Isoform-specific and protein kinase C-mediated regulation of CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase phosphorylation.

CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase (Pcyt2) is the main regulatory enzyme for de novo biosynthesis of phosphatidylethanolamine by the CDP-ethanolamine pathway. There are two isoforms of Pcyt2, -α and -β; however, very little is known about their specific roles in this important metabolic pathway. We previously demonstrated increased phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthesis subsequent to elevated activity and phosphorylation of Pcyt2α and -β in MCF-7 breast cancer cells grown under conditions of serum deficiency. Mass spectroscopy analyses of Pcyt2 provided evidence for isoform-specific as well as shared phosphorylations. Pcyt2β was specifically phosphorylated at the end of the first cytidylyltransferase domain. Pcyt2α was phosphorylated within the α-specific motif that is spliced out in Pcyt2β and on two consensus serine residues, Ser-215 and Ser-223. Single and double mutations of duanyu1531 consensus sites reduced Pcyt2α phosphorylation, activity, and phosphatidylethanolamine synthesis by 50-90%. The phosphorylation and activity of endogenous Pcyt2 were dramatically increased with phorbol esters and reduced by specific duanyu1531 inhibitors. In vitro translated Pcyt2α was phosphorylated by and Pcyt2α Ser-215 was also directly phosphorylated with Mapping of the Pcyt2α- and -β-phosphorylated sites to the solved structure of a human Pcyt2β showed that they clustered within and flanking the central linker region that connects the two catalytic domains and is a novel regulatory segment not present in other cytidylyltransferases. This study is the first to demonstrate differences in phosphorylation between Pcyt2 isoforms and to uncover the role of the phosphorylation.

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