Protein Interaction Network of the Mammalian Hippo Pathway Reveals Mechanisms of Kinase-Phosphatase Interactions

The Hippo pathway regulates organ size and tissue homeostasis in response to multiple stimuli, including cell density and mechanotransduction. Pharmacological inhibition of phosphatases can also stimulate Hippo signaling in cell culture. We defined the Hippo protein-protein interaction network with and without inhibition of serine and threonine phosphatases by okadaic acid. We identified 749 protein interactions, including 599 previously unrecognized interactions, and demonstrated that several interactions with serine and threonine phosphatases were phosphorylation-dependent. Mutation of the T-loop of MST2 (mammalian STE20-like protein kinase 2), which prevented autophosphorylation, disrupted its association with STRIPAK (striatin-interacting phosphatase and kinase complex). Deletion of the amino-terminal forkhead-associated domain of SLMAP (sarcolemmal membrane-associated protein), a component of the STRIPAK complex, prevented its association with MST1 and MST2. Phosphatase inhibition produced temporally distinct changes in proteins that interacted with MOB1A and MOB1B (Mps one binder kinase activator-like 1A and 1B) and promoted interactions with upstream Hippo pathway proteins, such as MST1 and MST2, and with the trimeric protein phosphatase 6 complex (PP6). Mutation of three basic amino acids that are part of a phospho-serine- and phospho-threonine-binding domain in human MOB1B prevented its interaction with MST1 and PP6 in cells treated with okadaic acid. Collectively, our results indicated that changes in phosphorylation orchestrate interactions between kinases and phosphatases in Hippo signaling, providing a putative mechanism for pathway regulation.