Abstract
The product of the c-rel proto-oncogene (c-Rel) belongs to the NF-kappaB/Rel family of polypeptides and has been implicated in the transcriptional control of cell proliferation and immune function. In human T lymphocytes, c-Rel is sequestered in the cytoplasmic compartment by constitutively phosphorylated inhibitors, including I(kappa)B(alpha) and I(kappa)B(beta). Studies with bacterially expressed forms of these inhibitory proteins revealed that unphosphorylated I(kappa)B(alpha) but not I(kappa)B(beta) assembles with c-Rel and inhibits its DNA binding activity. Furthermore, latent I(kappa)B(beta)-c-Rel complexes derived from mammalian cells were sensitive to phosphatase treatment, whereas I(kappa)B(alpha)-c-Rel complexes were resistant. We have identified a constitutive protein kinase in unstimulated T cells that associates with and phosphorylates I(kappa)B(beta) in vitro. The substrate specificity, electrophoretic mobility, and antigenic properties of this I(kappa)B(beta)-associated kinase (BAK) suggest identity with casein kinase II (CKII), an enzyme known to mediate basal phosphorylation of I(kappa)B(alpha). Phosphorylation of recombinant I(kappa)B(beta) by either BAK or CKII restored the capacity of this inhibitor to antagonize the DNA binding activity of c-Rel. Peptide mapping and mutational analyses localized the bulk of the basal phosphorylation sites in I(kappa)B(beta) to the C-terminal PEST domain, which contains two potential acceptors for CKII-mediated phosphoryl group transfer (Ser-313 and Ser-315). Point mutations introduced into the full-length inhibitor at Ser-313 and Ser-315 led to a significant reduction in the phosphorylation of I(kappa)B(beta) and severely impaired its c-Rel inhibitory function in vivo. Taken together, these findings strongly suggest that basal phosphorylation of the PEST domain of I(kappa)B(beta) at consensus CKII sites is required for the efficient formation of latent I(kappa)B(beta)-c-Rel complexes.