Serum- and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase SGK phosphorylates and negatively regulates B-Raf

J Biol Chem. 2001 Aug 24;276(34):31620-6. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M102808200. Epub 2001 Jun 15.

Abstract

Phosphorylation can both positively and negatively regulate activity of the Raf kinases. Akt has been shown to phosphorylate and inhibit C-Raf activity. We have recently reported that Akt negatively regulates B-Raf kinase activation by phosphorylating multiple residues within its amino-terminal regulatory domain. Here we investigated the regulation of B-Raf by serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase, SGK, which shares close sequence identity with the catalytic domain of Akt but lacks the pleckstrin homology domain. We observed that SGK inhibits B-Raf activity. A comparison of substrate specificity between SGK and Akt indicates that SGK is a potent negative regulator of B-Raf. In contrast to Akt, SGK negatively regulates B-Raf kinase activity by phosphorylating only a single Akt consensus site, Ser(364). Under similar experimental conditions, SGK displays a measurably stronger inhibitory effect on B-Raf kinase activity than Akt, whereas Akt exhibits a more inhibitory effect on the forkhead transcription factor, FKHR. The selective substrate specificity is correlated with an enhanced association between Akt or SGK and their preferred substrates, FKHR and B-Raf, respectively. These results indicate that B-Raf kinase activity is negatively regulated by Akt and SGK, suggesting that the cross-talk between the B-Raf and other signaling pathways can be mediated by both Akt and SGK.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Blood*
  • Cell Line
  • Humans
  • Immediate-Early Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / chemistry
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf / metabolism*
  • Serine / metabolism
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism

Substances

  • Immediate-Early Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Transcription Factors
  • Serine
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf
  • serum-glucocorticoid regulated kinase