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Updated: Aug 9, 2026

Identification of Kinase-substrate Pairs Using High Throughput Screening
Published on: August 29, 2015
MAPKAP kinase 2 phosphorylates serum response factor in vitro and in vivo
O Heidenreich1, A Neininger, G Schratt
1Institut für Zellbiologie, Abteilung Molekularbiologie, Universität Tübingen, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany.
Abstract:
Several growth factor- and calcium-regulated kinases such as pp90(rsk) or CaM kinase IV can phosphorylate the transcription factor serum response factor (SRF) at serine 103 (Ser-103). However, it is unknown whether stress-regulated kinases can also phosphorylate SRF. We show that treatment of cells with anisomycin, arsenite, sodium fluoride, or tetrafluoroaluminate induces phosphorylation of SRF at Ser-103 in both HeLa and NIH3T3 cells. This phosphorylation is dependent on the kinase p38/SAPK2 and correlates with the activation of MAPKAP kinase 2 (MK2). MK2 phosphorylates SRF in vitro at Ser-103 with similar efficiency as the small heat shock protein Hsp25 and significantly better than CREB. Comparison of wild type murine fibroblasts with those derived from MK2-deficient mice (Mk(-/-)) reveals MK2 as the major SRF kinase induced by arsenite. These results demonstrate that SRF is targeted by several signal transduction pathways within cells and establishes SRF as a nuclear target for MAPKAP kinase 2.
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