FLEXIQinase, a mass spectrometry–based assay, to unveil multikinase mechanisms

An in vitro kinase assay for quantification of site-specific substrate phosphorylation allows identification of kinase-kinase dependencies. We introduce a mass spectrometry–based method that provides residue-resolved quantitative information about protein phosphorylation. In this assay we combined our full-length expressed stable isotope–labeled protein for quantification strategy (FLEXIQuant) with a traditional kinase assay to determine the mechanisms of multikinase substrate phosphorylation such as priming-dependent kinase activities. The assay monitors the decrease in signal intensity of the substrate peptides and the concomitant increase in the ( n × 80 Da)-shifted phosphorylated peptide. We analyzed the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)-dependent glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) activity on doublecortin (DCX) revealing mechanistic details about the role of phosphorylation cross-talk in GSK3β activity and permitting an advanced model for GSK3β-mediated signaling.