The Caenorhabditis elegans sex-determining protein FEM-2 and its human homologue, hFEM-2, are Ca (2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase phosphatases that promote apoptosis

In Caenorhabditis elegans, fem-1, fem-2, and fem-3 play pivotal roles in se x determination. Recently, a mammalian homologue of the C. elegans sex-dete rmining protein FEM-1, F1A alpha, has been described. Although there is lit tle evidence to link F1A alpha to sex determination, F1A alpha and FEM-1 bo th promote apoptosis in mammalian cells. Here we report the identification and characterization of a human homologue of the C. elegans sex-determining protein FEM-2, hFEM-2. Similar to FEM-2, hFEM-2 exhibited PP2C phosphatase activity and associated with FEM-3. hFEM-2 shows striking similarity (79% amino acid identity) to rat Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase phosphatase (rCaMKPase). hFEM-2 and FEM-2, but not PP2C alpha, were demonst rated to dephosphorylate CaM kinase H efficiently in vitro, suggesting that hFEM-2 and FEM-2 are specific phosphatases for CaM kinase. Furthermore, hF EM-2 and FEM-2 associated with F1A alpha and FEM-1 respectively. Overexpres sion of hFEM-2, FEM-2, or rCaMKPase all mediated apoptosis in mammalian cel ls. The catalytically active, but not the inactive, forms of hFEM-2 induced caspase-dependent apoptosis, which was blocked by Bcl-XL or a dominant neg ative mutant of caspase-9. Taken together, our data suggest that hFEM-2 and rCaMKPase are mammalian homologues of FEM-2 and they are evolutionarily co nserved CaM kinase phosphatases that may have a role in apoptosis signaling .