Glycogen synthase kinase-3 mediated phosphorylation of serine 73 targets sterol response element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) for proteasomal degrada

Sterol regulatory element binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) is a key transcription factor that regulates genes involved in the de novo lipid synthesis and glycolysis pathways. The structure, turnover and trans-activation potential of SREBP-1c are regulated by macronutrients and hormones via a cascade of signaling kinases. Using mass spectrometry (MS), we have identified serine 73 as a novel glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) phosphorylation site in the rat SREBP-1c purified from McA-RH7777 hepatoma cells. Our site-specific mutagenesis strategy revealed that the turnover of SREBP-1c, containing wild type, phospho-null (serine to alanine) or phospho-mimetic (serine to aspartic acid) substitutions, was differentially regulated. We show that the S73D mutant of pSREBP-1c, that mimicked a state of constitutive phosphorylation, dissociated from the SREBP-1c/SCAP complex more readily and underwent GSK-3-dependent proteasomal degradation via SCFFbw7 ubiquitin ligase pathway. Pharmacologic inhibition of GSK-3 or knockdown of GSK-3 by siRNA prevented accelerated degradation of SREBP-1c. As demonstrated by MS, SREBP-1c was phosphorylated in vitro by GSK-3b at serine 73. Phosphorylation of serine 73 also occurs in the intact liver. We propose that GSK-3 mediated phosphorylation of serine 73 in the rat SREBP-1c and its concomitant destabilization represents a novel mechanism involved in the inhibition of de novo lipid synthesis in the liver.

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