title: Liaisons between survivin and Plk1 during cell division and cell death.
abstract: Survivin and Plk1 kinase are important mediators of cell survival that are required for chromosome alignment, cytokinesis, and protection from apoptosis. Interference with either survivin or Plk1 activity manifests many similar outcomes: prometaphase delay/arrest, multinucleation, and increased apoptosis. Moreover, the expression of both survivin and Plk1 is deregulated in cancer. Given these similarities, we speculated that these two proteins may cooperate during mitosis and/or in cell death pathways. Here we report that survivin and Plk1 interact during mitosis and that Plk1 phosphorylates survivin at serine 20. Importantly, we find that overexpression of a non-phosphorylatable version, S20A, is unable to correct chromosomes connected to the spindle in a syntelic manner during prometaphase and allows cells harboring these maloriented chromosomes to enter anaphase, evading the spindle tension checkpoint. By contrast, the constitutive phosphomimic, S20D, completes congression and division ahead of schedule and, unlike S20A, is able to support proliferation in the absence of the endogenous protein. Despite the importance of this residue in mitosis, its mutation does not appear to affect the anti-apoptotic activity of survivin in response to TRAIL. Together, these data suggest that phosphorylation of survivin at Ser(20) by Plk1 kinase is essential for accurate chromosome alignment and cell proliferation but is dispensable for its anti-apoptotic activity in cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Genome Damage and Stability Centre, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9RQ, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Colnaghi
authors.forename: Sally P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Wheatley
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D016923:Cell Death; D002455:Cell Division; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002877:Chromosomes, Human / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D008938:Mitosis; D050505:Mutant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D010766:Phosphorylation; D010768:Phosphoserine / Q000378:metabolism; D011485:Protein Binding; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D021381:Protein Transport; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013379:Substrate Specificity; D000077022:Survivin; D013912:Threonine / Q000378:metabolism; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D050505:Mutant Proteins; D010768:Phosphoserine; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D000077022:Survivin; D013912:Threonine; D000097869:Polo-Like Kinase 1; C107489:BIRC5 protein, human