Identification of a CK2 phosphorylation site in mdm2.

Mdm2 is a cellular oncoprotein the most obvious function of which is the down-regulation of the growth suppressor protein p53. It represents a highly phosphorylated protein but only little is yet known about the sites phosphorylated in vivo, the kinases that are responsible for the phosphorylation or the functional relevance of the phosphorylation status. Recently, we have shown that mdm2 is a good substrate for protein kinase CK2 at least in vitro. Computer analysis of the primary amino acid sequence of mdm2 revealed 19 putative CK2 phosphorylation sites. By using deletion mutants of mdm2 and a peptide library we identified the serine residue at position 269 which lies within a canonical CK2 consensus sequence (EGQELSDEDDE) as the most important CK2 phosphorylation site. Moreover, by using the mdm2 S269A mutant for in vitro phosphorylation assays this site was shown to be phosphorylated by CK2. Binding studies revealed that phosphorylation of mdm2 at S269 does not have any influence on the binding of p53 to mdm2.     

Mutation of the casein kinase II phosphorylation site abolishes the anti-proliferative activity of p53.

The p53 tumour suppressor protein is phosphorylated by several protein kinases, including casein kinase II. In order to understand the functional significance of phosphorylation by casein kinase II, we have introduced mutations at serine 386 in mouse p53, the residue phosphorylated by this kinase, and investigated their effects on the ability of p53 to arrest cell growth. Replacement of serine 386 by alanine led to loss of growth suppressor activity, while aspartic acid at this position partially retained suppressor function. These data suggest that the anti-proliferative activity of p53 is activated by phosphorylation at serine 386, and establish a direct link between the covalent modification of a growth suppressor protein and regulation of its activity in mammalian cells.     

p53 serine 392 phosphorylation increases after UV through induction of the assembly of the CK2.hSPT16.SSRP1 complex

Previously, we purified a UV-responsive p53 serine 392 kinase from F9 and HeLa cells and found that its activity is attributed to a high molecular weight protein complex containing the protein kinase CK2, along with the chromatin-associated factors hSPT16 and SSRP1. Here we determine that these proteins interact in vitro and in cells via non-overlapping domains and provide evidence consistent with the idea that hSPT16 and SSRP1 change the conformation of CK2 upon binding such that it specifically targets p53 over other substrates. Also, UV irradiation apparently induces the association of the complex, thereby increasing the specificity of CK2 for p53 at the expense of other cellular CK2 substrates and leading to an overall increase in p53 serine 392 phosphorylation.     

Regulation of p53 mediated transactivation by the beta-subunit of protein kinase CK2

The growth suppressor protein p53 plays a main part in cellular growth control. Two of its key functions are sequence specific DNA binding and transactivation. Functions of p53 in growth control are regulated at least in part by its interaction with protein kinases. p53 binds to protein kinase CK2, formerly known as casein kinase 2, and it is phosphorylated by this enzyme. CK2 is composed of two regulating beta-subunits and two catalytic alpha- or alpha'-subunits and the interaction with p53 is mediated by the regulatory beta-subunit of CK2. Recently we showed that the beta-subunit could inhibit the sequence specific DNA binding activity of p53 in vitro. Based on this finding, we asked if a coexpression of the beta-subunit of CK2 with p53 in mammalian cells could inhibit the DNA binding activity of p53 in a physiological context. We found that the coexpression of the beta-subunit showed the same inhibitory effect as in the previous assays with purified proteins. Then, we investigated the effects of the coexpression of the beta-subunit of CK2 on the transactivation and transrepression activity of p53. We found that transactivation of the mdm2, p21(WAF1/CIP1) and cyclin G promoter was inhibited in three different cell lines whereas transactivation of the bax promoter was not affected in COS1 cells but down-regulated in MCO1 and SaosS138V21 cells. p53 mediated transrepression of the fos promoter was not influenced by coexpression of the CK2 beta-subunit. Taken together we propose a cell type dependent fine regulation of the p53 transactivation function by the CK2 beta-subunit in vivo, which does not affect p53 mediated transrepression.     

Wild-type p53 inhibits protein kinase CK2 activity

The growth suppressor protein p53 and the protein kinase CK2 are both implicated in cellular growth regulation. We previously found that p53 binds to protein kinase CK2 via its regulatory beta-subunit. In the present study, we analyzed the consequences of the binding of p53 to CK2 for the enzymatic activity of CK2 in vitro and in vivo. We found that the carboxy-terminus of p53 which is a potent transforming agent stimulated CK2 activity whereas full length wild-type p53 which is a growth suppressor inhibited the activity of protein kinase CK2. Inhibition of protein kinase CK2 by p53 was dose-dependent and was seen for various CK2 substrates. Experiments with heat-denatured p53 and the conformational mutant p53(R175H) revealed that an intact conformation of p53 seemed to be necessary. Transfection of wild-type and of mutant p53 into p53-/- cells showed that the inhibition of p53 on CK2 activity was also detectable in intact cells and specific for wild-type p53 indicating that the growth suppressing function of p53 might at least be partially achieved by down-regulation of protein kinase CK2.     

Protein kinase CK1delta phosphorylates key sites in the acidic domain of murine double-minute clone 2 protein (MDM2) that regulate p53 turnover

Murine double-minute clone 2 protein (MDM2) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that regulates the turnover of several cellular factors including the p53 tumor suppressor protein. As part of the mechanism of p53 induction in response to DNA damage, a cluster of serine residues within the central acidic domain of MDM2 become hypophosphorylated, leading to attenuation of MDM2-mediated p53 destruction. In the present study, we identify the protein kinase CK1delta as a major cellular activity that phosphorylates MDM2. Amino acid substitution, coupled with phosphopeptide analyses, indicates that several serine residues in the acidic domain, including Ser-240, Ser-242, and Ser-246, as well as Ser-383 in the C-terminal region, are phosphorylated by CK1delta in vitro. We also show, through expression of a dominant negative mutant of CK1delta or treatment of cells with IC261, a CK1delta-selective inhibitor, that MDM2 is phosphorylated by CK1delta in cultured cells. These data establish the identity of a key signaling molecule that promotes the phosphorylation of a major regulatory region in MDM2 under normal growth conditions.     

High glucose induces mitochondrial p53 phosphorylation by p38 MAPK in pancreatic RINm5F cells

Pancreatic β-cell death in type 2 diabetes has been related to p53 subcellular localisation and phosphorylation. However, the mechanisms by which p53 is phosphorylated and its activation in response to oxidative stress remain poorly understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate mitochondrial p53 phosphorylation, its subcellular localisation and its relationship with apoptotic induction in RINm5F cells cultured under high glucose conditions. Our results show that p53 phosphorylation in the mitochondrial fraction was greater at ser392 than at ser15. This increased phosphorylation correlated with an increase in reactive oxygen species, a decrease in the Bcl-2/Bax ratio, a release of cytochrome c and an increase in the rate of apoptosis. We also observed a decline in ERK 1/2 phosphorylation over time, which is an indicator of cell proliferation. To identify the kinase responsible for phosphorylating p53, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation was analysed. We found that high glucose induced an increase in p38 MAPK phosphorylation in the mitochondria after 24–72 h. Moreover, the phosphorylation of p53 (ser392) by p38 MAPK in mitochondria was confirmed by colocalisation studies with confocal microscopy. The addition of a specific p38 MAPK inhibitor (SB203580) to the culture medium during high glucose treatment blocked p53 mobilisation to the mitochondria and phosphorylation; thus, the release of cytochrome c and the apoptosis rate in RINm5F cells decreased. These results suggest that mitochondrial p53 phosphorylation by p38 MAPK plays an important role in RINm5F cell death under high glucose conditions.     

Cell cycle regulatory protein p27KIP1 is a substrate and interacts with the protein kinase CK2

The protein kinase CK2 is constituted by two catalytic (alpha and/or alpha') and two regulatory (beta) subunits. CK2 phosphorylates more than 300 proteins with important functions in the cell cycle. This study has looked at the relation between CK2 and p27(KIP1), which is a regulator of the cell cycle and a known inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (Cdk). We demonstrated that in vitro recombinant Xenopus laevis CK2 can phosphorylate recombinant human p27(KIP1), but this phosphorylation occurs only in the presence of the regulatory beta subunit. The principal site of phosphorylation is serine-83. Analysis using pull down and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) techniques showed that p27(KIP1) interacts with the beta subunit through two domains present in the amino and carboxyl ends, while CD spectra showed that p27(KIP1) phosphorylation by CK2 affects its secondary structure. Altogether, these results suggest that p27(KIP1) phosphorylation by CK2 probably involves a docking event mediated by the CK2beta subunit. The phosphorylation of p27(KIP1) by CK2 may affect its biological activity.     

Phosphorylation of serine 18 regulates distinct p53 functions in mice

The p53 protein acts a tumor suppressor by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in response to DNA damage or oncogene activation. Recently, it has been proposed that phosphorylation of serine 15 in human p53 by ATM (mutated in ataxia telangiectasia) kinase induces p53 activity by interfering with the Mdm2-p53 complex formation and inhibiting Mdm2-mediated destabilization of p53. Serine 18 in murine p53 has been implicated in mediating an ATM- and ataxia telangiectasia-related kinase-dependent growth arrest. To explore further the physiological significance of phosphorylation of p53 on Ser18, we generated mice bearing a serine-to-alanine mutation in p53. Analysis of apoptosis in thymocytes and splenocytes following DNA damage revealed that phosphorylation of serine 18 was required for robust p53-mediated apoptosis. Surprisingly, p53Ser18 phosphorylation did not alter the proliferation rate of embryonic fibroblasts or the p53-mediated G(1) arrest induced by DNA damage. In addition, endogenous basal levels and DNA damage-induced levels of p53 were not affected by p53Ser18 phosphorylation. p53Ala18 mice developed normally and were not susceptible to spontaneous tumorigenesis, and the reduced apoptotic function of p53Ala18 did not rescue the embryo-lethal phenotype of Mdm2-null mice. These results indicate that phosphorylation of the ATM target site on p53 specifically regulates p53 apoptotic function and further reveal that phosphorylation of p53 serine 18 is not required for p53-mediated tumor suppression.     

Protein kinase CK2 interacts with a multi-protein binding domain of p53

p53 is one of the most powerful negative regulators of growth. To manage this in an efficient way it has to interact with a set of different cellular proteins. Most contacts with the cellular environment occur in the N- or the C-terminal domain of the protein. Since we previously found that p53 binds to the regulatory -subunit of CK2 we now analyzed N- and C-terminal domains of p53 separately for the binding of protein kinase CK2, an enzyme which seems to have a certain importance for proliferation processes. With different overlay assays we could map the binding domain of protein kinase CK2 to a sequence between amino acids 325-344, a region which coincides with the interaction domain of some other p53 binding proteins. We also found that the regulatory -subunit of protein kinase CK2 binds independent of the catalytic -subunit to this C-terminal domain of p53.     

Phosphorylation of serine 392 in p53 is a common and integral event during p53 induction by diverse stimuli

Post-translational modifications play important roles during the stabilisation and activation of p53 by various genotoxic and non-genotoxic stresses. Ser392 has been reported to be a major UV-stimulated phosphorylation site that is modified through the p38 MAPK pathway in a manner that may involve recruitment of CK2. Here we show that phosphorylation of Ser392 is an integral event that occurs not only in response to UV, but also during the induction of p53 by a range of stimuli including treatment of cells with the MDM2 inhibitor, Nutlin 3a. Strikingly, phosphorylation of Ser392 and Ser33 was also observed following induction of the p53 pathway by ARF which has previously been thought to induce p53 in a phosphorylation-independent manner. The induction of Ser392 phosphorylation by diverse stimuli can be explained by a common mechanism in which its phosphorylation at a low rate, coupled with the rapid turnover of p53, limits the accumulation of phosphorylated molecules until a stimulus stabilises p53 and allows the Ser392-phosphorylated p53 to accumulate. We also provide biological evidence that Ser392 phosphorylation is not mediated by a UV-associated route involving p38 MAPK, either directly or indirectly via CK2. These data suggest that, physiologically, Ser392 may be phosphorylated by an, as yet, unidentified protein kinase.     

Modulation of p53 binding to Holliday junctions and 3-cytosine bulges by phosphorylation events

Recognition of certain types of DNA lesions by the tumor suppressor protein, p53, represents one of the several downstream functions of this protein in response to DNA damage. This binding property is regulated by several factors including posttranslational modifications and interactions with other proteins. Phosphorylation by several stress-response kinases activates p53 by increasing protein stability as well as transactivation properties. Here we examined the effect of phosphorylation events on the sequence-independent binding properties of p53 using two DNA substrates: One resembling Holliday junctions and the other containing extra base bulges. Gel retardation assays showed that dephosphorylation of serine 392 in the C-terminal domain of p53 greatly reduces Holliday junction and lesion recognition. In contrast, sequence-specific binding is disrupted by the removal of some N-terminal phosphates but not serine 392. Rephosphorylation of p53 by certain kinases can restore p53 recognition of Holliday junctions and 3-cytosine bulges. In all cases, phosphorylation of serine 392 occurs; however, reactivation also involves other residues. Together, the results show that p53 DNA binding activity is strongly regulated by the phosphorylation state of the protein.