The CSN3 subunit of the COP9 signalosome interacts with the HD region of Sos1 regulating stability of this GEF protein

Sos1 is an universal, widely expressed Ras guanine nucleotide-exchange factor (RasGEF) in eukaryotic cells. Its N-terminal HD motif is known to be involved in allosteric regulation of Sos1 GEF activity through intramolecular interaction with the neighboring PH domain. Here, we searched for other cellular proteins also able to interact productively with the Sos1 HD domain. Using a yeast two-hybrid system, we identified the interaction between the Sos1 HD region and CSN3, the third component of the COP9 signalosome, a conserved, multi-subunit protein complex that functions in the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway to control degradation of many cellular proteins. The interaction of CSN3 with the HD of Sos1 was confirmed in vitro by GST pull-down assays using truncated mutants and reproduced in vivo by co-immunoprecipitation with the endogenous, full-length cellular Sos1 protein. In vitro kinase assays showed that PKD, a COP9 signalosome-associated-kinase, is able to phosphorylate Sos1. The intracellular levels of Sos1 protein were clearly diminished following CSN3 or PKD knockdown. A sizable fraction of the endogenous Sos1 protein was found ubiquitinated in different mammalian cell types. A significant reduction of RasGTP formation upon growth factor stimulation was also observed in CSN3-silenced as compared with control cells. Our data suggest that the interaction of Sos1 with the COP9 signalosome and PKD plays a significant role in maintenance of cellular Sos1 protein stability and homeostasis under physiological conditions and raises the possibility of considering the CSN/PKD complex as a potential target for design of novel therapeutic drugs