Phosphorylation of septin 3 on Ser-91 by cGMP-dependent protein kinase-I in nerve terminals

Biochem J. 2004 Aug 1;381(Pt 3):753-60. doi: 10.1042/BJ20040455.

Abstract

The septins are a family of GTPase enzymes required for cytokinesis and play a role in exocytosis. Among the ten vertebrate septins, Sept5 (CDCrel-1) and Sept3 (G-septin) are primarily concentrated in the brain, wherein Sept3 is a substrate for PKG-I (cGMP-dependent protein kinase-I) in nerve terminals. There are two motifs for potential PKG-I phosphorylation in Sept3, Thr-55 and Ser-91, but phosphoamino acid analysis revealed that the primary site is a serine. Derivatization of phosphoserine to S-propylcysteine followed by N-terminal sequence analysis revealed Ser-91 as a major phosphorylation site. Tandem MS revealed a single phosphorylation site at Ser-91. Substitution of Ser-91 with Ala in a synthetic peptide abolished phosphorylation. Mutation of Ser-91 to Ala in recombinant Sept3 also abolished PKG phosphorylation, confirming that Ser-91 is the major site in vitro. Antibodies raised against a peptide containing phospho-Ser-91 detected phospho-Sept3 only in the cytosol of nerve terminals, whereas Sept3 was located in a peripheral membrane extract. Therefore Sept3 is phosphorylated on Ser-91 in nerve terminals and its phosphorylation may contribute to the regulation of its subcellular localization in neurons.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Brain
  • Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type I
  • Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / metabolism*
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / chemistry
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases / metabolism*
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / metabolism
  • Peptides / chemistry
  • Peptides / metabolism
  • Phosphorylation
  • Phosphoserine / chemistry
  • Presynaptic Terminals / enzymology*
  • Rats
  • Septins
  • Serine / metabolism*

Substances

  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Peptides
  • Phosphoserine
  • Serine
  • Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinase Type I
  • Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases
  • GTP Phosphohydrolases
  • Septins
  • septin 3