title: Hormonal activation of a kinase cascade localized at the mitochondria is required for StAR protein activity.
abstract: It is known that ERK1/2 and MEK1/2 participate in the regulation of Star gene transcription. However, their role in StAR protein post-transcriptional regulation is not described yet. In this study we analyzed the relationship between the MAPK cascade and StAR protein phosphorylation and function. We have demonstrated that (a) steroidogenesis in MA-10 Leydig cells depends on the specific of ERK1/2 activation at the mitochondria; (b) ERK1/2 phosphorylation is driven by mitochondrial PKA and constitutive MEK1/2 in this organelle; (c) active ERK1/2 interacts with StAR protein, leads to StAR protein phosphorylation at Ser(232) only in the presence of cholesterol; (d) directed mutagenesis of Ser(232) (S232A) inhibited in vitro StAR protein phosphorylation by ERK1; (e) transient transfection of MA-10 cells with StAR S232A cDNA markedly reduced the yield of progesterone production. We show that StAR protein is a substrate of ERK1/2, and that mitochondrial ERK1/2 is part of a multimeric complex that regulates cholesterol transport.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Investigaciones Moleculares de Enfermedades Hormonales, Neurodegenerativas y Oncológicas (IIMHNO), Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Paraguay 2155, 5th, C1121ABG Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Poderoso
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Maloberti
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Neuman
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paz
authors.forename: Fabiana
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cornejo Maciel
authors.forename: Ernesto J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Podesta
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048370:MAP Kinase Kinase 2 / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000502:physiology*; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013256:Steroids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D000098682:Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein
chemical_list: D010750:Phosphoproteins; D013256:Steroids; D000098682:Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein; D017868:Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D048369:MAP Kinase Kinase 1; D048370:MAP Kinase Kinase 2