Phosphorylation of NF-KB1-p50 is involved in NF-kappa B activation and stable DNA binding.

We have previously shown that NF-kappa B/Rel family members are physically associated phosphoproteins, and p105 and p50 are hyperphosphorylated after NF-kappa B activation. In this report, we further studied the phosphorylation involved in NF-kappa B activation in Jurkat T cells responding to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and phytohemagglutinin. Immediately following stimulation, p50 is hyperphosphorylated, and a phosphorylated form of p50 (pp50) is translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. The kinetics of this nuclear translocation paralleled that of the appearance of an active kappa B DNA-binding complex. An at least 30-fold higher level of kappa B DNA binding was detected in pp50 than p50. The enhanced binding could be attributed to a much greater stability detected in the complex consisting of kappa B DNA and pp50, but not p50. These results suggest that phosphorylation of p50, and perhaps other family members as well, may be involved in the activation of NF-kappa B/Rel family transcription factors.