Protein kinase C delta phosphorylates ecdysone receptor B1 to promote gene expression and apoptosis under 20-hydroxyecdysone regulation.

The nuclear receptor EcRB1, which is activated by the insect steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), is reportedly phosphorylated by a protein kinase after 20E induction. However, the protein kinase has not been identified, and the significance of EcRB1 phosphorylation is unclear. In this study, we identified a protein kinase C δ (PKCδ) isoform (the E isoform) that phosphorylates EcRB1 in the lepidopteran Helicoverpa armigera, a serious agricultural pest worldwide, to promote apoptotic gene expression and apoptosis during metamorphosis. Through activation of the EcRB1/USP1 transcription complex by 20E, PKCδ expression was up-regulated in several tissues during the metamorphic stage. Knockdown of PKCδ caused failure to transition from larvae to pupae, prevented tissues from undergoing programmed cell death (PCD), and down-regulated the expression of the transcription factor Brz-7 and the apoptosis executors caspase-3 and caspase-6 The threonine residue at position 1343 of PKCδ was phosphorylated and was critical for its proapoptotic function. Overexpression of the PKCδ catalytic domain was localized to the nuclei in HaEpi cells, which increased caspase-3 activity and apoptosis. PKCδ directly phosphorylated a threonine residue at position 468 in the amino acid sequence of EcRB1. The phosphorylation of EcRB1 was critical for its heterodimeric interaction with the USP1 protein and for binding to the ecdysone response element. The data suggested that 20E up-regulates PKCδ expression to regulate EcRB1 phosphorylation for EcRB1/USP1 transcription complex formation, apoptotic gene transcription, and apoptosis.