AUTHOR=Balta Elli-Anna , Wittmann Marie-Theres , Jung Matthias , Sock Elisabeth , Haeberle Benjamin Martin , Heim Birgit , von Zweydorf Felix , Heppt Jana , von Wittgenstein Julia , Gloeckner Christian Johannes , Lie Dieter Chichung TITLE=Phosphorylation Modulates the Subcellular Localization of SOX11 JOURNAL=Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience VOLUME=11 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/molecular-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2018.00211 DOI=10.3389/fnmol.2018.00211 ISSN=1662-5099 ABSTRACT=

SOX11 is a key Transcription Factor (TF) in the regulation of embryonic and adult neurogenesis, whose mutation has recently been linked to an intellectual disability syndrome in humans. SOX11’s transient activity during neurogenesis is critical to ensure the precise execution of the neurogenic program. Here, we report that SOX11 displays differential subcellular localizations during the course of neurogenesis. Western-Blot analysis of embryonic mouse brain lysates indicated that SOX11 is post-translationally modified by phosphorylation. Using Mass Spectrometry, we found 10 serine residues in the SOX11 protein that are putatively phosphorylated. Systematic analysis of phospho-mutant SOX11 resulted in the identification of the S30 residue, whose phosphorylation promotes nuclear over cytoplasmic localization of SOX11. Collectively, these findings uncover phosphorylation as a novel layer of regulation of the intellectual disability gene Sox11.