"Serine 910 Phosphorylation of Focal Adhesion Kinase Is Critical for Co" by Miensheng Chu

Date of Award

2012

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Physiology

Abstract

Tyrosine-phosphorylated FAK is required for the hypertrophic response of cardiomyocytes to growth factors and mechanical load, but the role of FAK serine phosphorylation in this process is unknown. Endothelin-1 (ET-1; 1-100nM, 2-30min) and other hypertrophic factors induced a time- and dose-dependent increase in FAK-S910 phosphorylation in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM). FAK-S910 phosphorylation required ETAR-dependent activation of PKCδ and Src via parallel Raf-1→MEK1/2→ERK1/2 and MEK5→ERK5 signaling pathways. Using co-immunoprecipitation, TIRF-microscopy and FRAP, ET-1 stimulation of NRVM expressing a nonphosphorylatable, S910A-FAK mutant decreased the interaction of paxillin and vinculin within costameres. This interaction was important in stabilizing α-actinin within the protein complex, as evident by a decrease in kFRAP for α-actinin-YFP. The S910A-FAK mutant also blocked ET-1 induced NRVM spreading and cyotoskeletal reorganization. Finally, we found that FAK was serine-phosphorylated at multiple sites in nonfailing, human LV tissue. FAK-S910 phosphorylation and ERK5 expression were dramatically reduced in patients undergoing heart transplantation for end-stage DCM. FAK undergoes S910 phosphorylation via PKCδ and Src-dependent pathways that are important for cell spreading and sarcomere reorganization. Reduced FAK-S910 phosphorylation may contribute to sarcomere disorganization in DCM.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

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