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Updated: Jun 30, 2026

Identification of Cyclin-dependent Kinase 1 Specific Phosphorylation Sites by an In Vitro Kinase Assay
Published on: May 3, 2018
Cdk5 phosphorylates Cdh1 and modulates cyclin B1 stability in excitotoxicity
Carolina Maestre1, Maria Delgado-Esteban, Jose C Gomez-Sanchez
1Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, Instituto de Estudios de Ciencias de la Salud de Castilla y León, Salamanca, Spain.
The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) regulates neuronal survival. Cdk5-mediated Cdh1 phosphorylation stabilizes cyclin B1, causing neuronal death in neurodegenerative diseases.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase crucial for cell cycle regulation.
- In post-mitotic neurons, APC/C-Cdh1 controls axonal growth, synaptic plasticity, and survival.
- Accumulation of the APC/C-Cdh1 substrate, cyclin B1, is observed in neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer's disease and stroke.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of APC/C-Cdh1 in neuronal cyclin B1 regulation under stress.
- To elucidate the mechanism of cyclin B1 accumulation in neurons during excitotoxicity relevant to neurological diseases.
Main Methods:
- Stimulation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) in cortical neurons.
- Analysis of cyclin B1 localization and levels.
- Investigation of Cdh1 phosphorylation by the cyclin-dependent kinase-5 (Cdk5)-p25 complex.
Main Results:
- NMDAR stimulation led to cyclin B1 accumulation in neuronal nuclei, inducing apoptotic cell death.
- Triple phosphorylation of Cdh1 at Ser-40, Thr-121, and Ser-163 by Cdk5-p25 was essential for cyclin B1 stabilization.
- This phosphorylation event was sufficient to trigger cyclin B1 accumulation and subsequent neuronal apoptosis.
Conclusions:
- Cdh1 is a novel substrate of the Cdk5-p25 complex in neurons.
- Cdk5-mediated Cdh1 phosphorylation drives cyclin B1 accumulation during excitotoxicity.
- This pathway represents a critical mechanism underlying neuronal death in neurological disorders.
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