title: Anthrax lethal factor proteolysis and inactivation of MAPK kinase.
abstract: Anthrax lethal toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis is the major cause of death in animals infected with anthrax. One component of this toxin, lethal factor (LF), inactivates members of the mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase or MEK family through proteolysis of their NH(2) termini. However, neither the substrate requirements for LF cleavage nor the mechanism by which proteolysis inactivates MEK have been demonstrated. By means of deletion mutant analysis and site-directed mutagenesis, we have identified an LFIR (LF interacting region) in the COOH-terminal kinase domain of MEK1 adjacent to the proline-rich region, which is essential for LF-mediated proteolysis of MEK. Point mutations in this region block proteolysis but do not alter the kinase activity of MEK. Similar mutations in MEK6 also prevent proteolysis, indicating that this region is functionally conserved among MEKs. In addition, NH(2)-terminal proteolysis of MEK1 by LF was found to reduce not only the affinity of MEK1 for its substrate mitogen-activated protein kinase but also its intrinsic kinase activity, indicating that the NH(2)-terminal end of MEK is important not only for substrate interaction but also for catalytic activity.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Developmental Cell Biology, Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503, USA.
authors.forename: Arun P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Chopra
authors.forename: Sherrie A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Boone
authors.forename: Xudong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Nicholas S
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Duesbery
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D015153:Blotting, Western; D020134:Catalytic Domain; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D000939:Epitopes; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D051379:Mice; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D009154:Mutation; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017354:Point Mutation; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D051381:Rats; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D014982:Xenopus laevis; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D000939:Epitopes; C030325:anthrax toxin; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases