title: A molecular switch for targeting between endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and mitochondria: conversion of a mitochondria-targeting element into an ER-targeting signal in DAKAP1.
abstract: dAKAP1 (AKAP121, S-AKAP84), a dual specificity PKA scaffold protein, exists in several forms designated as a, b, c, and d. Whether dAKAP1 targets to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or mitochondria depends on the presence of the N-terminal 33 amino acids (N1), and these N-terminal variants are generated by either alternative splicing and/or differential initiation of translation. The mitochondrial targeting motif, which is localized between residues 49 and 63, is comprised of a hydrophobic helix followed by positive charges ( Ma, Y., and Taylor, S. (2002) J. Biol. Chem. 277, 27328-27336 ). dAKAP1 is located on the cytosolic surface of mitochondria outer membrane and both smooth and rough ER membrane. A single residue, Asp(31), within the first 33 residues of dAKAP1b is required for ER targeting. Asp(31), which functions as a separate motif from the mitochondrial targeting signal, converts the mitochondrial-targeting signal into a bipartite ER-targeting signal, without destroying the mitochondria-targeting signal. Therefore dAKAP1 possesses a single targeting element capable of targeting to both mitochondria and ER, with the ER signal overlapping the mitochondria signal. The specificity of ER or mitochondria targeting is determined and switched by the availability of the negatively charged residue, Asp(31).
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, USA.
authors.forename: Yuliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Susan S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Taylor
mesh_terms: D054758:A Kinase Anchor Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D017398:Alternative Splicing; D020816:Amino Acid Motifs; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001224:Aspartic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D001483:Base Sequence; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D054758:A Kinase Anchor Proteins; C486333:Akap1 protein, mouse; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D001224:Aspartic Acid