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PA28γ is a nuclear activator of the 20S proteasome involved in the regulation of several essential cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, nuclear dynamics, and cellular stress response. Unlike the 19S regulator of the proteasome, which specifically recognizes ubiquitylated proteins, PA28γ promotes the degradation of several substrates by the proteasome in an ATP- and ubiquitin-independent manner. However, its exact mechanisms of action are unclear and likely involve additional partners that remain to be identified. Here we report the identification of a cofactor of PA28γ, PIP30/FAM192A. PIP30 binds directly and specifically via its C-terminal end and in an interaction stabilized by casein kinase 2 phosphorylation to both free and 20S proteasome-associated PA28γ. Its recruitment to proteasome-containing complexes depends on PA28γ and its expression increases the association of PA28γ with the 20S proteasome in cells. Further dissection of its possible roles shows that PIP30 alters PA28γ-dependent activation of peptide degradation by the 20S proteasome in vitro and negatively controls in cells the presence of PA28γ in Cajal bodies by inhibition of its association with the key Cajal body component coilin. Taken together, our data show that PIP30 deeply affects PA28γ interactions with cellular proteins, including the 20S proteasome, demonstrating that it is an important regulator of PA28γ in cells and thus a new player in the control of the multiple functions of the proteasome within the nucleus.

Fbw7 is a tumor suppressor often deleted or mutated in human cancers. It serves as the substrate-recruiting subunit of a SCF ubiquitin ligase that targets numerous critical proteins for degradation, including oncoproteins and master transcription factors. Cyclin E was the first identified substrate of the SCFFbw7 ubiquitin ligase. In human cancers bearing FBXW7-gene mutations, deregulation of cyclin E turnover leads to its aberrant expression in mitosis. We investigated Fbw7 regulation in Xenopus eggs, which, although arrested in a mitotic-like phase, naturally express high levels of cyclin E. Here, we report that Fbw7α, the only Fbw7 isoform detected in eggs, is phosphorylated by PKC (protein kinase C) at a key residue (S18) in a manner coincident with Fbw7α inactivation. We show that this PKC-dependent phosphorylation and inactivation of Fbw7α also occurs in mitosis during human somatic cell cycles, and importantly is critical for Fbw7α stabilization itself upon nuclear envelope breakdown. Finally, we provide evidence that S18 phosphorylation, which lies within the intrinsically disordered N-terminal region specific to the α-isoform reduces the capacity of Fbw7α to dimerize and to bind cyclin E. Together, these findings implicate PKC in an evolutionarily-conserved pathway that aims to protect Fbw7α from degradation by keeping it transiently in a resting, inactive state.

The pEg3 protein is a member of the evolutionarily conserved KIN1/PAR-1/MARK kinase family which is involved in cell polarity and microtubule dynamics. In Xenopus, pEg3 has been shown to be a cell cycle dependent kinase whose activity increases to a maximum level during mitosis of the first embryonic cell division. CDC25B is one of the three CDC25 phosphatase genes identified in human. It is thought to regulate the G2/M progression by dephosphorylating and activating the CDK/cyclin complexes. In the present study we show that the human pEg3 kinase is able to specifically phosphorylate CDC25B in vitro. One phosphorylation site was identified and corresponded to serine 323. This residue is equivalent to serine 216 in human CDC25C which plays an important role in the regulation of phosphatase during the cell cycle and at the G2 checkpoint. pEg3 is also able to specifically associate with CDC25B in vitro and in vivo. We show that the ectopic expression of active pEg3 in human U2OS cells induces an accumulation of cells in G2. This effect is counteracted by overexpression of CDC25B. Taken together these results suggest that pEg3 is a potential regulator of the G2/M progression and may act antagonistically to the CDC25B phosphatase.

The CDC25B dual specificity phosphatase is involved in the control of the G2/M transition of the cell cycle. Subcellular localization might represent an important aspect of the regulation of its activity. We have examined in transiently transfected asynchronous HeLa cells the localization of HA-tagged CDC25B proteins and found that they are nuclear or cytoplasmic suggesting the existence of an active shuttling. Accordingly, localization analysis of deletion and truncation proteins indicates that CDC25B contains a putative nuclear localization signal located between residues 335 and 354. We also demonstrated that a short 58 residues deletion of the amino-terminus end of CDC25B is sufficient to retain it to the nucleus. Mutational analysis indicates that a nuclear export sequence is located between residues 28 and 40. In addition, treatment of the cells with the exportin inhibitor, Leptomycin B, has the same effect. The mutation of Ser-323, a residue that is essential for the interaction with 14-3-3 proteins, also abolishes cytoplasmic staining. The subcellular localization of CDC25B is therefore dependent on the combined effects of a nuclear localization signal, a nuclear export signal and on the interaction with 14-3-3 proteins.

CDC25 dual-specificity phosphatases are essential regulators that activate cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) at critical stages of the cell cycle. In human cells, CDC25A and C are involved in the control of G1/S and G2/M respectively, whereas CDC25B is proposed to act both in S phase and G2/M. Evidence for an interaction between CDC25 phosphatases and members of the 14-3-3 protein family has been obtained in vitro and in vivo in several organisms. On the basis of the work performed with CDC25C, it has been proposed that phosphorylation is required to mediate the interaction with 14-3-3. Here we have examined the molecular basis of the interaction between CDC25B phosphatases and 14-3-3 proteins. We show that in the two-hybrid assay all three splice variants of CDC25B interact similarly and strongly with 14-3-3eta, beta and zeta proteins, but poorly with epsilon and Theta. In vitro, CDC25B interacts at a low level with 14-3-3beta, epsilon, zeta, eta, and Theta isoforms. This interaction is not increased upon phosphorylation of CDC25B by CHK1 and is not abolished by dephosphorylation. In contrast, a specific, strong interaction between CDC25B and 14-3-3zeta and eta isoforms is revealed by a deletion of 288 residues in the amino-terminal region of CDC25B. This interaction requires the integrity of Ser 323, although it is independent of phosphorylation. Thus, interaction between 14-3-3 proteins and CDC25B is regulated in a manner that is different from that with CDC25C. We propose that, in addition to a low affinity binding site that is available for all 14-3-3 isoforms, post-translational modification of CDC25B in vivo exposes a high-affinity binding site that is specific for the zeta and eta14-3-3 isoforms.

Human dual-specificity phosphatases CDC25 (A, B and C) play an important role in the control of cell cycle progression by activating the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs). Regulation of these phosphatases during the cell cycle involves post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation and protein–protein interactions. Given the suspected involvement of the protein kinase CK2 at the G2/M transition, we have investigated its effects on the CDC25B phosphatase. We show that in vitro CK2 phosphorylates CDC25B, but not CDC25C. Mass spectrometry analysis demonstrates that at least two serine residues, Ser-186 and Ser-187, are phosphorylated in vivo . We also report that CDC25B interacts with CK2, and this interaction, mediated by the CK2 β regulatory subunit, involves domains that are located within the first 55 amino acids of CK2 β and between amino acids 122 and 200 on CDC25B. This association was confirmed in vivo , in Sf9 insect cells and in U 2 OS human cells expressing an HA epitope-tagged CDC25B. Finally, we demonstrate that phosphorylation of CDC25B by protein kinase CK2 increases the catalytic activity of the phosphatase in vitro as well as in vivo . We discuss the possibility that CDC25B phosphorylation by CK2 could play a role in the regulation of the activity of CDC25B as a starter of mitosis.

CDC25B2, a protein tyrosine phosphatase closely related to the putative CDC25B oncogene, was identified in a Burkitt lymphoma cDNA library. CDC25B2 differs from CDC25B by a 14 residue insertion and a 41 residue deletion, which are both located in the amino-terminal region of the protein, upstream of the catalytic domain. Examination of the genomic sequence revealed that CDC25B1 (formerly B) and CDC25B2 are splice variants of the same gene. A third variant, CDC25B3, that carries both the 14 and the 41 residue sequences was also identified in the same cDNA library. All three variants were detected in a panel of human primary culture and cell lines, although at different levels. In primary fibroblasts and in HeLa cells the CDC25B expression is cell cycle regulated, reaching a maximum in G2-phase. In vitro, CDC25B1 phosphatase is slightly more active than CDC25B2 and B3. However, episomal overexpression of the three CDC25B variants in fission yeast reveals that in vivo, CDC25B2 is largely more active than either B1 or B3 (B2>B3>B1) both to complement a thermosensitive S pombe CDC25 activity and to act as a mitotic inducer. Alternative splicing of CDC25B may therefore contribute to the control of cell proliferation.

We previously described in the CCL39 hamster fibroblast cell line the inhibition of DNA synthesis reinitiation by agents that elevate cyclic AMP. Here, we show that 8Br-cAMP strongly blocks both the growth factor-induced increase in cyclin D1 protein expression and decrease in p27(KIP1) protein levels, leaving untouched the levels of cyclin D3, cdk2 and cdk4. To assess the role of cyclin D1 in the cAMP-mediated inhibition of DNA synthesis, we overexpressed the cyclin D1 gene in CCL39 and analysed the cAMP response in stable transfectants. We showed that the kinase activities associated to G1 cyclin-cdk complexes are significantly more resistant to cAMP in cyclin D1 transfectants than in their normal counterparts, although the serum-induced p27(KIP1) disparition is still cAMP sensitive in cyclin D1 overexpressors. Interestingly, the mitogen-induced DNA synthesis reinitiation is also much less inhibited by cAMP in cyclin D1 transfectants than in control cells. These data clearly establish that the cAMP-inducible blockade of the G1 phase of the cell cycle can be partially alleviated by overexpression of cyclin D1 in hamster fibroblasts, thus strongly suggesting that cyclin D1 protein is one of the major targets for cAMP inhibitory action in fibroblasts.

Although the inverse affinities of 53BP1 and BRCA1-BARD1 complexes for distinct methylation states of lysine (K) 20 at histone H4 have underscored a role of this epigenetic mark in the regulation of DNA-repair pathways choice, how the different H4K20 methyltransferases are involved remained unclear. Here, we show that the replication-coupled degradation of the lysine methyltransferase SET8 responsible for H4K20 mono-methylation (H4K20me1) is required for the onset of the recombinogenic functions of BRCA1 during unperturbed DNA replication. Indeed, we demonstrate that SET8 can work as a primary inhibitor of homologous recombination by tipping the balance from BRCA1-BARD1 to 53BP1 complexes in a manner depending on the single switch from un-methyl to mono-methyl H4K20 and the recruitment of the ubiquitin ligase RNF168 on post-replicated chromatin. Conversely, the lack of SET8 and K20 mono-methylation on newly assembly chromatin after DNA replication led to the untimely chromatin accumulation of BRCA1 at the exit of mitosis, which contributes to the improper progression from G1 to S-phase in daughter cells. Altogether, these results establish the de novo activity of SET8 on chromatin as a primordial epigenetic lock of BRCA1-mediated HR pathway during the cell cycle.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.Footnotes* _ a model figure (figure 8) has been added - minor corrections in the main text and figure legends have been made.

PA28γ is a nuclear activator of the 20S proteasome involved in the regulation of several essential cellular processes, such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, nuclear dynamics, and cellular stress response. Unlike the 19S regulator of the proteasome, which specifically recognizes ubiquitylated proteins, PA28γ promotes the degradation of several substrates by the proteasome in an ATP- and ubiquitin-independent manner. However, its exact mechanisms of action are unclear and likely involve additional partners that remain to be identified. Here we report the identification of a cofactor of PA28γ, PIP30/FAM192A. PIP30 binds directly and specifically via its C-terminal end and in an interaction stabilized by casein kinase 2 phosphorylation to both free and 20S proteasome-associated PA28γ. Its recruitment to proteasome-containing complexes depends on PA28γ and its expression increases the association of PA28γ with the 20S proteasome in cells. Further dissection of its possible roles shows that PIP30 alters PA28γ-dependent activation of peptide degradation by the 20S proteasome in vitro and negatively controls in cells the presence of PA28γ in Cajal bodies by inhibition of its association with the key Cajal body component coilin. Taken together, our data show that PIP30 deeply affects PA28γ interactions with cellular proteins, including the 20S proteasome, demonstrating that it is an important regulator of PA28γ in cells and thus a new player in the control of the multiple functions of the proteasome within the nucleus.