Epidermal growth factor promotes cyclin G2 degradation via calpain-mediated proteolysis in gynaecological cancer cells

PLoS One. 2017 Jun 22;12(6):e0179906. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179906. eCollection 2017.

Abstract

Cyclin G2 (CCNG2) is an atypical cyclin that functions to inhibit cell cycle progression and is often dysregulated in human cancers. We have previously shown that cyclin G2 is highly unstable and can be degraded through the ubiquitin/proteasome pathway. Furthermore, cyclin G2 contains a PEST domain, which has been suggested to act as a signal for degradation by multiple proteases. In this study, we determined if calpains, a family of calcium-dependent proteases, are also involved in cyclin G2 degradation. The addition of calpain inhibitors or silencing of calpain expression by siRNAs strongly enhanced cyclin G2 levels. On the other hand, incubation of cell lysates with purified calpains or increasing the intracellular calcium concentration resulted in a decrease in cyclin G2 levels. Interestingly, the effect of calpain was found to be dependent on the phosphorylation of cyclin G2. Using a kinase inhibitor library, we found that Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) Receptor is involved in cyclin G2 degradation and treatment with its ligand, EGF, induced cyclin G2 degradation. In addition, the presence of the PEST domain is necessary for calpain and EGF action. When the PEST domain was completely removed, calpain or EGF treatment failed to trigger degradation of cyclin G2. Taken together, these novel findings demonstrate that EGF-induced, calpain-mediated proteolysis contributes to the rapid destruction of cyclin G2 and that the PEST domain is critical for EGF/calpain actions.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Calpain / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cyclin G2 / chemistry
  • Cyclin G2 / metabolism*
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Epidermal Growth Factor / pharmacology*
  • ErbB Receptors / metabolism
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Phosphorylation / drug effects
  • Protein Domains
  • Proteolysis / drug effects*
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / pathology*

Substances

  • Cyclin G2
  • Epidermal Growth Factor
  • ErbB Receptors
  • Calpain

Grants and funding

This study was supported by an operating grant from Canadian Institutes of Health Research to CP (MOP-89931). SB was supported by Ontario Graduate Scholarship, The National Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada Graduate Studentship, and The York University Susan Mann Dissertation Scholarships. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.