C. elegans SUR-6/PR55 cooperates with LET-92/protein phosphatase 2A and promotes Raf activity independently of inhibitory Akt phosphorylation sites

Development. 2004 Feb;131(4):755-65. doi: 10.1242/dev.00987. Epub 2004 Jan 14.

Abstract

Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) can both positively and negatively influence the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway, but its relevant substrates are largely unknown. In C. elegans, the PR55/B regulatory subunit of PP2A, which is encoded by sur-6, positively regulates Ras-mediated vulval induction and acts at a step between Ras and Raf. We show that the catalytic subunit (C) of PP2A, which is encoded by let-92, also positively regulates vulval induction. Therefore SUR-6/PR55 and LET-92/PP2A-C probably act together to dephosphorylate a Ras pathway substrate. PP2A has been proposed to activate the Raf kinase by removing inhibitory phosphates from Ser259 from Raf-1 or from equivalent Akt phosphorylation sites in other Raf family members. However, we find that mutant forms of C. elegans LIN-45 RAF that lack these sites still require sur-6. Therefore, SUR-6 must influence Raf activity via a different mechanism. SUR-6 and KSR (kinase suppressor of Ras) function at a similar step in Raf activation but our genetic analysis suggests that KSR activity is intact in sur-6 mutants. We identify the kinase PAR-1 as a negative regulator of vulval induction and show that it acts in opposition to SUR-6 and KSR-1. In addition to their roles in Ras signaling, SUR-6/PR55 and LET-92/PP2A-C cooperate to control mitotic progression during early embryogenesis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / embryology
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / enzymology*
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism
  • Drosophila Proteins*
  • Female
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1
  • Mutation
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / genetics
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / metabolism*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Phosphatase 2
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / metabolism*
  • Vulva / embryology

Substances

  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • PAR-1 protein, C elegans
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1
  • mpk-1 protein, C elegans
  • Phosphoprotein Phosphatases
  • Protein Phosphatase 2
  • SUR-6 protein, C elegans
  • PTP-ER protein, Drosophila
  • Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases