Functional Diversification of SRSF Protein Kinase to Control Ubiquitin-Dependent Neurodevelopmental Signaling

Conserved protein kinases with core cellular functions have been frequently redeployed during metazoan evolution to regulate specialized developmental processes. The Ser/Arg (SR)-rich splicing factor (SRSF) protein kinase (SRPK), which is implicated in splicing regulation, is one such conserved eukaryotic kinase. Surprisingly, we show that SRPK has acquired the capacity to control a neurodevelopmental ubiquitin signaling pathway. In mammalian embryonic stem cells and cultured neurons, SRPK phosphorylates Ser-Arg motifs in RNF12/RLIM, a key developmental E3 ubiquitin ligase that is mutated in an intellectual disability syndrome. Processive phosphorylation by SRPK stimulates RNF12-dependent ubiquitylation of nuclear transcription factor substrates, thereby acting to restrain a neural gene expression program that is aberrantly expressed in intellectual disability. SRPK family genes are also mutated in intellectual disability disorders, and patient-derived SRPK point mutations impair RNF12 phosphorylation. Our data reveal unappreciated functional diversification of SRPK to regulate ubiquitin signaling that ensures correct regulation of neurodevelopmental gene expression. [Display omitted] •SRPK has acquired a developmental function regulating RNF12•RNF12 phosphorylation by SRPK promotes E3 ligase activity and nuclear anchoring•SRPK-RNF12 signaling to the REX1 transcription factor controls neural genes•This signaling network is disrupted in neurodevelopmental disorders Bustos et al. show that SRPK splicing factor kinase has acquired a developmental function— phosphorylating the RNF12 E3 ubiquitin ligase to promote degradation of the transcription factor, REX1. This signaling pathway regulates a neurodevelopmental gene expression program and is mutated in patients with neurodevelopmental disorders.