Human and yeast cdk-activating kinases (CAKs) display distinct substrate specificities Journal Article


Authors: Kaldis, P.; Russo, A. A.; Chou, H. S.; Pavletich, N. P.; Solomon, M. J.
Article Title: Human and yeast cdk-activating kinases (CAKs) display distinct substrate specificities
Abstract: Cell cycle progression is controlled by the sequential functions of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks). Cdk activation requires phosphorylation of a key residue (on sites equivalent to Thr-160 in human cdk2) carried out by the cdk-activating kinase (CAK). Human CAK has been identified as a p40(MO15)/cyclin H/MAT1 complex that also functions as part of transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) where it phosphorylates multiple transcriptional components including the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the large subunit of RNA polymerase II. In contrast, CAK from budding yeast consists of a single polypeptide (Cak1p), is not a component of TFIIH, and lacks CTD kinase activity. Here we report that Cak1p and p40(MO15) have strikingly different substrate specificities. Cak1p preferentially phosphorylated monomeric cdks, whereas p40(MO15) preferentially phosphorylated cdk/cyclin complexes. Furthermore, p40(MO15) only phosphorylated cdk6 bound to cyclin D3, whereas Cak1p recognized monomeric cdk6 and cdk6 bound to cyclin D1, D2, or D3. We also found that cdk inhibitors, including p21(CIP1), p27(KIP1), p57(KIP2), p16(INK4a), and p18(INK4c), could block phosphorylation by p40(MO15) but not phosphorylation by Cak1p. Our results demonstrate that although both Cak1p and p40(MO15) activate cdks by phosphorylating the same residue, the structural mechanisms underlying the enzyme-substrate recognition differ greatly. Structural and physiological implications of these findings will be discussed.
Keywords: controlled study; protein phosphorylation; nonhuman; complex formation; enzyme activation; phosphorylation; protein-serine-threonine kinases; substrate specificity; species difference; yeast; saccharomycetales; cycline; cyclin d1; enzyme specificity; cyclin-dependent kinases; cyclins; cyclin dependent kinase; cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor; protein kinase; rna polymerase ii; yeasts; cyclin-dependent kinase 2; cyclin-dependent kinase 6; cdc2-cdc28 kinases; humans; human; priority journal; article
Journal Title: Molecular Biology of the Cell
Volume: 9
Issue: 9
ISSN: 1059-1524
Publisher: The American Society for Cell Biology  
Date Published: 1998-09-01
Start Page: 2545
End Page: 2560
Language: English
PUBMED: 9725911
PROVIDER: scopus
PMCID: PMC25525
DOI: 10.1091/mbc.9.9.2545
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 12 December 2016 -- Source: Scopus
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  1. Alicia A R Russo
    12 Russo