Mitotic activation of the DISC1-inducible cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase-4D9 (PDE4D9), through multi-site phosphorylation, influences cell cycle progression.

In Rat-1 cells, the dramatic decrease in the levels of both intracellular cyclic 3'5' adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP; cAMP) and in the activity of cAMP-activated protein kinase A (PKA) observed in mitosis was paralleled by a profound increase in cAMP hydrolyzing phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) activity. The decrease in PKA activity, which occurs during mitosis, was attributable to PDE4 activation as the PDE4 selective inhibitor, rolipram, but not the phosphodiesterase-3 (PDE3) inhibitor, cilostamide, specifically ablated this cell cycle-dependent effect. PDE4 inhibition caused Rat-1 cells to move from S phase into G2/M more rapidly, to transit through G2/M more quickly and to remain in G1 for a longer period. Inhibition of PDE3 elicited no observable effects on cell cycle dynamics. Selective immunopurification of each of the four PDE4 sub-families identified PDE4D as being selectively activated in mitosis. Subsequent analysis uncovered PDE4D9, an isoform whose expression can be regulated by Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1)/activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) complex, as the sole PDE4 species activated during mitosis in Rat-1 cells. PDE4D9 becomes activated in mitosis through dual phosphorylation at Ser585 and Ser245, involving the combined action of ERK and an unidentified 'switch' kinase that has previously been shown to be activated by H2O2. Additionally, in mitosis, PDE4D9 also becomes phosphorylated at Ser67 and Ser81, through the action of MK2 (MAPKAPK2) and AMP kinase (AMPK), respectively. The multisite phosphorylation of PDE4D9 by all four of these protein kinases leads to decreased mobility (band-shift) of PDE4D9 on SDS-PAGE. PDE4D9 is predominantly concentrated in the perinuclear region of Rat-1 cells but with a fraction distributed asymmetrically at the cell margins. Our investigations demonstrate that the diminished levels of cAMP and PKA activity that characterise mitosis are due to enhanced cAMP degradation by PDE4D9. PDE4D9, was found to locate primarily not only in the perinuclear region of Rat-1 cells but also at the cell margins. We propose that the sequestration of PDE4D9 in a specific complex together with AMPK, ERK, MK2 and the H2O2-activatable 'switch' kinase allows for its selective multi-site phosphorylation, activation and regulation in mitosis.

Oxidative stress employs phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase and ERK signalling pathways to activate cAMP phosphodiesterase-4D3 (PDE4D3) through multi-site phosphorylation at Ser239 and Ser579.

RAW macrophages, which express the PDE4D3 and PDE4D5 cAMP phosphodiesterase isoforms, exhibited increased PDE4 activity when challenged with H2O2 in a fashion that was negated by treatment with the cell permeant antioxidant, N-acetyl cysteine and by diphenyleneiodonium chloride, an inhibitor of NADPH oxidase. In Cos1 cells transfected to express PDE4D3, challenge with H2O2 caused a rapid increase in both the activity and phosphorylation of PDE4D3. Lysates from H2O2-treated COS cells caused the phosphorylation of purified, recombinant PDE4D3 at two sites. One was the established ERK phosphorylation site at Ser579, located at the extreme C-terminus of the catalytic unit, and the other was a novel site at Ser239, located at the extreme N-terminus of the catalytic unit. Double Ser239Ala:Ser579Ala mutation of PDE4D3 prevented its H2O2-dependent phosphorylation both in vitro and in intact COS cells. Phosphorylation of PDE4D3 at Ser579 was ablated by treating COS cells with the MEK inhibitor, PD98059, which also negated activation. The activity of the Ser239Ala:Ser579Ala double mutant, and the Ser579Ala single PDE4D3 mutant was unaffected by H2O2 challenge of COS cells, whilst the Ser239Ala mutant was inhibited. Wortmannin inhibited the H2O2-dependent phosphorylation of PDE4D3 in COS cells by around 50%, whilst it fully ablated phosphorylation at Ser239 as well as ablating activation of PDE4D3. Neither immunodepletion of p70S6 kinase nor siRNA-mediated knockdown of mTor inhibited the H2O2-dependent phosphorylation of PDE4D3 at Ser239. Activation of PDE4D3 by challenge with H2O2 was not additive with activation through protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation of PDE4D3. Challenge with H2O2 did not alter PKA-mediated phosphorylation of PDE4D3 at Ser54. H2O2 dependent phosphorylation of PDE4D3, at Ser239 and Ser579, did not alter the sensitivity of PDE4D3 to inhibition by the selective PDE4 inhibitor, rolipram. An unknown protein kinase acting downstream of phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase phosphorylates PDE4D3 at Ser239. This switches the effect of phosphorylation by ERK at Ser579 from inhibition to activation. We propose that phosphorylation at Ser239 attenuates interaction between either UCR2 or the UCR1/UCR2 module and the PDE4 catalytic unit so as to re-programme the functional outcome effect of phosphorylation by ERK. We identify a novel process through which reactive oxygen species activate long PDE4 isoforms so as to reduce cAMP levels and thereby promote inflammatory responses.