Reversible protein phosphorylation is a well established mechanism for regulating the activity of ion channels. Typically, the pattern of phosphorylation of ion channels is complex, involving several phosphorylation sites with consensus sequences for a number of protein kinases, such as protein kinase C (PKC), 3 protein kinase A, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, or casein kinase, which phosphorylate serine and threonine residues, as well as kinases phosphorylating tyrosine residues. For example, in the major delayed rectifier K ϩ channel Kv2.1, expressed in most central neurons, 16 phosphorylation sites have been identified by mass spectrometry, a subset of which contributes to graded modulation of voltagedependent gating (2).Transient receptor potential (TRP) channels constitute a protein family of about 30 unique homologs that are assigned to seven subfamilies on the basis of sequence homology: canonical TRPC, vanilloid TRPV, melastatin TRPM, polycystin TRPP, mucolipin TRPML, and ankyrin transmembrane proteins TRPA and NOMPC-like TRPN (3, 4). The founding member of this protein family is the Drosophila TRP channel, which, together with its homolog TRP-like (TRPL), is located in the rhabdomeral photoreceptor membrane of the fly compound eye and represents the major light-sensitive ion channel in this phospholipase C-mediated visual transduction cascade (5). Phosphorylation of several TRP channels has been described. Among the vertebrate TRPC channels, TRPC3 and TRPC6 are inhibited by phosphorylation events mediated by protein kinase C and protein kinase G (6 -8). In contrast, Src kinase activity is required for the activation of TRPC3 by diacylglycerol (9), and Fyn kinase phosphorylates and thereby increases the activity of TRPC6 (10). Abolition of the putative protein kinase C phosphorylation site Thr 635 in the S4/S5 linker region of TRPC3 by mutation results in increased channel activity and was found to underlie the phenotype of moonwalker mice, which is caused by loss of Purkinje cells (11). The regulation of the capsaicin-and heat-sensitive TRPV1 channel through phosphorylation of serine residues by protein kinase C is also well established (12)(13)(14). Phosphorylation of TRPV1 sensitizes this channel to capsaicin, heat, and other agonists. Besides protein kinase C, calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase and protein kinase A were implicated in phosphorylation of TRPV1 (15, 16).The first TRP channel shown to become phosphorylated again was the Drosophila TRP channel. This channel is part of a signaling complex assembled by the INAD scaffold protein together with phospholipase C and an eye-enriched protein kinase C (eye-PKC) encoded by the inaC gene. It was shown initially for the larger fly Calliphora vicina and later also for Drosophila that the addition of ATP to the isolated signaling complex resulted in phosphorylation of TRP and INAD, suggesting that these two proteins of the signaling complex are targets of the associated protein kinase C (17)(18)(19)

Plastic changes in synaptic properties are considered as fundamental for adaptive behaviors. Extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-mediated signaling has been implicated in regulation of synaptic plasticity. Ribosomal S6 kinase 2 (RSK2) acts as a regulator and downstream effector of ERK. In the brain, RSK2 is predominantly expressed in regions required for learning and memory. Loss-of-function mutations in human RSK2 cause Coffin-Lowry syndrome, which is characterized by severe mental retardation and low IQ scores in affected males. Knockout of RSK2 in mice or the RSK ortholog in Drosophila results in a variety of learning and memory defects. However, overall brain structure in these animals is not affected, leaving open the question of the pathophysiological consequences. Using the fly neuromuscular system as a model for excitatory glutamatergic synapses, we show that removal of RSK function causes distinct defects in motoneurons and at the neuromuscular junction. Based on histochemical and electrophysiological analyses, we conclude that RSK is required for normal synaptic morphology and function. Furthermore, loss of RSK function interferes with ERK signaling at different levels. Elevated ERK activity was evident in the somata of motoneurons, whereas decreased ERK activity was observed in axons and the presynapse. In addition, we uncovered a novel function of RSK in anterograde axonal transport. Our results emphasize the importance of fine-tuning ERK activity in neuronal processes underlying higher brain functions. In this context, RSK acts as a modulator of ERK signaling.

Endogenous molecular circadian clocks drive daily rhythmic changes at the cellular, physiological, and behavioral level for adaptation to and anticipation of environmental signals. The core molecular system consists of autoregulatory feedback loops, where clock proteins inhibit their own transcription. A complex and not fully understood interplay of regulatory proteins influences activity, localization and stability of clock proteins to set the pace of the clock. This study focuses on the molecular function of Ribosomal S6 Kinase (RSK) in the Drosophila melanogaster circadian clock. Mutations in the human rsk2 gene cause Coffin–Lowry syndrome, which is associated with severe mental disabilities. Knock-out studies with Drosophila ortholog rsk uncovered functions in synaptic processes, axonal transport and adult behavior including associative learning and circadian activity. However, the molecular targets of RSK remain elusive. Our experiments provide evidence that RSK acts in the key pace maker neurons as a negative regulator of Shaggy (SGG) kinase activity, which in turn determines timely nuclear entry of the clock proteins Period and Timeless to close the negative feedback loop. Phosphorylation of serine 9 in SGG is mediated by the C-terminal kinase domain of RSK, which is in agreement with previous genetic studies of RSK in the circadian clock but argues against the prevailing view that only the N-terminal kinase domain of RSK proteins carries the effector function. Our data provide a mechanistic explanation how RSK influences the molecular clock and imply SGG S9 phosphorylation by RSK and other kinases as a convergence point for diverse cellular and external stimuli.

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