Phosphorylation of the Fas associated factor FAF1 by protein kinase CK2 and identification of serines 289 and 291 as the in vitro phosphorylation sites.

We previously identified the human Fas associated factor (FAF1) as one of the interacting partners of protein kinase CK2 beta subunit. Since FAF1 is a phosphoprotein we investigated whether it is a substrate for CK2. Here, we report the full length human FAF1 cDNA sequence, expression of FAF1 in Escherichia coli and purification and characterization of FAF1 as a substrate for CK2. FAF1 as well as an N-terminal 40 kDa degradation product serve as substrates for both the recombinant CK2 holoenzyme (km 100 microM) and the isolated catalytic alpha subunit (km 200 microM). Despite the high k(m) values, we obtained evidence that CK2 is the major cellular kinase responsible for FAF1 phosphorylation, using tissue extracts as kinase sources. By MALDI-MS we identified the two serine residues at positions 289 and 291 as the major in vitro CK2 phosphorylation sites. These data may help us elucidate the functions of FAF1 and the involvement of CK2 mediated phosphorylation in processes such as apoptotic signaling, ubiquitination, nuclear translocation and embryonic development.

Phosphorylation of murine double minute clone 2 (MDM2) protein at serine-267 by protein kinase CK2 in vitro and in cultured cells.

Murine double minute clone 2 oncoprotein (MDM2) is a key component in the regulation of the tumour suppressor p53. MDM2 mediates the ubiqutination of p53 in the capacity of an E3 ligase and targets p53 for rapid degradation by the proteasome. Stress signals which impinge on p53, leading to its activation, promote disruption of the p53-MDM2 complex, as in the case of ionizing radiation, or block MDM2 synthesis and thereby reduce cellular MDM2 levels, as in the case of UV radiation. It is therefore likely that MDM2, which is known to be modified by ubiquitination, SUMOylation and multi-site phosphorylation, may itself be a target for stress signalling (SUMO is small ubiquitin-related modifier-1). In the present study we show that, like p53, the MDM2 protein is a substrate for phosphorylation by the protein kinase CK2 (CK2) in vitro. CK2 phosphorylates a single major site, Ser(267), which lies within the central acidic domain of MDM2. Fractionation of cellular extracts revealed the presence of a single Ser(267) protein kinase which co-purified with CK2 on ion-exchange chromatography and, like CK2, was subject to inhibition by micromolar concentrations of the CK2-specific inhibitor 5,6-dichlororibofuranosylbenzimidazole. Radiolabelling of cells expressing tagged recombinant wild-type MDM2 or a S267A (Ser(267)-->Ala) mutant, followed by phosphopeptide analysis, confirmed that Ser(267) is a cellular target for phosphorylation. Ser(267) mutants are still able to direct the degradation of p53, but in a slightly reduced capacity. These data highlight a potential route by which one of several physiological modifications occurring within the central acidic domain of the MDM2 protein can occur.