Translocation of PDK-1 to the plasma membrane is important in allowing PDK-1 to activate protein kinase B

AbstractBackground: Protein kinase B (PKB) is involved in the regulation of apoptosis, protein synthesis and glycogen metabolism in mammalian cells. Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase (PDK-1) activates PKB in a manner dependent on phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (Ptdlns(3,4,5)P3), which is also needed for the translocation of PKB to the plasma membrane. It has been proposed that the amount of PKB activated is determined exclusively as a result of its translocation, and that a constitutively active pool of membrane-associated PDK-1 simply phosphorylates all the PKB made available. Here, we have investigated the effects of membrane localisation of PDK-1 on PKB activation.Results: Ectopically expressed PDK-1 translocated to the plasma membrane in response to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and translocation was sensitive to wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphoinositide 3-kinase. Translocation of PDK-1 also occurred upon its co-expression with constitutively active phosphoinositide 3-kinase, but not with an inactive form. Overexpression of PDK-1 enhanced the ability of PDGF to activate PKB. PDK-1 disrupted in the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain which did not translocate to the membrane did not increase PKB activity in response to PDGF, whereas membrane-targeted PDK-1 activated PKB to the extent that it could not be activated further by PDGF.Conclusions: In response to PDGF, binding of Ptdlns(3,4,5)P3 and/or Ptdlns(3,4)P2 to the PH domain of PDK-1 causes its translocation to the plasma membrane where it co-localises with PKB, significantly contributing to the scale of PKB activation

Isolation and characterization of two novel A20-like proteins.

The transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) plays a pivotal role in inflammatory processes through induction of adhesion molecules and chemokines. The zinc finger molecule A20 is an important negative regulator of NF-kappa B. The mechanism utilized by A20 is not fully understood, but A20 has been shown to bind to tumour-necrosis-factor-receptor-associated factor (TRAF) molecules, which are necessary for pro-inflammatory cytokine signalling. We report two novel genes, Cezanne (cellular zinc finger anti-NF-kappa B) and TRABID (TRAF-binding domain), with sequence similarity to A20. Co-immunoprecipitation studies indicated that TRAF6 was able to interact with both Cezanne and TRABID. In contrast, reporter gene experiments revealed a specific ability of Cezanne to down-regulate NF-kappa B. It is likely, therefore, that Cezanne participates in the regulation of inflammatory processes