title: 14-3-3 amplifies and prolongs adrenergic stimulation of HERG K+ channel activity.
abstract: Acute stress provokes lethal cardiac arrhythmias in the hereditary long QT syndrome. Here we provide a novel molecular mechanism linking beta-adrenergic signaling and altered human ether-a-go-go related gene (HERG) channel activity. Stress stimulates beta-adrenergic receptors, leading to cAMP elevations that can regulate HERG K+ channels both directly and via phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). We show that HERG associates with 14-3-3epsilon to potentiate cAMP/PKA effects upon HERG. The binding of 14-3-3 occurs simultaneously at the N- and C-termini of the HERG channel. 14-3-3 accelerates and enhances HERG activation, an effect that requires PKA phosphorylation of HERG and dimerization of 14-3-3. The interaction also stabilizes the lifetime of the PKA-phosphorylated state of the channel by shielding the phosphates from cellular phosphatases. The net result is a prolongation of the effect of adrenergic stimulation upon HERG activity. Thus, 14-3-3 interactions with HERG may provide a unique mechanism for plasticity in the control of membrane excitability and cardiac rhythm.
authors.affiliation: Section of Molecular Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kagan
authors.forename: Yonathan F
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Melman
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krumerman
authors.forename: Thomas V
authors.initials: TV
authors.lastname: McDonald
mesh_terms: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D016466:CHO Cells; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D019281:Dimerization; D000072237:ERG1 Potassium Channel; D051638:Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000378:metabolism*; D015534:Trans-Activators; D000071230:Transcriptional Regulator ERG; D020798:Two-Hybrid System Techniques; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D048948:14-3-3 Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C072312:ERG protein, human; D000072237:ERG1 Potassium Channel; D051638:Ether-A-Go-Go Potassium Channels; C000606913:KCNH2 protein, human; C092509:KCNH6 protein, human; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024642:Potassium Channels, Voltage-Gated; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta; D015534:Trans-Activators; D000071230:Transcriptional Regulator ERG; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases