PD-1 increases PTEN phosphatase activity while decreasing PTEN protein stability by inhibiting casein kinase 2

Mol Cell Biol. 2013 Aug;33(16):3091-8. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00319-13. Epub 2013 Jun 3.

Abstract

Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a potent inhibitor of T cell responses. PD-1 abrogates activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, but the mechanism remains unclear. We determined that during T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3- and CD28-mediated stimulation, PTEN is phosphorylated by casein kinase 2 (CK2) in the Ser380-Thr382-Thr383 cluster within the C-terminal regulatory domain, which stabilizes PTEN, resulting in increased protein abundance but suppressed PTEN phosphatase activity. PD-1 inhibited the stabilizing phosphorylation of the Ser380-Thr382-Thr383 cluster within the C-terminal domain of PTEN, thereby resulting in ubiquitin-dependent degradation and diminished abundance of PTEN protein but increased PTEN phosphatase activity. These effects on PTEN were secondary to PD-1-mediated inhibition of CK2 and were recapitulated by pharmacologic inhibition of CK2 during TCR/CD3- and CD28-mediated stimulation without PD-1. Furthermore, PD-1-mediated diminished abundance of PTEN was reversed by inhibition of ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation. Our results identify CK2 as a new target of PD-1 and reveal an unexpected mechanism by which PD-1 decreases PTEN protein expression while increasing PTEN activity, thereby inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling axis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Casein Kinase II / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Casein Kinase II / genetics
  • Casein Kinase II / metabolism*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Enzyme Activation
  • Enzyme Stability
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Humans
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / chemistry
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / genetics
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase / metabolism*
  • Phosphorylation
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / metabolism*
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary
  • Proteolysis
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • T-Lymphocytes / enzymology
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism*
  • Ubiquitin / metabolism

Substances

  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Ubiquitin
  • Casein Kinase II
  • PTEN Phosphohydrolase