A novel partner for D-type cyclins: protein kinase A-anchoring protein AKAP95

Using a yeast interaction screen to search for proteins that interact with cyclin 03 in thyroid gland, we identified the cAMP-dependent AKAP95 (protein kinase A-anchoring protein 95). AKAP95 is a scaffolding protein that primarily co-fractionates with the nuclear matrix, whereas a minor fraction associates with chromatin in interphase cells. In co-transfected Chinese-hamster ovary cells, AKAP95 strongly interacted with the three D-type cyclins, but not with CDK4 (cyclin-dependent kinase 4) or with p27(kipl). CDK4 displaced the interaction between cyclin D3 and AKAP95, suggesting that AKAP95 could not be the elusive bridging adaptor between D-type cyclins and CDK4 or play a role in the regulation of cyclin D3-CDK4 activity. Interaction between endogenous AKAP95 and cyclin D3 or cyclin D1 was detected in canine thyrocytes, human fibroblasts and NIH-3T3 cells. As both AKAP95 and cyclins D were recently reported to associate with minichromosome maintenance proteins [Eide, Tasken, Carlson, Williams, Jahnsen, Tasken and Collas (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 26750-26756; Gladden and Diehl (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 9754-9760], we hypothesize that the interaction between AKAP95 and D-type cyclins might serve to facilitate the emerging regulatory role of cyclin D-CDK4 in the formation of the pre-replication complex at the DNA replication origins.