Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The EMBO Journal logoLink to The EMBO Journal
. 1994 Dec 15;13(24):6006–6010. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1994.tb06946.x

Altering the specificity of signal transduction cascades: positive regulation of c-Jun transcriptional activity by protein kinase A.

T Smeal 1, M Hibi 1, M Karin 1
PMCID: PMC395577  PMID: 7813438

Abstract

Protein phosphorylation is commonly used to modulate transcription factor activity. However, all existing genetic evidence for stimulation of transcription factor activity by phosphorylation rests on loss-of-function mutations. To demonstrate conclusively that phosphorylation of a transcription factor potentiates its transactivation potential in vivo, we constructed a c-Jun mutant that is phosphorylated by the cAMP-sensitive protein kinase A (PKA) instead of the UV- and Ras-responsive protein kinase JNK. The transcriptional activity of this mutant is enhanced by PKA, but not by JNK activation. These results provide a positive and conclusive proof that phosphorylation of c-Jun on a critical site (Ser73) located in its activation domain is directly responsible for enhancing its transactivation function.

Full text

PDF
6009

Images in this article

6007Image
on p.6007
6008Image
on p.6008
6009Image
on p.6009
6009Image
on p.6009

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Alberts A. S., Arias J., Hagiwara M., Montminy M. R., Feramisco J. R. Recombinant cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylated on Ser-133 is transcriptionally active upon its introduction into fibroblast nuclei. J Biol Chem. 1994 Mar 11;269(10):7623–7630. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Angel P., Imagawa M., Chiu R., Stein B., Imbra R. J., Rahmsdorf H. J., Jonat C., Herrlich P., Karin M. Phorbol ester-inducible genes contain a common cis element recognized by a TPA-modulated trans-acting factor. Cell. 1987 Jun 19;49(6):729–739. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(87)90611-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Angel P., Karin M. The role of Jun, Fos and the AP-1 complex in cell-proliferation and transformation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1991 Dec 10;1072(2-3):129–157. doi: 10.1016/0304-419x(91)90011-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Arias J., Alberts A. S., Brindle P., Claret F. X., Smeal T., Karin M., Feramisco J., Montminy M. Activation of cAMP and mitogen responsive genes relies on a common nuclear factor. Nature. 1994 Jul 21;370(6486):226–229. doi: 10.1038/370226a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Baichwal V. R., Park A., Tjian R. v-Src and EJ Ras alleviate repression of c-Jun by a cell-specific inhibitor. Nature. 1991 Jul 11;352(6331):165–168. doi: 10.1038/352165a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Binétruy B., Smeal T., Karin M. Ha-Ras augments c-Jun activity and stimulates phosphorylation of its activation domain. Nature. 1991 May 9;351(6322):122–127. doi: 10.1038/351122a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Boyle W. J., Smeal T., Defize L. H., Angel P., Woodgett J. R., Karin M., Hunter T. Activation of protein kinase C decreases phosphorylation of c-Jun at sites that negatively regulate its DNA-binding activity. Cell. 1991 Feb 8;64(3):573–584. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(91)90241-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Chrivia J. C., Kwok R. P., Lamb N., Hagiwara M., Montminy M. R., Goodman R. H. Phosphorylated CREB binds specifically to the nuclear protein CBP. Nature. 1993 Oct 28;365(6449):855–859. doi: 10.1038/365855a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Devary Y., Gottlieb R. A., Smeal T., Karin M. The mammalian ultraviolet response is triggered by activation of Src tyrosine kinases. Cell. 1992 Dec 24;71(7):1081–1091. doi: 10.1016/s0092-8674(05)80058-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Dérijard B., Hibi M., Wu I. H., Barrett T., Su B., Deng T., Karin M., Davis R. J. JNK1: a protein kinase stimulated by UV light and Ha-Ras that binds and phosphorylates the c-Jun activation domain. Cell. 1994 Mar 25;76(6):1025–1037. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(94)90380-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Gonzalez G. A., Montminy M. R. Cyclic AMP stimulates somatostatin gene transcription by phosphorylation of CREB at serine 133. Cell. 1989 Nov 17;59(4):675–680. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(89)90013-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Hibi M., Lin A., Smeal T., Minden A., Karin M. Identification of an oncoprotein- and UV-responsive protein kinase that binds and potentiates the c-Jun activation domain. Genes Dev. 1993 Nov;7(11):2135–2148. doi: 10.1101/gad.7.11.2135. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Hunter T., Karin M. The regulation of transcription by phosphorylation. Cell. 1992 Aug 7;70(3):375–387. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90162-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Jackson S. P. Regulating transcription factor activity by phosphorylation. Trends Cell Biol. 1992 Apr;2(4):104–108. doi: 10.1016/0962-8924(92)90014-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Karin M. Signal transduction from cell surface to nucleus in development and disease. FASEB J. 1992 May;6(8):2581–2590. doi: 10.1096/fasebj.6.8.1317309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Karin M. Signal transduction from the cell surface to the nucleus through the phosphorylation of transcription factors. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1994 Jun;6(3):415–424. doi: 10.1016/0955-0674(94)90035-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Karin M., Smeal T. Control of transcription factors by signal transduction pathways: the beginning of the end. Trends Biochem Sci. 1992 Oct;17(10):418–422. doi: 10.1016/0968-0004(92)90012-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Kemp B. E., Pearson R. B. Protein kinase recognition sequence motifs. Trends Biochem Sci. 1990 Sep;15(9):342–346. doi: 10.1016/0968-0004(90)90073-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Lin A., Frost J., Deng T., Smeal T., al-Alawi N., Kikkawa U., Hunter T., Brenner D., Karin M. Casein kinase II is a negative regulator of c-Jun DNA binding and AP-1 activity. Cell. 1992 Sep 4;70(5):777–789. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(92)90311-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Marais R., Wynne J., Treisman R. The SRF accessory protein Elk-1 contains a growth factor-regulated transcriptional activation domain. Cell. 1993 Apr 23;73(2):381–393. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90237-k. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Nigg E. A., Hilz H., Eppenberger H. M., Dutly F. Rapid and reversible translocation of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase type II from the Golgi complex to the nucleus. EMBO J. 1985 Nov;4(11):2801–2806. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1985.tb04006.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Pulverer B. J., Kyriakis J. M., Avruch J., Nikolakaki E., Woodgett J. R. Phosphorylation of c-jun mediated by MAP kinases. Nature. 1991 Oct 17;353(6345):670–674. doi: 10.1038/353670a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Slice L. W., Taylor S. S. Expression of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in Escherichia coli. J Biol Chem. 1989 Dec 15;264(35):20940–20946. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Smeal T., Binetruy B., Mercola D. A., Birrer M., Karin M. Oncogenic and transcriptional cooperation with Ha-Ras requires phosphorylation of c-Jun on serines 63 and 73. Nature. 1991 Dec 12;354(6353):494–496. doi: 10.1038/354494a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Smeal T., Binetruy B., Mercola D., Grover-Bardwick A., Heidecker G., Rapp U. R., Karin M. Oncoprotein-mediated signalling cascade stimulates c-Jun activity by phosphorylation of serines 63 and 73. Mol Cell Biol. 1992 Aug;12(8):3507–3513. doi: 10.1128/mcb.12.8.3507. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Trautwein C., Caelles C., van der Geer P., Hunter T., Karin M., Chojkier M. Transactivation by NF-IL6/LAP is enhanced by phosphorylation of its activation domain. Nature. 1993 Aug 5;364(6437):544–547. doi: 10.1038/364544a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Walsh D. A., Perkins J. P., Krebs E. G. An adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependant protein kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle. J Biol Chem. 1968 Jul 10;243(13):3763–3765. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The EMBO Journal are provided here courtesy of Nature Publishing Group

RESOURCES