Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) regulates the function of CLOCK protein by direct phosphorylation.
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Kwak Y, Jeong J, Lee S, Park YU, Lee SA, Han DH, Kim JH, Ohshima T, Mikoshiba K, Suh YH, Cho S, Park SK
Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) regulates the function of CLOCK protein by direct phosphorylation.
J Biol Chem. 2013 Dec 27;288(52):36878-89. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M113.494856. Epub 2013 Nov 14.
- PubMed ID
- 24235147 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
Circadian rhythm is a biological rhythm governing physiology and behavior with a period of approximately 24 h. At the molecular level, circadian output is controlled by a molecular clock composed of positive and negative feedback loops in transcriptional and post-translational processes. CLOCK is a transcription factor known as a central component of the molecular clock feedback loops generating circadian oscillation. Although CLOCK is known to undergo multiple post-translational modifications, the knowledge of their entities remains limited. Cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) is a proline-directed serine-threonine kinase that is involved in various neuronal processes. Here, we report that Cdk5 is a novel regulator of CLOCK protein. Cdk5 phosphorylates CLOCK at the Thr-451 and Thr-461 residues in association with transcriptional activation of CLOCK. The Cdk5-dependent regulation of CLOCK function is mediated by alterations of its stability and subcellular distribution. These results suggest that Cdk5 is a novel regulatory component of the core molecular clock machinery.