PD-1 increases PTEN phosphatase activity while decreasing PTEN protein stability by inhibiting casein kinase 2

N Patsoukis, L Li, D Sari, V Petkova… - Molecular and cellular …, 2013 - Taylor & Francis
N Patsoukis, L Li, D Sari, V Petkova, VA Boussiotis
Molecular and cellular biology, 2013Taylor & Francis
Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a potent inhibitor of T cell responses. PD-1 abrogates
activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, but the mechanism
remains unclear. We determined that during T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3-and CD28-mediated
stimulation, PTEN is phosphorylated by casein kinase 2 (CK2) in the Ser380-Thr382-Thr383
cluster within the C-terminal regulatory domain, which stabilizes PTEN, resulting in
increased protein abundance but suppressed PTEN phosphatase activity. PD-1 inhibited the …
Programmed death 1 (PD-1) is a potent inhibitor of T cell responses. PD-1 abrogates activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, but the mechanism remains unclear. We determined that during T cell receptor (TCR)/CD3- and CD28-mediated stimulation, PTEN is phosphorylated by casein kinase 2 (CK2) in the Ser380-Thr382-Thr383 cluster within the C-terminal regulatory domain, which stabilizes PTEN, resulting in increased protein abundance but suppressed PTEN phosphatase activity. PD-1 inhibited the stabilizing phosphorylation of the Ser380-Thr382-Thr383 cluster within the C-terminal domain of PTEN, thereby resulting in ubiquitin-dependent degradation and diminished abundance of PTEN protein but increased PTEN phosphatase activity. These effects on PTEN were secondary to PD-1-mediated inhibition of CK2 and were recapitulated by pharmacologic inhibition of CK2 during TCR/CD3- and CD28-mediated stimulation without PD-1. Furthermore, PD-1-mediated diminished abundance of PTEN was reversed by inhibition of ubiquitin-dependent proteasomal degradation. Our results identify CK2 as a new target of PD-1 and reveal an unexpected mechanism by which PD-1 decreases PTEN protein expression while increasing PTEN activity, thereby inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling axis.
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