Journal: bioRxiv
Article Title: The penetrant chordoid glioma PRKCA mutation is an oncogenic gain-of-function kinase inactivation eliciting early onset chondrosarcoma in mice
doi: 10.1101/2025.05.28.656646
Figure Lengend Snippet: Resistance to BET inhibitors of PKC α D463H mutant expressing cells. ( A, B ) Inhibition of U87MG WT-PKCα, D463H and D463N expressing stable cell lines inhibited with JQ1. ( C, D ) Inhibition of U87MG WT-PKCα, D463H and D463N expressing stable cell lines inhibited with AZD5351. For clarity of visualisation, each cell lines is separately compared with the parental U87MG cell line. Dose response curves represent the mean viability from three independent biological replicates +/- S.D. Significance was assessed using 2-way ANOVA with Tukey’s multiple comparisons. IC50 values (panels B and D) were calculated separately for each biological replicate and data are presented as the mean +/- standard deviation, with significance assessed by one-way ANOVA compared to the parental control. P<0.05 (*), P<0.01 (**), P<0.001), P<0.0001 (****); n=3. ( E ) Schematic of PKCα and D463H mutant kinase-independent signalling. In the basal catalytically autoinhibited state (Regulatory/Catalytic domains interact), PKCa cannot interact with downstream effector(s); for simplicity this state is indicated as a nucleotide free state (apo) although this is not necessarily the case. On allosteric activation triggering an open conformation, the kinase domain can load ATP, and the ATP-bound state is competent to bind downstream effector(s). In some specific cellular contexts for example in tanycytes and chondrocytes, the formation of a PKCa/effector complex drives a proliferative signal which is switched off through kinase activity-dependent effector release (conformation/stability change). In this model, a tumour promoter such as PMA promotes sustained allosteric activation of the kinase pushing the equilibrium towards a higher effector bound steady state. In the case of the loss-of-activity, gain-of-function D463H mutant that still retains an ATP-bound active conformation, the lack of catalytic activity prevents the normal physiological release of the effector (red cross), sustaining complex formation. The maintenance of the stable PKCa D463H-Effector complex triggers a persistent proliferative output (see text for further discussion).
Article Snippet: Constructs were created by InFusion® cloning in vectors cut with EcoRI. pCDNA3-Myc-PKCα was performed by cloning PCR amplified PKCα with an N-terminal Myc tag using the oligos Myc-PKCα_sense and _anti. pBABE puro-Myc-PKCα was done by cloning of PCR amplified Myc-PKCα using the oligos Myc-PKCα_for and _rev. pBABE puro-3xHA-TurboID-PKCα was done by cloning PCR amplified 3xHA-TurboID from the vector Addgene 3xHA-TurboID (#107171) upstream of the 6xGly-PKCα PCR product using the oligos 3xHA-TurboID_for and _rev and 6xGly-PKCα _for and _rev. pTriEX6-GST-PKCα insect cells expression construct was done by cloning the PCR product of full length PKCα into the vector cut with EcoRI-BamHI, using the primers GST-3C PKCα_for and _rev. pTriEX6-GST-PKCα kinase domain was done by introducing a TEV cleavage site (E-N-L-Y-F-Q-|-G/S, cleavage between Q and G/S) in the hinge region just after the residue 321 of full length PKCα in the pTriEX6-GST-PKCα construct.
Techniques: Mutagenesis, Expressing, Inhibition, Stable Transfection, Standard Deviation, Control, Activation Assay, Activity Assay