Inhibition of Cdk2 Activating Phosphorylation by Mevastatin

Phosphorylation of cdk2 on threonine 160 is essential for kinase activity. Mevastatin, an inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis, inhibits cell growth through inhibition of cdk2 and this has been suggested to be due to enhancement of p21 levels. In a prostate cancer cell line, PC3, mevastatin treatment led to elevated levels of p21 and caused a small increase in the p21 associated with cdk2. However, this increase in the associated p21 appeared out of proportion with the resulting dramatic inhibition of kinase activity. Using RNA interference we show that mevastatin inhibits cdk2 activity despite lack of induction of p21, p27, and p57. Instead the kinase was inhibited due to a decrease in activating phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of cdk2 from mevastatin-treated cells with exogenous cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk)-activating enzymes restored its functional activity. The only known mammalian cyclin H.cdk7.mat1 complex (cdk2-activating kinase, Cak), was not inhibited by mevastatin, suggesting either that a different CAK is responsible for cdk2 phosphorylation in vivo or that the regulation is at the level of substrate accessibility or of cdk2 dephosphorylation. These results suggest that mevastatin inhibits cdk2 activity in PC3 cells through the inhibition of Thr-160 phosphorylation of cdk2, providing a novel example of regulation of cdk2 at this level.