Plectin is a versatile cytolinker of the plakin family conferring cell resilience to mechanical stress in stratified epithelia and muscles. It is a critical organizer of the cytoskeletal system by tethering various intermediate filament (IF) networks through its COOH-terminal IF-binding domain (IFBD). Mutations affecting the IFBD cause devastating human diseases. Here, we have found that serine 4642, located in the COOH-extremity of plectin, is phosphorylated in different cell lines. Phosphorylation of S4642 decreased the ability of plectin IFBD to associate with various IFs, as assessed by immunofluorescence microscopy and cell fractionation studies, as well as in yeast two-hybrid assays. Plectin phosphorylated at S4642 was reduced at sites of IF network anchorage along cell-substrate contacts in both skin and cultured keratinocytes. Treatment of SK-MEL-2 and HeLa cells with okadaic acid increased plectin S4642 phosphorylation suggesting that protein phosphatase 2A dephosphorylates this residue. Moreover, plectin S4642 phosphorylation was enhanced after cell treatment with EGF, phorbol ester, sorbitol, 8-bromo-cyclic AMP, as well as during wound healing and protease-mediated cell detachment. Using selective protein kinase inhibitors, we identified two different kinases modulating the phosphorylation of plectin S4642 in HeLa cells, MNK2, downstream the ERK1/2-dependent MAPK cascade, and PKA. Our study indicates that phosphorylation of S4642 has an important regulatory role in the interaction of plectin with IFs and identifies a novel link between MNK2 and the cytoskeleton.

Phosphorylation of serine 4642 in the COOH-extremity of plectin by MNK2 and PKA modulates its interaction with intermediate filaments