Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay
Published on: May 3, 2018
Phosphorylation of adult type Sept5 (CDCrel-1) by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 inhibits interaction with syntaxin-1
Makoto Taniguchi1, Masato Taoka, Makoto Itakura
1Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0397, Japan. taniguti-makoto@c.metro-u.ac.jp
Abstract:
Increasing evidence implicates cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (Cdk5) in neuronal synaptic function. We searched for Cdk5 substrates in synaptosomal fractions prepared from mouse brains. Mass spectrometric analysis after two-dimensional SDS-PAGE identified several synaptic proteins phosphorylated by Cdk5-p35; one protein identified was Sept5 (CDCrel-1). Although septins were isolated originally as cell division-related proteins in yeast, Sept5 is expressed predominantly in neurons and is implicated in exocytosis. We confirmed that Sept5 is phosphorylated by Cdk5-p35 in vitro and identified Ser17 of adult type Sept5 (Sept5_v1) as a major phosphorylation site. We found that Ser17 of Sept5_v1 is phosphorylated in mouse brains. Coimmunoprecipitation from synaptosomal fractions and glutathione S-transferase-syntaxin-1A pulldown assays of Sept5_v1 expressed in COS-7 cells showed that phosphorylation of Sept5_v1 by Cdk5-p35 decreases the binding to syntaxin-1. These results indicate that the interaction of Sept5 with syntaxin-1 is regulated by the phosphorylation of Sept5_v1 at Ser17 by Cdk5-p35.
Related Concept Videos
Anaphase Promoting Complex
Separation of Sister Chromatids
At the onset of anaphase, separase, a proteolytic enzyme, is...
Role of Septins
Cellular Functions of Septins
Recent studies have revealed the multifaceted roles of septins in various cellular processes such as cytokinesis, ciliogenesis, and neurogenesis. Septins act as scaffolds and...
Disassembly of Intermediate Filaments
Keratin proteins, found at the cell periphery near cell junctions, undergo a cycle of assembly and disassembly. In Type...
Septins
Inhibition of Cdk Activity

