title: Protein kinase CKII regulates the interaction of beta-catenin with alpha-catenin and its protein stability.
abstract: beta-Catenin is a multi-functional cellular component and a substrate for several protein kinases. Here we investigated the interaction of protein kinase CKII (casein kinase II) and beta-catenin. We show that CKII phosphorylates the N-terminal region of beta-catenin and we identified Ser29, Thr102, and Thr112 as substrates for the enzyme. We provide evidence that CKII regulates the cytoplasmic stability of beta-catenin and acts synergistically with GSK-3beta in the multi-protein complex that controls the degradation of beta-catenin. In comparing wild-type and Ser/Thr-mutant beta-catenin, a decreased affinity of the mutant protein to alpha-catenin was observed. Moreover, kinase assays in vitro demonstrate a CKII-dependent increase in the binding of wild-type beta-catenin with alpha-catenin. In line with that, cells expressing Ser/Thr-mutant beta-catenin exhibit an increased migratory potential, which correlates with an enhanced cytosolic localization and a reduced association with the cytoskeleton of the mutant protein. From these results we conclude that CKII regulates the function of beta-catenin in the cadherin adhesion complex as well as its cytoplasmic stability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Embryology, Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology, Stuebeweg 51, D-79108 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bek
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kemler
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D047390:Casein Kinase II; D002460:Cell Line; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; C495267:CTNNB1 protein, mouse; C495272:Ctnna1 protein, mouse; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D047390:Casein Kinase II; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases