Phosphorylation of the CREB-specific coactivator TORC2 at Ser(307) regulates its intracellular localization in COS-7 cells and in the mouse liver.

The CREB-specific coactivator TORC2 (also known as CRTC2) upregulates gluconeogenic gene expression in the liver. Salt-inducible kinase (SIK) family enzymes inactivate TORC2 through phosphorylation and localize it in the cytoplasm. Ser(171) and Ser(275) were found to be phosphorylated in pancreatic beta-cells. Calcineurin (Cn) is proposed as the Ser(275) phosphatase, because its inhibitor cyclosporin A (CsA) stabilizes phospho-Ser(275) and retains TORC2 in the cytoplasm. Because the regulation of dephosphorylation at Ser(171) has not been fully clarified, we performed experiments with a range of doses of okadaic acid (OA), an inhibitor of PP2A/PP1, and with overexpression of various phosphatases and found that PP1 functions as an activator for TORC2, whereas PP2A acts as an inhibitor. In further studies using TORC2 mutants, we detected a disassociation between the intracellular distribution and the transcription activity of TORC2. Additional mutant analyses suggested the presence of a third phosphorylation site, Ser(307). The Ser(307)-disrupted TORC2 was constitutively localized in the nucleus, but its coactivator activity was normally suppressed by SIK1 in COS-7 cells. CsA, but not OA, stabilized the phosphogroup at Ser(307), suggesting that differential dephosphorylation at Ser(171) and Ser(307) cooperatively regulate TORC2 activity and that the nuclear localization of TORC2 is insufficient to function as a coactivator. Because the COS-7 cell line may not possess signaling cascades for gluconeogenic programs, we next examined the importance of Ser(307) and Ser(171) for TORC2's function in mouse liver. Levels of phosphorylation at Ser(171) and Ser(307) changed in response to fasting or fed conditions and insulin resistance of the mouse liver, which were modified by treatment with CsA/OA and by overexpression of PP1/PP2A/Cn. These results suggest that multiple phosphorylation sites and their phosphatases may play important roles in regulating TORC2/CREB-mediated gluconeogenic programs in the liver.