Engrailed homeoprotein secretion is a regulated process
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Updated: Aug 14, 2026

A Convenient and General Expression Platform for the Production of Secreted Proteins from Human Cells
Published on: July 31, 2012
Alexis Maizel1, Michel Tassetto, Odile Filhol
1Biologie cellulaire des homéoprotéines, CNRS UMR8542 Ecole Normale Supérieure 46 rue d'Ulm F-75005 Paris, France.
Abstract:
Chicken Engrailed 2 homeoprotein is transported between cells in culture. This intercellular transfer is based on unconventional secretion and internalisation mechanisms: Engrailed 2 has access to vesicles but lacks a signal sequence for secretion and is internalised by a non-endocytic process. We show that phosphorylation of a serine-rich domain within Engrailed 2 by the protein kinase CK2 specifically inhibits Engrailed 2 secretion. The availability of the serine-rich domain to CK2 is highly increased when it is displaced from its normal position to the C terminus of Engrailed 2, leading to a constitutive blockage of Engrailed 2 intercellular transfer. This indicates that intercellular transfer of Engrailed 2 is a highly regulated process.
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