Structure-function analysis of core STRIPAK Proteins: a signaling complex implicated in Golgi polarization

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are alterations in brain capillary architecture that can result in neurological deficits, seizures, or stroke. We recently demonstrated that CCM3, a protein mutated in familial CCMs, resides predominantly within the STRIPAK complex (striatin interacting phosphatase and kinase). Along with CCM3, STRIPAK contains the Ser/Thr phosphatase PP2A. The PP2A holoenzyme consists of a core catalytic subunit along with variable scaffolding and regulatory subunits. Within STRIPAK, striatin family members act as PP2A regulatory subunits. STRIPAK also contains all three members of a subfamily of Sterile 20 kinases called the GCKIII proteins (MST4, STK24, and STK25). Here, we report that striatins and CCM3 bridge the phosphatase and kinase components of STRIPAK and map the interacting regions on each protein. We show that striatins and CCM3 regulate the Golgi localization of MST4 in an opposite manner. Consistent with a previously described function for MST4 and CCM3 in Golgi positioning, depletion of CCM3 or striatins affects Golgi polarization, also in an opposite manner. We propose that STRIPAK regulates the balance between MST4 localization at the Golgi and in the cytosol to control Golgi positioning.     

A PP2A phosphatase high density interaction network identifies a novel striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase complex linked to the cerebral cavernous malformation 3 (CCM3) protein

The serine/threonine protein phosphatases are targeted to specific subcellular locations and substrates in part via interactions with a wide variety of regulatory proteins. Understanding these interactions is thus critical to understanding phosphatase function. Using an iterative affinity purification/mass spectrometry approach, we generated a high density interaction map surrounding the protein phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit. This approach recapitulated the assembly of the PP2A catalytic subunit into many different trimeric complexes but also revealed several new protein-protein interactions. Here we define a novel large multiprotein assembly, referred to as the striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex. STRIPAK contains the PP2A catalytic (PP2Ac) and scaffolding (PP2A A) subunits, the striatins (PP2A regulatory B' subunits), the striatin-associated protein Mob3, the novel proteins STRIP1 and STRIP2 (formerly FAM40A and FAM40B), the cerebral cavernous malformation 3 (CCM3) protein, and members of the germinal center kinase III family of Ste20 kinases. Although the function of the CCM3 protein is unknown, the CCM3 gene is mutated in familial cerebral cavernous malformations, a condition associated with seizures and strokes. Our proteomics survey indicates that a large portion of the CCM3 protein resides within the STRIPAK complex, opening the way for further studies of CCM3 biology. The STRIPAK assembly establishes mutually exclusive interactions with either the CTTNBP2 proteins (which interact with the cytoskeletal protein cortactin) or a second subcomplex consisting of the sarcolemmal membrane-associated protein (SLMAP) and the related coiled-coil proteins suppressor of IKKepsilon (SIKE) and FGFR1OP2. We have thus identified several novel PP2A-containing protein complexes, including a large assembly linking kinases and phosphatases to a gene mutated in human disease.     

Fsr1, a striatin homologue,forms an endomembrane‐associated complex that regulates virulence in the maize pathogen Fusarium verticillioides

Fsr1, a homologue of mammalian striatin, containing multiple protein‐binding domains and a coiled‐coil (CC) domain, is critical for Fusarium verticillioides virulence. In mammals, striatin interacts with multiple proteins to form a STRIPAK (striatin‐interacting phosphatase and kinase) complex that regulates a variety of developmental processes and cellular mechanisms. In this study, we identified the homologue of a key mammalian STRIPAK component STRIP1/2 (striatin‐interacting proteins 1 and 2) in F. verticillioides, FvStp1, which interacts with Fsr1 in vivo. Gene deletion analysis indicates that FvStp1 is critical for F. verticillioides stalk rot virulence. In addition, we identified three proteins, designated FvCyp1, FvScp1 and FvSel1, which interact with the Fsr1 CC domain via a yeast two‐hybrid screen. Importantly, FvCyp1, FvScp1 and FvSel1 co‐localize to endomembrane structures, each having a preferred localization in the cell, and they are all required for F. verticillioides stalk rot virulence. Moreover, these proteins are necessary for the correct localization of Fsr1 to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and nuclear envelope. Thus, we identified several novel components in the STRIPAK complex that regulates F. verticillioides virulence, and propose that the correct organization and localization of Fsr1 are critical for STRIPAK complex function.     

HAM‐2 and HAM‐3 are central for the assembly of the Neurospora STRIPAK complex at the nuclear envelope and regulate nuclear accumulation of the MAP kinase MAK‐1 in a MAK‐2‐dependent manner

Intercellular communication and somatic cell fusion are important for fungal colony establishment, multicellular differentiation and have been associated with host colonization and virulence of pathogenic species. By a combination of genetic, biochemical and live cell imaging techniques, we characterized the Neurospora crassa STRIPAK complex that is essential for self‐signalling and consists of the six proteins HAM‐2/STRIP, HAM‐3/striatin, HAM‐4/SLMAP, MOB‐3/phocein, PPG‐1/PP2A‐C and PP2A‐A. We describe that the core STRIPAK components HAM‐2 and HAM‐3 are central for the assembly of the complex at the nuclear envelope, while the phosphatase PPG‐1 only transiently associates with this central subcomplex. Our data connect the STRIPAK complex with two MAP kinase pathways: (i) nuclear accumulation of the cell wall integrity MAP kinase MAK‐1 depends on the functional integrity of the STRIPAK complex at the nuclear envelope, and (ii) phosphorylation of MOB‐3 by the MAP kinase MAK‐2 impacts the nuclear accumulation of MAK‐1. In summary, these data support a model, in which MAK‐2‐dependent phosphorylation of MOB‐3 is part of a MAK‐1 import mechanism. Although self‐communication remained intact in the absence of nuclear MAK‐1 accumulation, supporting the presence of multiple mechanisms that co‐ordinate robust intercellular communication, proper fruiting body morphology was dependent on the MAK‐2‐phosphorylated N‐terminus of MOB‐3.     

A homologue of the human STRIPAK complex controls sexual development in fungi

Sexual development in fungi is a complex process involving the generation of new cell types and tissues - an essential step for all eukaryotic life. The characterization of sterile mutants in the ascomycete Sordaria macrospora has led to a number of proteins involved in sexual development, but a link between these proteins is still missing. Using a combined tandem-affinity purification/mass spectrometry approach, we showed in vivo association of developmental protein PRO22 with PRO11, homologue of mammalian striatin, and SmPP2AA, scaffolding subunit of protein phosphatase 2A. Further experiments extended the protein network to the putative kinase activator SmMOB3, known to be involved in sexual development. Extensive yeast two-hybrid studies allowed us to pinpoint functional domains involved in protein-protein interaction. We show for the first time that a number of already known factors together with new components associate in vivo to form a highly conserved multi-subunit complex. Strikingly, a similar complex has been described in humans, but the function of this so-called striatin interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) complex is largely unknown. In S. macrospora, truncation of PRO11 and PRO22 leads to distinct defects in sexual development and cell fusion, indicating a role for the fungal STRIPAK complex in both processes.     

A novel non-canonical mechanism of regulation of MST3 (mammalian Sterile20-related kinase 3)

The canonical pathway of regulation of the GCK (germinal centre kinase) III subgroup member, MST3 (mammalian Sterile20-related kinase 3), involves a caspase-mediated cleavage between N-terminal catalytic and C-terminal regulatory domains with possible concurrent autophosphorylation of the activation loop MST3(Thr(178)), induction of serine/threonine protein kinase activity and nuclear localization. We identified an alternative 'non-canonical' pathway of MST3 activation (regulated primarily through dephosphorylation) which may also be applicable to other GCKIII (and GCKVI) subgroup members. In the basal state, inactive MST3 co-immunoprecipitated with the Golgi protein GOLGA2/gm130 (golgin A2/Golgi matrix protein 130). Activation of MST3 by calyculin A (a protein serine/threonine phosphatase 1/2A inhibitor) stimulated (auto)phosphorylation of MST3(Thr(178)) in the catalytic domain with essentially simultaneous cis-autophosphorylation of MST3(Thr(328)) in the regulatory domain, an event also requiring the MST3(341-376) sequence which acts as a putative docking domain. MST3(Thr(178)) phosphorylation increased MST3 kinase activity, but this activity was independent of MST3(Thr(328)) phosphorylation. Interestingly, MST3(Thr(328)) lies immediately C-terminal to a STRAD (Sterile20-related adaptor) pseudokinase-like site identified recently as being involved in binding of GCKIII/GCKVI members to MO25 scaffolding proteins. MST3(Thr(178)/Thr(328)) phosphorylation was concurrent with dissociation of MST3 from GOLGA2/gm130 and association of MST3 with MO25, and MST3(Thr(328)) phosphorylation was necessary for formation of the activated MST3-MO25 holocomplex.     

The Colletotrichum graminicola striatin orthologue Str1 is necessary for anastomosis and is a virulence factor

Striatin family proteins are key regulators in signalling pathways in fungi and animals. These scaffold proteins contain four conserved domains: a caveolin‐binding domain, a coiled‐coil motif and a calmodulin‐binding domain at the N‐terminus, and a WD‐repeat domain at the C‐terminus. Fungal striatin orthologues are associated with sexual development, hyphal growth and plant pathogenesis. In Fusarium verticillioides, the striatin orthologue Fsr1 promotes virulence in the maize stalk. The relationship between fungal striatins and pathogenicity remains largely unexplored. In this study, we demonstrate that the Colletotrichum graminicola striatin orthologue Str1 is required for full stalk rot and leaf blight virulence in maize. Pathogenicity assays show that the striatin mutant strain (Δstr1) produces functional appressoria, but infection and colonization are attenuated. Additional phenotypes of the Δstr1 mutant include reduced radial growth and compromised hyphal fusion. In comparison with the wild‐type, Δstr1 also shows a defect in sexual development and produces fewer and shorter conidia. Together with the fact that F. verticillioides fsr1 can complement Δstr1, our results indicate that C. graminicola Str1 shares five phenotypes with striatin orthologues in other fungal species: hyphal growth, hyphal fusion, conidiation, sexual development and virulence. We propose that fungal striatins, like mammalian striatins, act as scaffolding molecules that cross‐link multiple signal transduction pathways.     

Rat Brain Protein Phosphatase 2A: An Enzyme that May Regulate Autophosphorylated Protein Kinases

Abstract: Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) isolated from whole rat brain homogenate supernatants has been compared with that extracted from rat synaptosomal membranes. Both purified enzymes are comprised of the three known PP2A polypeptide chains of 65 (A subunit), 55 (B/B' subunit), and 38 (C subunit) kDa and have okadaic acid inhibition curves ( K _i = 0.05 n M ) nearly identical to that reported for skeletal muscle PP2A. The isolated 38-kDa subunit of rat brain PP2A appears to contain phosphotyrosine based on cross-reactivity with a specific monoclonal antibody (PY-20). Amino acid compositions and sequences of peptides isolated from the 65- and 38-kDa species correspond to regions of the cDNA-deduced sequences of the regulatory and catalytic subunits of protein phosphatase 2A from several sources. Studies reported here also demonstrate that autophosphorylated protein kinases, particularly Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II), are excellent substrates for brain PP2A. Furthermore, Ca²⁺-dependent K⁺-depolarization of hippocampal synaptosomes was accompanied by a sequential increase, then decrease, in CaM kinase II phosphorylation level over a 45-s time course. The decrease was blocked by 1 n M okadaic acid. These data demonstrate that the type 2A protein phosphatase is present at the synapses of CNS neurons where its localization could alter the functions of phosphoproteins involved in synaptic plasticity.     

Channel-anchored Protein Kinase CK2 and Protein Phosphatase 1 Reciprocally Regulate KCNQ2-containing M-channels via Phosphorylation of Calmodulin

M-type potassium channels, encoded by the KCNQ family genes (KCNQ2–5), require calmodulin as an essential co-factor. Calmodulin bound to the KCNQ2 subunit regulates channel trafficking and stabilizes channel activity. We demonstrate that phosphorylation of calmodulin by protein kinase CK2 (casein kinase 2) rapidly and reversibly modulated KCNQ2 current. CK2-mediated phosphorylation of calmodulin strengthened its binding to KCNQ2 channel, caused resistance to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate depletion, and increased KCNQ2 current amplitude. Accordingly, application of CK2-selective inhibitors suppressed KCNQ2 current. This suppression was prevented by co-expression of CK2 phosphomimetic calmodulin mutants or pretreatment with a protein phosphatase inhibitor, calyculin A. We also demonstrated that functional CK2 and protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) were selectively tethered to the KCNQ2 subunit. We identified a functional KVXF consensus site for PP1 binding in the N-terminal tail of KCNQ2 subunit: mutation of this site augmented current density. CK2 inhibitor treatment suppressed M-current in rat superior cervical ganglion neurons, an effect negated by overexpression of phosphomimetic calmodulin or pretreatment with calyculin A Furthermore, CK2 inhibition diminished the medium after hyperpolarization by suppressing the M-current. These findings suggest that CK2-mediated phosphorylation of calmodulin regulates the M-current, which is tonically regulated by CK2 and PP1 anchored to the KCNQ2 channel complex.     

Pertussis Toxin Modification of PC12 Cells Inhibits a Protein Phosphatase 2A-Like Phosphatase

Abstract: We have found that modification of rat PC12 cells with pertussis toxin resulted in an ∼50% inhibition of a protein phosphatase 2A-like phosphatase. Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a major cellular serine/threonine-specific protein phosphatase. Treatment of extracts from pertussis toxin-modified PC12 cells with either immobilized alkaline phosphatase or Ca²⁺ reversed this inhibition. Reactivation of the PP2A-like phosphatase in Ca²⁺ appears to result from the dephosphorylation of a protein by the Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase calcineurin. The PP2A-like phosphatase in extracts from pertussis toxin-modified PC12 cells eluted from a Mono Q column at a higher ionic strength than did the PP2A-like phosphatase in extracts from control cells. After incubation in Ca²⁺, the PP2A-like phosphatase in extracts from pertussis toxin-modified cells eluted from a Mono Q column at the same ionic strength as did the PP2A-like phosphatase in extracts from control cells. These results indicate that the effect of pertussis toxin on this PP2A-like activity results from the phosphorylation of either one of the subunits of the PP2A-like phosphatase or a protein that when phosphorylated binds to and inhibits this phosphatase. Pertussis toxin modification did not result in the phosphorylation of the catalytic subunit of PP2A. Because phosphorylation regulates the activities of many enzymes and cell surface receptors, a pertussis toxin-induced decrease in PP2A activity could alter signaling pathways and other cellular processes in which G proteins are not directly involved.     

Methylation of the protein phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit is essential for association of Balpha regulatory subunit but not SG2NA, striatin, or polyomavirus middle tumor antigen

Binding of different regulatory subunits and methylation of the catalytic (C) subunit carboxy-terminal leucine 309 are two important mechanisms by which protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) can be regulated. In this study, both genetic and biochemical approaches were used to investigate regulation of regulatory subunit binding by C subunit methylation. Monoclonal antibodies selectively recognizing unmethylated C subunit were used to quantitate the methylation status of wild-type and mutant C subunits. Analysis of 13 C subunit mutants showed that both carboxy-terminal and active site residues are important for maintaining methylation in vivo. Severe impairment of methylation invariably led to a dramatic decrease in Balpha subunit binding but not of striatin, SG2NA, or polyomavirus middle tumor antigen (MT) binding. In fact, most unmethylated C subunit mutants showed enhanced binding to striatin and SG2NA. Certain carboxy-terminal mutations decreased Balpha subunit binding without greatly affecting methylation, indicating that Balpha subunit binding is not required for a high steady-state level of C subunit methylation. Demethylation of PP2A in cell lysates with recombinant PP2A methylesterase greatly decreased the amount of C subunit that could be coimmunoprecipitated via the Balpha subunit but not the amount that could be coimmunoprecipitated with Aalpha subunit or MT. When C subunit methylation levels were greatly reduced in vivo, Balpha subunits were found complexed exclusively to methylated C subunits, whereas striatin and SG2NA in the same cells bound both methylated and unmethylated C subunits. Thus, C subunit methylation is critical for assembly of PP2A heterotrimers containing Balpha subunit but not for formation of heterotrimers containing MT, striatin, or SG2NA. These findings suggest that methylation may be able to selectively regulate the association of certain regulatory subunits with the A/C heterodimer.     

CCM3/PDCD10 heterodimerizes with germinal center kinase III (GCKIII) proteins using a mechanism analogous to CCM3 homodimerization

CCM3 mutations give rise to cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) of the vasculature through a mechanism that remains unclear. Interaction of CCM3 with the germinal center kinase III (GCKIII) subfamily of Sterile 20 protein kinases, MST4, STK24, and STK25, has been implicated in cardiovascular development in the zebrafish, raising the possibility that dysregulated GCKIII function may contribute to the etiology of CCM disease. Here, we show that the amino-terminal region of CCM3 is necessary and sufficient to bind directly to the C-terminal tail region of GCKIII proteins. This same region of CCM3 was shown previously to mediate homodimerization through the formation of an interdigitated α-helical domain. Sequence conservation and binding studies suggest that CCM3 may preferentially heterodimerize with GCKIII proteins through a manner structurally analogous to that employed for CCM3 homodimerization.     

Misshapen-like kinase 1 (MINK1) is a novel component of striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK) and is required for the completion of cytokinesis

Cytokinesis is initiated by constriction of the cleavage furrow and terminated by abscission of the intercellular bridge that connects two separating daughter cells. The complicated processes of cytokinesis are coordinated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation mediated by protein kinases and phosphatases. Mammalian Misshapen-like kinase 1 (MINK1) is a member of the germinal center kinases and is known to regulate cytoskeletal organization and oncogene-induced cell senescence. To search for novel regulators of cytokinesis, we performed a screen using a library of siRNAs and found that MINK1 was essential for cytokinesis. Time-lapse analysis revealed that MINK1-depleted cells were able to initiate furrowing but that abscission was disrupted. STRN4 (Zinedin) is a regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and was recently shown to be a component of a novel protein complex called striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase (STRIPAK). Mass spectrometry analysis showed that MINK1 was a component of STRIPAK and that MINK1 directly interacted with STRN4. Similar to MINK1 depletion, STRN4-knockdown induced multinucleated cells and inhibited the completion of abscission. In addition, STRN4 reduced MINK1 activity in the presence of catalytic and structural subunits of PP2A. Our study identifies a novel regulatory network of protein kinases and phosphatases that regulate the completion of abscission.     

Catalytically Inactive Protein Phosphatase 2A Can Bind to Polyomavirus Middle Tumor Antigen and Support Complex Formation with pp60c-src

Interaction between the heterodimeric form of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and polyomavirus middle T antigen (MT) is required for the subsequent assembly of a transformation-competent MT complex. To investigate the role of PP2A catalytic activity in MT complex formation, we undertook a mutational analysis of the PP2A 36-kDa catalytic C subunit. Several residues likely to be involved in the dephosphorylation mechanism were identified and mutated. The resultant catalytically inactive C subunit mutants were then analyzed for their ability to associate with a cellular (B subunit) or a viral (MT) B-type subunit. Strikingly, while all of the inactive mutants were severely impaired in their interaction with B subunit, most of these mutants formed complexes with polyomavirus MT. These findings indicate a potential role for these catalytically important residues in complex formation with cellular B subunit, but not in complex formation with MT. Transformation-competent MT is known to associate with, and modulate the activity of, several cellular proteins, including pp60(c-src) family kinases. To determine whether association of MT with an active PP2A A-C heterodimer is necessary for subsequent association with pp60(c-src), catalytically inactive C subunits were examined for their ability to form complexes containing pp60(c-src) in MT-expressing cells. Two catalytically inactive C subunit mutants that efficiently formed complexes with MT also formed complexes that included an active pp60(c-src) kinase, demonstrating that PP2A activity is not essential in cis in MT complexes for subsequent pp60(c-src) association.     

Tiered Assembly of the Yeast Far3-7-8-9-10-11 Complex at the Endoplasmic Reticulum

Target of rapamycin signaling is a conserved, essential pathway integrating nutritional cues with cell growth and proliferation. The target of rapamycin kinase exists in two distinct complexes, TORC1 and TORC2. It has been reported that protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and the Far3-7-8-9-10-11 complex (Far complex) negatively regulate TORC2 signaling in yeast. The Far complex, originally identified as factors required for pheromone-induced cell cycle arrest, and PP2A form the yeast counterpart of the STRIPAK complex, which was first isolated in mammals. The cellular localization of the Far complex has yet to be fully characterized. Here, we show that the Far complex localizes to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by analyzing functional GFP-tagged Far proteins in vivo. We found that Far9 and Far10, two homologous proteins each with a tail-anchor domain, localize to the ER in mutant cells lacking the other Far complex components. Far3, Far7, and Far8 form a subcomplex, which is recruited to the ER by Far9/10. The Far3-7-8- complex in turn recruits Far11 to the ER. Finally, we show that the tail-anchor domain of Far9 is required for its optimal function in TORC2 signaling. Our study reveals tiered assembly of the yeast Far complex at the ER and a function for Far complex''s ER localization in TORC2 signaling.     

WD40 repeat proteins striatin and S/G(2) nuclear autoantigen are members of a novel family of calmodulin-binding proteins that associate with protein phosphatase 2A

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) is a multifunctional serine/threonine phosphatase that is critical to many cellular processes including development, neuronal signaling, cell cycle regulation, and viral transformation. PP2A has been implicated in Ca(2+)-dependent signaling pathways, but how PP2A is targeted to these pathways is not understood. We have identified two calmodulin (CaM)-binding proteins that form stable complexes with the PP2A A/C heterodimer and may represent a novel family of PP2A B-type subunits. These two proteins, striatin and S/G(2) nuclear autoantigen (SG2NA), are highly related WD40 repeat proteins of previously unknown function and distinct subcellular localizations. Striatin has been reported to associate with the post-synaptic densities of neurons, whereas SG2NA has been reported to be a nuclear protein expressed primarily during the S and G(2) phases of the cell cycle. We show that SG2NA, like striatin, binds to CaM in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. In addition to CaM and PP2A, several unidentified proteins stably associate with the striatin-PP2A and SG2NA-PP2A complexes. Thus, one mechanism of targeting and organizing PP2A with components of Ca(2+)-dependent signaling pathways may be through the molecular scaffolding proteins striatin and SG2NA.     

TORC2 signaling is antagonized by protein phosphatase 2A and the Far complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase, a central regulator of eukaryotic cell growth, exists in two essential, yet distinct, TOR kinase complexes in the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae: rapamycin-sensitive TORC1 and rapamycin-insensitive TORC2. Lst8, a component of both TOR complexes, is essential for cell viability. However, it is unclear whether the essential function of Lst8 is linked to TORC1, TORC2, or both. To that end, we carried out a genetic screen to isolate lst8 deletion suppressor mutants. Here we report that mutations in SAC7 and FAR11 suppress lethality of lst8Δ and TORC2-deficient (tor2-21) mutations but not TORC1 inactivation, suggesting that the essential function of Lst8 is linked only to TORC2. More importantly, characterization of lst8Δ bypass mutants reveals a role for protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in the regulation of TORC2 signaling. We show that Far11, a member of the Far3-7-8-9-10-11 complex involved in pheromone-induced cell cycle arrest, interacts with Tpd3 and Pph21, conserved components of PP2A, and deletions of components of the Far3-7-8-9-10-11 complex and PP2A rescue growth defects in lst8Δ and tor2-21 mutants. In addition, loss of the regulatory B' subunit of PP2A Rts1 or Far11 restores phosphorylation to the TORC2 substrate Slm1 in a tor2-21 mutant. Mammalian Far11 orthologs FAM40A/B exist in a complex with PP2A known as STRIPAK, suggesting a conserved functional association of PP2A and Far11. Antagonism of TORC2 signaling by PP2A-Far11 represents a novel regulatory mechanism for controlling spatial cell growth of yeast.     

Regulation of Chk2 phosphorylation by interaction with protein phosphatase 2A via its B' regulatory subunit

Chk2 is a key player of the DNA damage signalling pathway. To identify new regulators of this kinase, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screen and found that Chk2 associated with the B' regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase PP2A. In vitro GST-Chk2 pulldowns demonstrated that B'gamma isoforms bound to Chk2 with the strongest apparent affinity. This was confirmed in cellulo by co-immunoprecipitation after overexpression of the respective partners in HEK293 cells. The A and C subunits of PP2A were present in the complexes, suggesting that Chk2 was associated with a functionnal PP2A. In vitro kinase assays showed that B'gamma3 was a potent Chk2 substrate. This phosphorylation increased the catalytic phosphatase activity of PP2A measured on MAP kinase-phosphorylated myelin basic protein as well as on autophosphorylated Chk2. Finally, we demonstrated that overexpressing B'gamma3 in HEK293 suppressed the phosphorylation of Chk2 induced by a genotoxic treatment, suggesting that PP2A may counteract the action of the checkpoint kinase in living cells.     

Structural basis of PP2A inhibition by small t antigen

The SV40 small t antigen (ST) is a potent oncoprotein that perturbs the function of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A). ST directly interacts with the PP2A scaffolding A subunit and alters PP2A activity by displacing regulatory B subunits from the A subunit. We have determined the crystal structure of full-length ST in complex with PP2A A subunit at 3.1 Å resolution. ST consists of an N-terminal J domain and a C-terminal unique domain that contains two zinc-binding motifs. Both the J domain and second zinc-binding motif interact with the intra-HEAT-repeat loops of HEAT repeats 3–7 of the A subunit, which overlaps with the binding site of the PP2A B56 subunit. Intriguingly, the first zinc-binding motif is in a position that may allow it to directly interact with and inhibit the phosphatase activity of the PP2A catalytic C subunit. These observations provide a structural basis for understanding the oncogenic functions of ST.