Plk2 Regulates Centriole Duplication Through Phosphorylation-Mediated Degradation of Fbxw7 (Human Cdc4)
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Research Article 981 Plk2 regulates centriole duplication through phosphorylation-mediated degradation of Fbxw7 (human Cdc4) Onur Cizmecioglu1, Annekatrin Krause1, Ramona Bahtz1, Lena Ehret1, Nisar Malek2 and Ingrid Hoffmann1,* 1Cell cycle Control and Carcinogenesis (F045), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Im Neuenheimer Feld 242, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany 2University Hospital Tu¨bingen, Department of Internal Medicine 1, Otfried-Mu¨ller-Str. 10, 72076 Tu¨bingen, Germany *Author for correspondence ([email protected]) Accepted 26 September 2011 Journal of Cell Science 125, 981–992 ß 2012. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd doi: 10.1242/jcs.095075 Summary Polo-like kinases (Plks) perform crucial functions during mitosis, cytokinesis and centriole duplication. Plk2 is activated in early G1 phase and is involved in the reproduction of centrosomes. However, the mechanisms underlying Plk2-induced centriole duplication are incompletely understood. Here, we show that Plk2 directly targets the F-box protein F-box/WD repeat-containing protein 7 (Fbxw7), which is a regulator of the ubiquitin-mediated degradation of cyclin E. Plk2 phosphorylates Fbxw7 on serine 176 and the two proteins form a complex in vitro and in vivo. Phosphorylation of Fbxw7 by Plk2 induces destabilization of the F-box protein resulting in accumulation of cyclin E and increased potential for centriole reproduction. In addition, loss of Fbxw7 in human cells leads to uncontrolled centriole duplication, highlighting the importance of Fbxw7 regulation by Plk2. These findings define a previously unknown Plk2-dependent pathway involved at the onset of S phase and in centrosome duplication. Key words: Plk2, Fbxw7, human Cdc4, Cyclin E, Cell cycle, Centrosome Introduction permissive cell cycle window (G1–S transition and early S phase) Transitions between the different phases of the cell cycle, and before they can respond to Plk4 activity (Kleylein-Sohn et al., successful growth and division, require the coordinated action of 2007). 2/2 Journal of Cell Science numerous protein kinases. Among these are the polo-like kinases Analysis of the growth and development of Plk2 mice (Plks), which play pivotal roles during mitosis and the centrosome indicated that Plk2 is involved in embryonic development and cycle (Archambault and Glover, 2009). Mammalian cells express cell cycle progression at the G1–S transition (Ma et al., 2003). In four polo-like kinase family members, Plk1–4. The founding addition, Plk2 is localized to the centrosome. Plk2 kinase is first member of the Plk family, polo, was first described in fruit flies as activated at the G1–S phase transition and its activity is required a mitotic regulator (Llamazares et al., 1991). Plk1 is expressed in for centriole duplication (Cizmecioglu et al., 2008; Warnke et al., G2 and M phases and localizes to the centrosomes, kinetochores 2004). Silencing of Plk2 by RNAi leads to apoptosis in the and central spindle during mitosis, and is required for a normal presence of Taxol (Burns et al., 2003), an effect that might be metaphase spindle (Lane and Nigg, 1996; Llamazares et al., 1991; explained by a failure to duplicate centrosomes. Recently, CPAP, Tokuyama et al., 2001) and cytokinesis (Litvak et al., 2004; Neef a protein that controls centriole length has been identified as a et al., 2003). In addition, Plk1 is implicated in centrosome Plk2 substrate in this process (Chang et al., 2010); however maturation (Barr et al., 2004). Plk3 appears to be expressed at insight into how Plk2 substrates are involved in the control of constant levels throughout the cell cycle, and plays a role in stress centriole duplication remains scarce. response pathways, including those activated by DNA damage and Centrosomes are the microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) spindle disruption (Bahassi el et al., 2002; Donohue et al., 1995; of animal cells. Centrosome duplication must occur in Xie et al., 2001). Plk4 activity is implicated in centriole duplication coordination with other cell cycle events, including DNA (Bettencourt-Dias et al., 2005; Habedanck et al., 2005). Following synthesis. Indeed, duplication of the centrioles begins near the activation of Plk4 and its recruitment to the centrosome by its G1–S boundary and is completed in G2 (Doxsey et al., 2005). interacting protein Cep152 (Cizmecioglu et al., 2010; Dzhindzhev Centriole duplication is regulated by different protein kinases, but et al., 2010; Hatch et al., 2010), a sequential assembly of several their interplay is incompletely understood (Strnad and Gonczy, crucial proteins including Sas6, Cep135, CPAP, c-tubulin and 2008). Cdk2–cyclin-E kinase activity is required for initiation of CP110 is induced (Kleylein-Sohn et al., 2007). It is suggested that centriole duplication (Hinchcliffe et al., 1999; Matsumoto et al., Plk4 stability is placed under direct control of its own activity and 1999; Meraldi et al., 1999), whereas the continuation of this this could define an important mechanism for limiting normal process during S phase seems to depend on the Cdk2–cyclin-A centriole duplication to once per cell cycle (Cunha-Ferreira et al., complex. A centrosomal localization domain within cyclin E is 2009; Guderian et al., 2010; Holland et al., 2010; Rogers et al., essential for promoting S-phase entry in a Cdk2-independent 2009; Sillibourne et al., 2010). However, cells need to reach a manner (Matsumoto and Maller, 2004). Two centrosomal 982 Journal of Cell Science 125 (4) substrates of Cdk2–cyclin E have been identified, nucleophosmin To analyze whether the decrease in the amount of cyclin E (NPM; also known as B23) and CP110 (Chen et al., 2002; Okuda protein in response to Plk2 RNAi is due to an accelerated rate of et al., 2000). Npm12/2 mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) cyclin E degradation by the proteasome, we used U2OS cells exhibit aberrant centrosome numbers as a consequence of treated with Plk2 siRNA or control siRNA that were synchronized unrestrained centrosome duplication (Grisendi et al., 2005). at G1–S and treated with the proteasome inhibitor MG132. Plk2 Deregulation of cyclin E abundance can trigger premature S- RNAi followed by treatment of cells with MG132 lead to a phase entry, genomic instability and cancer (Hwang and stabilization of cyclin E protein (Fig. 1c). Next, we tested whether Clurman, 2005; Spruck et al., 2002). Cyclin E is targeted for the stability of cyclin E is altered by Plk2 RNAi by treating cells ubiquitin-mediated degradation by Fbxw7 (human Cdc4) an F- with the protein synthesis inhibitor cycloheximide. In response to box protein, which is the specificity component of the Skp– Plk2 siRNA transfection cyclin E decayed faster than in control Cullin–F-Box (SCF)–Fbxw7 multi-subunit E3 ubiquitin ligase. siRNA-treated cells (Fig. 1d). To further evaluate the role of Plk2 Inactivation of Fbxw7 leads to cyclin E accumulation (Koepp in regulation of cyclin E stability we explored ubiquitylation and et al., 2001; Strohmaier et al., 2001) but cyclin E protein levels proteasome-dependent degradation of cyclin E upon expression of are also controlled by the cullin-3 pathway (Singer et al., 1999). Plk2 kd. Ubiquitylated proteins from cells overexpressing His- Fbxw7 recognizes a short, phosphothreonine-containing motif tagged ubiquitin were purified on nickel columns and analyzed by known as the Fbxw7 phosphodegron (CPD) present in each of its western blotting to detect cyclin E. Interfering with Plk2 activity substrates, including cyclin E (Nash et al., 2001). Cyclin E by expression of the Plk2 kd mutant promoted ubiquitylation of contains two CPDs that are phosphorylated by glycogen synthase cyclin E (supplementary material Fig. S2c). Taken together, these kinase 3b and autophosphorylated by Cdk2 (Koepp et al., 2001; results indicate that Plk2 kinase activity is required for stabilization Strohmaier et al., 2001; Welcker et al., 2003). To date, little is of cyclin E protein. known about the regulation of Fbxw7 itself. Because cyclin E is an activator of Cdk2 we investigated In the present study we investigated the function of Plk2 in whether expression of Plk2 kd might interfere with Cdk2 function centriole duplication. We show that Plk2 phosphorylates the F- in centriole reduplication. Cdk2 was coexpressed with Plk2 kd in box protein Fbxw7 at three conserved serine residues, leading to the presence of aphidicolin in U2OS cells. Upon expression of its destabilization. This in turn results in both increased cyclin E Cdk2 wt alone the number of cells with additional centrioles (more than four) increased by ,15% in comparison with cells levels and capability to duplicate centrioles. that were untransfected but aphidicolin treated. Indeed co- transfection of Cdk2 wt and Plk2 kd led to a decrease in the Results number of cells with more than four centrioles by about 40% To determine how Plk2 affects centriole duplication and S-phase (Fig. 1e). Taken together, these results suggest that Cdk2 cannot entry we set out to identify substrates of Plk2. Probable regulate centriole duplication when Plk2 kinase activity is candidates were proteins that are present in G1 or those impaired. Thus, Cdk2 and Plk2 cooperate either in the same or regulating the G1–S phase transition. We therefore investigated in parallel pathways in the regulation of centriole reduplication. whether Plk2 might have an effect on protein levels of known Because Plk2 neither interacted with nor phosphorylated G1 regulators. Ablation of Plk2 function led to a specific Journal of Cell Science Cdk2–cyclin E (data not shown) we focused on regulators of downregulation of cyclin E protein in both S-phase-synchronized cyclin E protein stability. The abundance of cyclin E is controlled and exponentially growing human U2OS cells and was primarily at the level of gene transcription and ubiquitin- accompanied by a reduced cyclin-E-associated kinase activity dependent proteolysis. Cyclin E can be ubiquitylated by the (Fig. 1a). Plk2 short interfering RNA (siRNA) had only a minor SCF Fbxw7 ubiquitin ligase (Strohmaier et al., 2001; Koepp et al., effect on the G1–S phase transition in U2OS cells (supplementary 2001).