Positive cross talk between protein kinase D and β-catenin in intestinal epithelial cells: impact on β-catenin nuclear localization and phosphorylation at Ser552.

Given the fundamental role of β-catenin signaling in intestinal epithelial cell proliferation and the growth-promoting function of protein kinase D1 (PKD1) in these cells, we hypothesized that PKDs mediate cross talk with β-catenin signaling. The results presented here provide several lines of evidence supporting this hypothesis. We found that stimulation of intestinal epithelial IEC-18 cells with the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) agonist angiotensin II (ANG II), a potent inducer of PKD activation, promoted endogenous β-catenin nuclear localization in a time-dependent manner. A significant increase was evident within 1 h of ANG II stimulation (P < 0.01), peaked at 4 h (P < 0.001), and declined afterwards. GPCR stimulation also induced a marked increase in β-catenin-regulated genes and phosphorylation at Ser552 in intestinal epithelial cells. Exposure to preferential inhibitors of the PKD family (CRT006610 or kb NB 142-70) or knockdown of the isoforms of the PKD family prevented the increase in β-caten...