Interaction between Salt-inducible Kinase 2 and Protein Phosphatase 2A Regulates the Activity of Calcium/Calmodulin-dependent Protein Kinase I and Protein Phosphatase Methylesterase-1

Salt-inducible kinase 2 (SIK2) is the only AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) family member known to interact with protein phosphatase 2 (PP2A). However, the functional aspects of this complex are largely unknown. Here we report that the SIK2 center dot PP2A complex preserves both kinase and phosphatase activities. In this capacity, SIK2 attenuates the association of the PP2A repressor, the protein phosphatase methylesterase-1 (PME-1), thus preserving the methylation status of the PP2A catalytic subunit. Furthermore, the SIK2 center dot PP2A holoenzyme complex dephosphorylates and inactivates Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I (CaMKI), an upstream kinase for phosphorylating PME-1/Ser(15). The functionally antagonistic SIK2 center dot PP2A and CaMKI and PME-1 networks thus constitute a negative feedback loop that modulates the phosphatase activity of PP2A. Depletion of SIK2 led to disruption of the SIK2 center dot PP2A complex, activation of CaMKI, and downstream effects, including phosphorylation of HDAC5/Ser259, sequestration of HDAC5 in the cytoplasm, and activation of myocyte-specific enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C)-mediated gene expression. These results suggest that the SIK2 center dot PP2A complex functions in the regulation of MEF2C-dependent transcription. Furthermore, this study suggests that the tightly linked regulatory loop comprised of the SIK2 center dot PP2A and CaMKI and PME-1 networks may function in fine-tuning cell proliferation and stress response.