Identification of the p16-Arc subunit of the Arp 2/3 complex as a substrate of MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 by proteomic analysis

The p38 MAPK pathway regulates multiple neutrophil functional responses via activation of the serine-threonine kinase MAPK-activated protein kinase 2 (MAPKAPK2). To identify substrates of MAPKAPK2 that mediate these responses, a proteomic approach was used in which in vitro phosphorylation of neutrophil lysates by exogenously added active recombinant MAPKAPK2 was followed by protein separation using two-dimensional electrophoresis. Peptide mass fingerprinting of peptides defined by MALDI-MS was then utilized to identify phosphorylated proteins detected by autoradiography. Six candidate substrates were identified, including the p16 subunit of the seven-member Arp2/3 complex (p16-Arc). In vitro studies confirmed that MAPKAPK2 interacts with and phosphorylates the A isoform, but not the B isoform, of p16-Arc with a stoichiometry of 0.6 to 0.7. MAPKAPK2 also phosphorylated p16-Arc in intact Arp2/3 complexes precipitated from neutrophil lysates. Mutation of serine-77 to alanine on the A isoform prevented phosphorylation by MAPKAPK2. The ability of MAPKAPK2 to phosphorylate one isoform of p16-Arc suggests a possible mechanism by which the p38 MAPK cascade regulates remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton.