Sarah M. Smolik

CREB binding protein (CBP) and p300 were both identified initially in protein interaction assays-the former through its association with the transcription factor CREB The recognition that these two proteins, one involved in transcription and the other in cell transformation, had highly conserved sequences suggested that they had the potential to participate in a variety of cellular functions (Fig. Several excellent reviews

Cubitus interruptus (Ci) is a transcriptional factor that is positively regulated by the hedgehog (hh) signaling pathway. Recent work has shown that a 75-kDa proteolytic product of the full-length CI protein translocates to the nucleus and represses the transcription of CI target genes. In cells that receive the hh signal, the proteolysis of CI is inhibited and the full-length protein can activate the hh target genes. Because protein kinase A (PKA) inhibits the expression of the hh target genes in developing embryos and discs and the loss of PKA activity results in elevated levels of full-length CI protein, PKA might be involved directly in the regulation of CI proteolysis. Here we demonstrate that the PKA pathway antagonizes the hh pathway by phosphorylating CI. We show that the PKA-mediated phosphorylation of CI promotes its proteolysis from the full-length active form to the 75-kDa repressor form. The PKA catalytic subunit increases the proteolytic processing of CI and the PKA inhibitor, PKI, blocks the processing. In addition, cells do not process the CI protein to the 75-kDa repressor when all of the PKA sites in CI are mutated. Mutant CI proteins that cannot be phosphorylated by PKA have increased transcriptional activity compared with wild-type CI. In addition, exogenous PKA can increase further the transcriptional activity of the CI mutant, suggesting that PKA has a second positive, indirect effect on CI activity. In summary, we show that the modulation of the hh signaling pathway by PKA occurs directly at the level of CI phosphorylation.

Hedgehog (HH) is an important morphogen involved in pattern formation during Drosophila embryogenesis and disc development. cubitus interruptus (ci) encodes a transcription factor responsible for transducing the hh signal in the nucleus and activating hh target gene expression. Previous studies have shown that CI exists in two forms: a 75 kDa proteolytic repressor form and a 155 kDa activator form. The ratio of these forms, which is regulated positively by hh signaling and negatively by PKA activity, determines the on/off status of hh target gene expression. In this paper, we demonstrate that the exogenous expression of CI that is mutant for four consensus PKA sites [CI(m1-4)], causes ectopic expression of wingless (wg) in vivo and a phenotype consistent with wg overexpression. Expression of CI(m1-4), but not CI(wt), can rescue the hh mutant phenotype and restore wg expression in hh mutant embryos. When PKA activity is suppressed by expressing a dominant negative PKA mutant, the exogenous expression of CI(wt) results in overexpression of wg and lethality in embryogenesis, defects that are similar to those caused by the exogenous expression of CI(m1-4). In addition, we demonstrate that, in cell culture, the mutation of any one of the three serine-containing PKA sites abolishes the proteolytic processing of CI. We also show that PKA directly phosphorylates the four consensus phosphorylation sites in vitro. Taken together, our results suggest that positive hh and negative PKA regulation of wg gene expression converge on the regulation of CI phosphorylation.