-dependent association with 14-3-3, a group of adapters that modulate dimerization and association between proteins. We found that MEKK2 was phosphorylated at Thr-283, which resulted in decreased activation loop phosphorylation at Ser-519 and consequently reduced activity. Mechanistically, we found that MEKK2 associated with inactive MEKK2 in the absence of 14-3-3 binding, which led to trans-autophosphorylation of Ser-519. Enforced binding with 14-3-3 reduced Ser-519 trans-autophosphorylation. Expression of T283A MEKK2 within a MEKK2(-/-) background enhanced stress-activated c-Jun N-terminal kinase activity while elevating IL-6 expression, but also reduced ERK activation with a corresponding reduced proliferation rate. These results indicate that Thr-283 phosphorylation is an important regulatory mechanism for MEKK2 activation.

The MYC-associated protein CDCA7 is phosphorylated by AKT to regulate MYC-dependent apoptosis and transformation.

Cell division control protein A7 (CDCA7) is a recently identified target of MYC-dependent transcriptional regulation. We have discovered that CDCA7 associates with MYC and that this association is modulated in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The prosurvival kinase AKT phosphorylates CDCA7 at threonine 163, promoting binding to 14-3-3, dissociation from MYC, and sequestration to the cytoplasm. Upon serum withdrawal, induction of CDCA7 expression in the presence of MYC sensitized cells to apoptosis, whereas CDCA7 knockdown reduced MYC-dependent apoptosis. The transformation of fibroblasts by MYC was reduced by coexpression of CDCA7, while the non-MYC-interacting protein Δ(156-187)-CDCA7 largely inhibited MYC-induced transformation. These studies provide insight into a new mechanism by which AKT signaling to CDCA7 could alter MYC-dependent growth and transformation, contributing to tumorigenesis.

Functional conservation of the telomerase protein Est1p in humans.

Eukaryotic telomerase contains a telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and an RNA template component that are essential for telomerase catalytic activity and several other telomerase-associated factors of which only a few appear to be integral enzyme components [1-3]. The first essential telomerase protein identified was S. cerevisiae Est1p, whose deletion leads to ever-shorter telomeres despite the persistence of telomerase activity [4-6]. Extensive genetic and biochemical data show that Est1p, via its interaction with the telomerase RNA and telomere end DNA binding complex Cdc13p/Stn1p/Ten1p, promotes the ability of telomerase to elongate telomeres in vivo [7-22]. The characterization of Est1p homologs outside of yeast has not been documented. We report the characterization of two putative human homologs of Est1p, hEST1A and hEST1B. Both proteins specifically associated with telomerase activity in human cell extracts and bound hTERT in rabbit reticulocyte lysates independently of the telomerase RNA. Overproduction of hEST1A cooperated with hTERT to lengthen telomeres, an effect that was specific to cells containing telomerase activity. Like Est1p, hEST1A (but not hEST1B) exhibited a single-stranded telomere DNA binding activity. These results suggest that the telomerase-associated factor Est1p is evolutionarily conserved in humans.