The WD40-repeat protein Han11 functions as a scaffold protein to control HIPK2 and MEKK1 kinase functions

EMBO J. 2010 Nov 17;29(22):3750-61. doi: 10.1038/emboj.2010.251. Epub 2010 Oct 12.

Abstract

Protein kinases are organized in hierarchical networks that are assembled and regulated by scaffold proteins. Here, we identify the evolutionary conserved WD40-repeat protein Han11 as an interactor of the kinase homeodomain-interacting protein kinase 2 (HIPK2). In vitro experiments showed the direct binding of Han11 to HIPK2, but also to the kinases DYRK1a, DYRK1b and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MEKK1). Han11 was required to allow coupling of MEKK1 to DYRK1 and HIPK2. Knockdown experiments in Caenorhabditis elegans showed the relevance of the Han11 orthologs Swan-1 and Swan-2 for the osmotic stress response. Downregulation of Han11 in human cells lowered the threshold and amplitude of HIPK2- and MEKK1-triggered signalling events and changed the kinetics of kinase induction. Han11 knockdown changed the amplitude and time dependence of HIPK2-driven transcription in response to DNA damage and also interfered with MEKK1-triggered gene expression and stress signalling. Impaired signal transmission also occurred upon interference with stoichiometrically assembled signalling complexes by Han11 overexpression. Collectively, these experiments identify Han11 as a novel scaffold protein regulating kinase signalling by HIPK2 and MEKK1.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Animals
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans / metabolism
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / genetics
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins / metabolism
  • Carrier Proteins / genetics
  • Carrier Proteins / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Dyrk Kinases
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Gene Knockdown Techniques
  • Humans
  • MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 1 / metabolism*
  • Osmotic Pressure
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • Caenorhabditis elegans Proteins
  • Carrier Proteins
  • DCAF7 protein, human
  • HIPK2 protein, human
  • Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • MAP Kinase Kinase Kinase 1