Carboxyl-terminal receptor domains control the differential dephosphorylation of somatostatin receptors by protein phosphatase 1 isoforms.

We have recently identified protein phosphatase 1ß (PP1ß) as G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) phosphatase for the sst2 somatostatin receptor using siRNA knockdown screening. By contrast, for the sst5 somatostatin receptor we identified protein phosphatase 1γ (PP1γ) as GPCR phosphatase using the same approach. We have also shown that sst2 and sst5 receptors differ substantially in the temporal dynamics of their dephosphorylation and trafficking patterns. Whereas dephosphorylation and recycling of the sst2 receptor requires extended time periods of ∼30 min, dephosphorylation and recycling of the sst5 receptor is completed in less than 10 min. Here, we examined which receptor domains determine the selection of phosphatases for receptor dephosphorylation. We found that generation of tail-swap mutants between sst2 and sst5 was required and sufficient to reverse the patterns of dephosphorylation and trafficking of these two receptors. In fact, siRNA knockdown confirmed that the sst5 receptor carrying the sst2 tail is predominantly dephosphorylated by PP1ß, whereas the sst2 receptor carrying the sst5 tail is predominantly dephosphorylated by PP1γ. Thus, the GPCR phosphatase responsible for dephosphorylation of individual somatostatin receptor subtypes is primarily determined by their different carboxyl-terminal receptor domains. This phosphatase specificity has in turn profound consequences for the dephosphorylation dynamics and trafficking patterns of GPCRs.

Phosphorylation of threonine 333 regulates trafficking of the human sst5 somatostatin receptor.

The frequent overexpression of the somatostatin receptors sst2 and sst5 in neuroendocrine tumors provides the molecular basis for therapeutic application of novel multireceptor somatostatin analogs. Although the phosphorylation of the carboxyl-terminal region of the sst2 receptor has been studied in detail, little is known about the agonist-induced regulation of the human sst5 receptor. Here, we have generated phosphosite-specific antibodies for the carboxyl-terminal threonines 333 (T333) and 347 (T347), which enabled us to selectively detect either the T333-phosphorylated or the T347-phosphorylated form of sst5. We show that agonist-mediated phosphorylation occurs at T333, whereas T347 is constitutively phosphorylated in the absence of agonist. We further demonstrate that the multireceptor somatostatin analog pasireotide and the sst5-selective ligand L-817,818 but not octreotide or KE108 were able to promote a detectable T333 phosphorylation. Interestingly, BIM-23268 was the only sst5 agonist that was able to stimulate T333 phosphorylation to the same extent as natural somatostatin. Agonist-induced T333 phosphorylation was dose-dependent and selectively mediated by G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2. Similar to that observed for the sst2 receptor, phosphorylation of sst5 occurred within seconds. However, unlike that seen for the sst2 receptor, dephosphorylation and recycling of sst5 were rapidly completed within minutes. We also identify protein phosphatase 1γ as G protein-coupled receptor phosphatase for the sst5 receptor. Together, we provide direct evidence for agonist-selective phosphorylation of carboxyl-terminal T333. In addition, we identify G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2-mediated phosphorylation and protein phosphatase 1γ-mediated dephosphorylation of T333 as key regulators of rapid internalization and recycling of the human sst5 receptor.