Open AccessAkt2 Regulation of Cdc2-Like Kinases (Clk/Sty), Serine/Arginine-Rich (SR) Protein Phosphorylation, and Insulin-Induced Alternative Splicing of PKCβII Messenger Ribonucleic Acid
Author(s) -
Kun Jiang,
Niketa A. Patel,
James Watson,
Hercules Apostolatos,
Eden Kleiman,
Olivia Hanson,
Masatoshi Hagiwara,
Denise R. Cooper
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
endocrinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.674
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1945-7170
pISSN - 0013-7227
DOI - 10.1210/en.2008-0818
Subject(s) - akt2 , phosphorylation , protein kinase c , biology , alternative splicing , sr protein , kinase , protein kinase a , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , akt1 , protein kinase b , messenger rna , gene
Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins play essential roles in the constitutive and regulated splicing of precursor mRNAs. Phosphorylation of the arginine/serine dipeptide-rich (RS) domain by SR protein kinases such as Cdc2-like kinases (Clk/Sty) modulates their subcellular localization and activation. However, it remains unclear how these kinases and their target SR proteins are regulated by extracellular signals. Regulation of protein kinase C betaII (PKCbetaII) pre-mRNA alternative splicing via exon inclusion by Akt2, a central kinase in insulin action, involves phosphorylation of SR proteins. Here we showed that Akt2, in response to insulin, resulted in phosphorylation of Clk/Sty, which then altered SR protein phosphorylation in concert with Akt2. Insulin-stimulated PKCbetaII pre-mRNA splicing was blocked by Clk/Sty and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitors, and diabetic Akt2-null mouse tissues had impaired phospho-Clk/Sty, SR protein phosphorylation, and PKCbetaII expression. Furthermore, we observed that Akt2 phosphorylated several SR proteins distinct from Clk/Sty in response to insulin. Akt2-catalyzed phosphorylation of Clk/Sty and SR proteins revealed a role for both kinases in splicing regulation indicating dual functions for Akt2 in response to insulin in this pathway.