Mechanism of multi-site phosphorylation from a ROCK-I:RhoE complex structure

EMBO J. 2008 Dec 3;27(23):3175-85. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2008.226. Epub 2008 Oct 23.

Abstract

The ROCK-I serine/threonine protein kinase mediates the effects of RhoA to promote the formation of actin stress fibres and integrin-based focal adhesions. ROCK-I phosphorylates the unconventional G-protein RhoE on multiple N- and C-terminal sites. These phosphorylation events stabilise RhoE, which functions to antagonise RhoA-induced stress fibre assembly. Here, we provide a molecular explanation for multi-site phosphorylation of RhoE from the crystal structure of RhoE in complex with the ROCK-I kinase domain. RhoE interacts with the C-lobe alphaG helix of ROCK-I by means of a novel binding site remote from its effector region, positioning its N and C termini proximal to the ROCK-I catalytic site. Disruption of the ROCK-I:RhoE interface abolishes RhoE phosphorylation, but has no effect on the ability of RhoE to disassemble stress fibres. In contrast, mutation of the RhoE effector region attenuates RhoE-mediated disruption of the actin cytoskeleton, indicating that RhoE exerts its inhibitory effects on ROCK-I through protein(s) binding to its effector region. We propose that ROCK-I phosphorylation of RhoE forms part of a feedback loop to regulate RhoA signalling.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • COS Cells
  • Catalytic Domain
  • Chlorocebus aethiops
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • HeLa Cells
  • Humans
  • Models, Biological
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Mutagenesis, Site-Directed
  • Mutant Proteins / metabolism
  • Mutation, Missense
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Interaction Domains and Motifs
  • Protein Structure, Quaternary*
  • Sequence Alignment
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / chemistry*
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • rho-Associated Kinases / chemistry*
  • rho-Associated Kinases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Mutant Proteins
  • rho-Associated Kinases
  • RND3 protein, human
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins