TAK1-mediated serine/threonine phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor via p38/extracellular signal-regulated kinase: NF-κB-independent survival pathways in tumor necrosis factor alpha signaling

The kinase TAK1, a mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase (MAP3K), has been widely accepted as a key kinase activating NF-κB and MAPKs in tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-κ) signaling. We have recently reported that TAK1 regulates the transient phosphorylation and endocytosis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in a tyrosine kinase activity-independent manner. In the present study, we found that Thr-669 in the juxtamembrane domain and Ser-1046/1047 in the carboxyl-terminal regulatory domain were transiently phosphorylated in response to TNF-α. Experiments using chemical inhibitors and small interfering RNA demonstrated that TNF-α-mediated phosphorylation of Thr-669 and Ser-1046/7 were differently regulated via TAK1-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and TAK1-p38 pathways, respectively. In addition, p38, but not ERK, was involved in the endocytosis of EGFR. Surprisingly, modified EGFR was essential to prevent apoptotic cellular responses; however, the EGFR pathway was independent of the NF-κB antiapoptotic pathway. These results demonstrated that TAK1 controls two different signaling pathways, IκB kinase-NF-κB and MAPK-EGFR, leading to the survival of cells exposed to the death signal from the TNF-α receptor.