title: Activation of the cardiac mTOR/p70(S6K) pathway by leucine requires PDK1 and correlates with PRAS40 phosphorylation.
abstract: Like insulin, leucine stimulates the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (p70(S6K)) axis in various organs. Insulin proceeds via the canonical association of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1), and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt). The signaling involved in leucine effect, although known to implicate a PI3K mechanism independent of PKB/Akt, is more poorly understood. In this study, we investigated whether PDK1 could also participate in the events leading to mTOR/p70(S6K) activation in response to leucine in the heart. In wild-type hearts, both leucine and insulin increased p70(S6K) activity whereas, in contrast to insulin, leucine was unable to activate PKB/Akt. The changes in p70(S6K) activity induced by insulin and leucine correlated with changes in phosphorylation of Thr(389), the mTOR phosphorylation site on p70(S6K), and of Ser(2448) on mTOR, both related to mTOR activity. Leucine also triggered phosphorylation of the proline-rich Akt/PKB substrate of 40 kDa (PRAS40), a new pivotal mTOR regulator. In PDK1 knockout hearts, leucine, similarly to insulin, failed to induce the phosphorylation of mTOR and p70(S6K), leading to the absence of p70(S6K) activation. The loss of leucine effect in absence of PDK1 correlated with the lack of PRAS40 phosphorylation. Moreover, the introduction in PDK1 of the L155E mutation, which is known to preserve the insulin-induced and PKB/Akt-dependent phosphorylation of mTOR/p70(S6K), suppressed all leucine effects, including phosphorylation of mTOR, PRAS40, and p70(S6K). We conclude that the leucine-induced stimulation of the cardiac PRAS40/mTOR/p70(S6K) pathway requires PDK1 in a way that differs from that of insulin.
authors.affiliation: Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cossette
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sanchez Canedo
authors.forename: Bénédicte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Demeulder
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ginion
authors.forename: Jose R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Bayascas
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Balligand
authors.forename: Dario R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Alessi
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vanoverschelde
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Beauloye
authors.forename: Louis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hue
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertrand
mesh_terms: D064413:3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000502:physiology; D005973:Glutamine / Q000502:physiology; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D007930:Leucine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D010649:Phenylalanine / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D038762:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D013912:Threonine / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D064413:3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinases; D005973:Glutamine; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D007328:Insulin; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D007930:Leucine; D010649:Phenylalanine; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D038762:Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D013912:Threonine; C508191:proline-rich Akt substrate, 40 kDa protein, mouse; C546843:mTOR protein, mouse; C578564:Pdpk1 protein, mouse; C578579:Pdpk1 protein, rat