Drosophila Lk6 kinase controls phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E and promotes normal growth and development

Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) controls a crucial step of translation initiation and is critical for cell growth [1]. Biochemical studies have shown that it undergoes a regulated phosphorylation by the MAP-kinase signal-integrating kinases Mnk1 and Mnk2 [2, 3]. Although the role of eIF4E phosphorylation in mammalian cells has remained elusive [4], recent work in Drosophila has established that it is required for growth and development [5]. Here, we demonstrate that a previously identified Drosophila kinase called Lk6 is the functional homolog of mammalian Mnk kinases. We generated Ik6 loss-of-function alleles and found that eIF4E phosphorylation is dramatically reduced in Ik6 mutants. Importantly, Ik6 mutants exhibit reduced viability, slower development, and reduced adult size, demonstrating that Lk6 function is required for organismal growth. Moreover, we show that uniform Ik6 expression rescues the lethality of eIF4E hypomorphic mutants in an eIF4E phosphorylation site-dependent manner and that the two proteins participate in a common complex in Drosophila S2 cells confirming the functional link between Lk6 and eIF4E This work demonstrates that Lk6 exerts a tight control on eIF4E phosphorylation and is necessary for normal growth and development.