Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β (GSK3β) Negatively Regulates PTTG1/Human Securin Protein Stability, and GSK3β Inactivation Correlates with Securin Accumulation in Breast Tumors

PTTG1, also known as securin, is an inactivating partner of separase, the major effector for chromosome segregation during mitosis. At the metaphase-to-anaphase transition, securin is targeted for proteasomal destruction by the anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome, allowing activation of separase. In addition, securin is overexpressed in metastatic or genomically instable tumors, suggesting a relevant role for securin in tumor progression. Stability of securin is regulated by phosphorylation; some phosphorylated forms are degraded out of mitosis, by the action of the SKP1-CUL1-F-box protein (SCF) complex. The kinases targeting securin for proteolysis have not been identified, and mechanistic insight into the cause of securin accumulation in human cancers is lacking. Here, we demonstrate that glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta (GSK3 beta) phosphorylates securin to promote its proteolysis via SCF beta TrCP E3 ubiquitin ligase. Importantly, a strong correlation between securin accumulation and GSK3 beta inactivation was observed in breast cancer tissues, indicating that GSK3 beta inactivation may account for securin accumulation in breast cancers.