Identification and Cloning of a Protein Kinase-Encoding Mouse Gene, Plk, Related to the Polo Gene Ofdrosophila (Serine-Threonine Kinase/Polo-Like Kinase) FIONA J
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Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA Vol. 90, pp. 4882-4886, June 1993 Biochemistry Identification and cloning of a protein kinase-encoding mouse gene, Plk, related to the polo gene ofDrosophila (serine-threonine kinase/polo-like kinase) FIONA J. CLAY*, STEPHEN J. MCEWEN*, IVAN BERTONCELLOt, ANDREW F. WILKS*, AND ASHLEY R. DUNN*t *Melbourne Tumour Biology Branch, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, PO Royal Melbourne Hospital, Victoria 3050, Australia; and tPeter MacCallum Cancer Institute, 481 Little Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia Communicated by G. J. V. Nossal, January 14, 1993 (received for review November 23, 1992) ABSTRACT We have determined the nucleotide sequence to emerge from this study encodes a protein kinase that of a cDNA encoding a protein kinase that is closely related to shares extensive homology with the enzyme encoded by the the enzyme encoded by the Drosophila melanogaster mutant Drosophila melanogaster mutant polo (11).§ polo and that we have designated Plk (polo-like kinase). Plk is also related to the products of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell MATERIALS AND METHODS cycle gene MSD2 (CDC5) and the recently described early growth response gene Snk. Together, Plk, polo, Snk, and DNA Amplification. Poly(A)+ mRNA prepared from puri- MSD2 define a subfamily of serine/threonine protein kinases. fied primitive hemopoietic cells isolated from the bone mar- Plk is expressed at high levels in a number offetal and newborn rows of C57BL/6 mice (12-14) was used to generate cDNA, in the corresponding adult using a cDNA Synthesis System Plus kit (Amersham). PCR mouse tissues but is not expressed was performed with the degenerate oligonucleotide primers organs. With the exception of adult hemopoietic tissues, the PTK1 and PTKll (10). PCR and the cloning ofPCR products only adult tissues in which we could detect Plk expression were were performed as described (10). ovaries and testes. Taken together, the patterns ofPlk expres- Molecular Cloning and Sequence Analysis. A mouse sion suggest an association with proliferating cells. Since polo BALB/c bone marrow cDNA library in Agtll (Clontech) was is required for mitosis in Drosophila it is possible that Pik is screened with the radiolabeled PCR-generated product (see involved in some aspect of cell cycle regulation in mammalian Results), using standard hybridization conditions at high cells. stringency (15). The insert of clone BM-1 was used to screen a murine ICR-CD1 anemic spleen cDNA library in Agtll The coordinated control of cell growth and differentiation in (Clontech). We isolated two overlapping cDNA clones, S15 eukaryotes is achieved, in part, through the activation of and S13, which encompassed the catalytic domain and the 3' intracellular biochemical networks in response to external untranslated region, respectively. To isolate a cDNA corre- stimuli. Protein kinases are known to represent integral sponding to the 5' end ofPlk, a mouse neuroepithelial cDNA components of many signal transduction pathways; not only library (strain DBA) in Agtl0 (16) was screened with a do they serve to phosphorylate their normal physiological radiolabeled Bgl II fragment (nt 675-771) recovered from the their enzymatic activity is, in turn, regulated 5' end of S15. One clone, NE4, contained a 1.5-kb insert. substrates, Inspection of the nucleotide sequences of cDNA clones S15 through interaction with other protein kinases and phos- (strain ICR-CD1) and NE4 (strain DBA) in the regions of phatases (1-3). Homologues of a large number of protein overlap revealed a number of sequence polymorphisms, kinases have been identified from a range of eukaryotic some of which were conservative, while others resulted in species including mammals, budding and fission yeast, and amino acid substitutions. Since we were unable to isolate Drosophila, suggesting that at least some of the processes further cDNAs that encompassed the N terminus of Plk we that govern cell growth and differentiation in this diverse performed PCR on liver DNA from random-bred ICR-CD1 range of organisms are achieved by using similar principles mice, using 5' sense (5'-CCCAAAGCTTGTGTCTGAC-3') (2-5). and 3' antisense (5'-CTGCGAACACCTCTTTTG-3') oligo- In general, eukaryotic protein kinases are classified on the nucleotides based on the nucleotide sequence of NE4. Nu- basis of substrate specificity (4). Recently a number of cleotide sequence analysis ofboth strands was carried out by protein kinases have been identified which have the dual using the dideoxynucleotide chain-termination procedure capacity to phosphorylate serine/threonine and tyrosine res- (17) either manually or with an Applied Biosystems auto- idues (3, 6, 7). Inspection ofthe primary sequences ofprotein mated sequencer. The DNA sequence and deduced protein kinases reveals the presence ofparticular sets ofresidues that sequence were compared with the GenBank data bases by are invariant features of molecules with the capacity to using the FASTA programs (18). phosphorylate specific substrates (8). Interspersed among Northern (RNA) Analysis. Total cellular RNA was isolated the motifs that signify serine/threonine or tyrosine specificity as described (19), fractionated on 1% agarose/formaldehyde are shorter stretches of amino acids that are characteristic of gels, and transferred to GeneScreenPlus membrane (DuPont) subgroups of protein kinases and which presumably contrib- according to manufacturer's protocols. ute to the substrate specificity and/or the manner in which individual protein kinases are regulated (4, 9). We have employed a PCR-based strategy (10) to isolate RESULTS sequences corresponding to protein kinases expressed in Isolation of Clones Encoding Plk. To isolate protein kinases primitive murine hemopoietic progenitor cells. One sequence that may play a role in the regulation of hemopoiesis, we The publication costs of this article were defrayed in part by page charge iTo whom reprint requests should be addressed. payment. This article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" §The sequence reported in this paper has been deposited in the in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact. GenBank data base (accession no. L06144). 4882 Downloaded by guest on September 28, 2021 Biochemistry: Clay et al. Proc. Nati. Acad. Sci. USA 90 (1993) 4883 isolated a highly enriched population of primitive hemopoi- deduced amino acid sequence of P1k are shown in Fig. 1 etic progenitor cells from mouse bone marrow (12-14). Se- Lower. quences corresponding to putative protein kinases were Sequence of Plk. The nucleotide sequence of Plk contains amplified by PCR using the degenerate oligonucleotide prim- a single open reading frame extending over 1809 nt -and ers PT7K1 and PTK2 on cDNA reverse transcribed from encoding a p'rotein of 603 aa (Mr, 68,409). The nucleotides mRNA isolated from these cells (10). PTK1 and PTK2 flanking those encoding the methionine residue at position correspond to the conserved subdomains Vl and IX in the 470-472 conform to the Kozak consensus sequence for the catalytic domain of protein kinases as defined by Hanks et al. initiation of protein translation (20). Furthermore, an in- (4). The products of this reaction were subcloned in frame termination codon is located 105 nt upstream of the M13mp18 and the nucleotide sequences of randomly chosen proposed AUG. clones were determined. A number of previously described Relationship ofPlk to Other Protein Kinases. Comparison of protein tyrosine kinases were identified, as well as one novel the deduced amino acid sequence of P1k with other published sequence that on the basis of amino acid sequence encoded sequences revealed a close relationship between P1k and a protein with features of a serine/threonine protein kinase. three serine/threonine protein kinases. The catalytic domain A number of overlapping cDNA clones (SiS and S13) as well of P1k is most closely related to the polo gene product (65% as a genomic fragment (PCR-A) (Fig. 1 Upper) corresponding identity), a protein kinase required for mitosis in Drosophila to the novel sequence were isolated according to the strategy (11,21) (Fig. 2). Plk and polo encode proteins of a similar size outlined in Materials and Methods. The composite nucleo- and have a similar overall structure, with their catalytic tide sequence [S15, S13, and PCR-A (Fig. 1 Upper)] and domains being located in the N-terminal region. P1k is also ATG TAG WV Kinase Domain 0i BGLII TAG S15 I II IWlw S13 v I HINDuI ATG BGLII I I V i NE4 LU HINDHI ATG BGLII 100 bp PCR-A IV II 1 AGCTGTOAGTCTGAAAGTTOCCTOGCTGAOCTTGAAO ATCTAGACATOOOTOTOGOCTOCAACAAOOOOCCTCATCTCATCACTCATTGGTCTTATA 101 TOMrrATTTTTACCAGCCTGTTCTOGAOTOTO3OCAOOOOCATOOCCTOGCTTCCCATCAGGAGAAATCAGCAGAAGTOGACAGOGOTACCTOTATC 201 CACAOOTGCCAGCTOOCCTGTOOGTTAGOTACAAGOGCOTGOOCACAOCTCCTTCCTCAGOCTACCTC173CTGAG&CCTCAGCCCTAOGCTATACCTTOA 301 AGCAGCCJGAGOAGAOTCTOOGCATAAAGGCCCAGCAAAATTATOTTOTCCTACTOTTOTGCTCTGAGCCCCCATTTCTOvCCATTTrOCTOCATATCAAA A V A K A 0 K L A 11 401 0c2AAAAGAAACCATCGCACGAOGACCCTCTCCACCGACTCAGCCAGGTTCGTOOAOCAACTTCQOCATCATOAALTOCATGGCCAAAOCTOGAAAAOCTO R AP TDLOGKOOGV LOGD A AP SA PV A AP L AKE I L EV L 44 501 aTCGAGCACCAACCGACCTCOGGAAAOGTOGOGTCCTOOGAG&TOGCAOCTCCCAOTOCCCCCAGTOOCTOCCCCCACTOGCGAAAAGAATTrCTOGAOOTCCT V D P R S R RQ I R R F L K F A K C F E I S D A D T K E 77 601 AGTOGACCCACOCAGCCOGCOOCAGTATATACGGOOCCGCTTTCTOOGTAAAOOAOOCTTCGCCAAATOGCTTCGAGATCTCAGACOCAGACACAAAAGAG V F A G K I V P K S L L L K P H Q K E K H S H E I S I H R S L A H Q 111 FIG. 1. (Upper) Schematic 701 TOTCGCAOOCAAGATCGTGCCTAAGTCTTTGCTOCTCAAOCCCCACCAGAAGGAGAAGATOTCTATOGAGATCTCAATTCACCGCAOCCTAGCACACC