title: Characterization of recombinant Xenopus MAP kinase kinases mutated at potential phosphorylation sites.
abstract: Xenopus mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MAPKK) previously inactivated with protein phosphatase 2A can be reactivated by serine phosphorylation catalyzed by a partially purified MAPKK kinase (MAPKK-K), and is phosphorylated by MAPK on a threonine residue. The sequence analysis of a threonine-phosphorylated tryptic peptide of Xenopus MAPKK from mature oocytes suggested that Thr388 is phosphorylated in vivo. A mutant MAPKK that has Thr388 changed to Ala (T388A-MAPKK) was not phosphorylated by purified MAPK, indicating that Thr388 is phosphorylated by MAPK. We then produced and analysed MAPKKs mutated at potential serine phosphorylation sites (S218A-MAPKK and S222A-MAPKK). The wild-type MAPKK (WT-MAPKKK), T388A-MAPKK and a kinase-deficient (K97S)-MAPKK were phosphorylated efficiently by MAPKK-Ks purified from Xenopus eggs, and WT-MAPKK and T388A-MAPKK became activated. In contrast, neither S218A-MAPKK nor S222A-MAPKK was phosphorylated and activated efficiently by the Xenopus MAPKK-Ks. Similarly, WT-MAPKK, but not S218A-MAPKK or S222A-MAPKK, was activated efficiently by an active Raf-1 immunoprecipitate. However, when the recombinant STE11, a putative MAPKK-K in S. cerevisiae, was used as a source of MAPKK-K, S218A-MAPKK as well as WT-MAPKK, but not S222A-MAPKK, was phosphorylated and activated. Furthermore, replacement of Ser222 with an acidic residue (S222E) elevated substantially the basal kinase activity of MAPKK, while replacement of Ser218 (S218E) did not. These results may suggest an essential role for Ser222 phosphorylation in activating Xenopus MAPKK.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics and Molecular Biology, Kyoto University, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gotoh
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iwamatsu
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kosako
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nishida
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012694:Serine / Q000378:metabolism; D013912:Threonine / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D014981:Xenopus
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D029702:Schizosaccharomyces pombe Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; C071596:ste11 protein, S pombe; D013912:Threonine; D012694:Serine; D011494:Protein Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D020929:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Kinases