Regulation of IkappaB kinase-related kinases and antiviral responses by tumor suppressor CYLD

The IkappaB kinase (IKK)-related kinases, IKKepsilon and TBK1, participate in the induction of type I interferons (IFNs) during viral infections. Deregulated activation of IKKepsilon and TBK1 also contributes to the abnormal cell survival and transformation. However, how these kinases are negatively regulated remains unclear. We show here that the tumor suppressor CYLD has an essential role in preventing aberrant activation of IKKepsilon/TBK1. CYLD deficiency causes constitutive activation of IKKepsilon/TBK1, which is associated with hyper-induction of IFNs in virus-infected cells. We further show that CYLD targets a cytoplasmic RNA sensor, RIG-I, and inhibits the ubiquitination of this IKKepsilon/TBK1 stimulator. Consistent with the requirement of ubiquitination in RIG-I function, CYLD potently inhibits RIG-I-mediated activation of the IFN-beta promoter. These findings establish CYLD as a key negative regulator of IKKepsilon/TBK1 and suggest a role for CYLD in the control of RIG-I ubiquitination.     

Regulation of connexin43 function by activated tyrosine protein kinases

Gap junctions are specialized membrane structures that are involved in the normal functioning of numerous mammalian tissues and implicated in several human disease processes. This mini-review focuses on the regulation of gap junctions through phosphorylation of connexin43 induced by the v-Src or epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinases. These tyrosine kinases markedly disrupt gap junctional communication in mammalian cells. Here, we describe work correlating the alteration of connexin43 function with the ability of the v-Src tyrosine kinase to phosphorylate connexin43 directly on two distinct tyrosine sites in mammalian cells (Y247 and Y265). We also present evidence that proline-rich regions and phosphotyrosine sites of connexin43 may mediate interactions with the SH3 and SH2 domains of v-Src. In contrast to v-Src, the activated epidermal growth factor receptor acts indirectly through activated MAP kinase which may stimulate phosphorylation of connexin43 exclusively on serine. This phosphorylation event is complex because MAP kinase phosphorylates three serine sites in connexin43 (S255, S279, and S282). These findings suggest novel interactions between connexin43, the v-Src tyrosine kinase, and activated MAP kinase that set the stage for future investigations into the regulation of gap junctions by protein phosphorylation.     

IkappaB kinases: key regulators of the NF-kappaB pathway

The nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB pathway is important for the expression of a wide variety of genes that are involved in the control of the host immune and inflammatory response, and in the regulation of cellular proliferation and survival. The constitutive activation of this pathway is associated with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease, in addition to atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, cancer and diabetes. One of the key steps in activating the NF-kappaB pathway is the stimulation of the IkappaB (inhibitor of kappaB) kinases. Recent data indicate that these kinases activate the NF-kappaB pathway through distinct steps that are operative in both the cytoplasm and the nucleus. A better understanding of the mechanisms that activate this pathway provides the potential for defining new therapeutic targets that might prevent the aberrant activation of NF-kappaB in a variety of human diseases.     

Regulation of neuronal morphogenesis and synaptic function by Abl family kinases

Recent studies provide insights into the mechanisms by which Abelson non-receptor tyrosine kinases relay information from axon guidance and growth factor receptors to promote cytoskeletal rearrangements in developing neurons. Abelson non-receptor tyrosine kinases are also found in mature synapses, where their activities are required for optimal synaptic function.     

Regulation and function of the RSK family of protein kinases

The RSK (90 kDa ribosomal S6 kinase) family comprises a group of highly related serine/threonine kinases that regulate diverse cellular processes, including cell growth, proliferation, survival and motility. This family includes four vertebrate isoforms (RSK1, RSK2, RSK3 and RSK4), and single family member orthologues are also present in Drosophila and Caenorhabditis elegans. The RSK isoforms are downstream effectors of the Ras/ERK (extracellular-signal-regulated kinase) signalling pathway. Significant advances in the field of RSK signalling have occurred in the past few years, including several new functions ascribed to the RSK isoforms, the discovery of novel protein substrates and the implication of different RSK isoforms in cancer. Collectively, these new findings increase the diversity of biological functions regulated by RSK, and highlight potential new directions of research. In the present paper, we review the structure, expression and activation mechanisms of the RSK isoforms, and discuss their physiological roles on the basis of established substrates and recent discoveries.     

Regulation of the deubiquitinating enzyme CYLD by IkappaB kinase gamma-dependent phosphorylation

Tumor suppressor CYLD is a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) that inhibits the ubiquitination of key signaling molecules, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2). However, how the function of CYLD is regulated remains unknown. Here we provide evidence that inducible phosphorylation of CYLD is an important mechanism of its regulation. Under normal conditions, CYLD dominantly suppresses the ubiquitination of TRAF2. In response to cellular stimuli, CYLD undergoes rapid and transient phosphorylation, which is required for signal-induced TRAF2 ubiquitination and activation of downstream signaling events. Interestingly, the CYLD phosphorylation requires IκB kinase gamma (IKKγ) and can be induced by IKK catalytic subunits. These findings suggest that CYLD serves as a novel target of IKK and that the site-specific phosphorylation of CYLD regulates its signaling function.     

Regulation of protein kinases by lipids

Membranes are sites of intense signaling activity within the cell, serving as dynamic scaffolds for the recruitment of signaling molecules and their substrates. The specific and reversible localization of these signaling molecules to membranes is critical for the appropriate activation of downstream signaling pathways. Phospholipid-binding domains, including C1, C2, PH, and PX domains, play critical roles in the membrane targeting of protein kinases. Recent structural studies have identified a new membrane association domain, the Kinase Associated 1 (KA1) domain, which targets a number of yeast and mammalian protein kinases to membranes containing acidic phospholipids. Despite an abundance of localization studies on lipid-binding proteins and structural studies of the isolated lipid-binding domains, the question of how membrane binding is coupled to the activation of the kinase catalytic domain has been virtually untouched. Recently, structural studies on protein kinase C (PKC) have provided some of the first structural insights into the allosteric regulation of protein kinases by lipid second messengers.     

Regulation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway by redox signaling

Although it is well established that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can function as intracellular messengers, the mechanism of ROS dependent signaling is largely unknown (Rhee et al.,2005). In a recent paper in Nature Cell Biology, Funato et al. (2006) demonstrate that ROS can modulate signaling by the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. This work provides interesting new insight into cross-talk between redox and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in normal physiology and cancer.     

Regulation of the AMPK-related protein kinases by ubiquitination

How can a constitutively active 'master' kinase with numerous downstream targets preferentially phosphorylate one or more of these without influencing all simultaneously? How might such a system be switched off? The characterization of the role of deubiquitination in regulating the phosphorylation and activation of AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase)-related kinases by LKB1 suggests a novel and interesting mechanism for conferring signal transduction specificity and control at the kinase substrate level. In this issue of the Biochemical Journal, Al-Hakim et al. show that the AMPK-related kinases NUAK1 (AMPK-related kinase 5) and MARK4 (microtubule-affinity-regulating kinase 4) are polyubiquitinated in vivo and that they serve as substrates of the deubiquitinating enzyme USP9X; furthermore, the first evidence is provided for regulation of AMPK-related kinase family members mediated via unusual Lys(29)/Lys(33) polyubiquitin chains, rather than the more common Lys(48)/Lys(63) linkages.