DNA-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation sites in Ku 70/80 heterodimer

Biochemistry. 1999 Feb 9;38(6):1819-28. doi: 10.1021/bi982584b.

Abstract

Ku antigen is composed of 70 and 82 kDa subunits (Ku70 and Ku80, respectively) that together bind with high affinity to ends of double-stranded DNA and other DNA structures in vitro. When bound to DNA, the Ku 70/80 heterodimer enhances the kinase activity of the catalytic subunit of the DNA-dependent protein kinase, DNA-PKcs. Ku and DNA-PKcs are required for V(D)J recombination and DNA double-strand break repair in vivo and may also play a role in regulation of transcription. Ku is phosphorylated by DNA-PKcs in vitro, and cells that lack DNA-PKcs are deficient in Ku phosphorylation in vitro, suggesting that Ku may be a physiological target for DNA-PK. Here we have identified the sites of DNA-PK phosphorylation in human Ku protein. We find that Ku70 is phosphorylated at a single serine residue, serine 6, located in the putative transcriptional activation domain, and Ku80 is phosphorylated at serines 577 and 580 and at threonine 715. Interestingly, none of the phosphorylation sites identified in Ku correspond to the serine-glutamine consensus for DNA-PK phosphorylation, consistent with previous reports that DNA-PK can recognize additional phosphorylation motifs.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Antigens, Nuclear*
  • Binding Sites
  • Cricetinae
  • DNA Helicases*
  • DNA-Activated Protein Kinase
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / isolation & purification
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Dimerization
  • Humans
  • Ku Autoantigen
  • Mice
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Molecular Weight
  • Nuclear Proteins / chemistry*
  • Nuclear Proteins / isolation & purification
  • Nuclear Proteins / metabolism*
  • Phosphopeptides / isolation & purification
  • Phosphopeptides / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / chemistry
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / isolation & purification
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Rats
  • Sequence Alignment

Substances

  • Antigens, Nuclear
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Phosphopeptides
  • DNA-Activated Protein Kinase
  • PRKDC protein, human
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • DNA Helicases
  • XRCC5 protein, human
  • Xrcc6 protein, human
  • Xrcc6 protein, mouse
  • Xrcc6 protein, rat
  • Ku Autoantigen