Phosphorylation of Numb regulates its interaction with the clathrin-associated adaptor AP-2

Numb is thought to participate in clathrin-dependent endocytosis by directly interacting with the clathrin-associated adaptor complex AP-2, although the underlying mechanisms are unknown. Numb is also known to be phosphorylated at Ser264in vitro and in vivo. Here, we found that Numb is phosphorylated in vitro by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I on Ser283. This phosphorylation was also observed in transfected COS-7 cells, indicating its physiological relevance. Pull-down experiments showed that the phosphorylation of Numb impaired its binding to the AP-2 complex and simultaneously recruited 14–3–3 proteins in vitro. Based on experiments using Numb mutants, both the initial phosphorylation of Ser264 and the subsequent phosphorylation of Ser283 are sufficient to abolish the binding of Numb to AP-2 and to promote the interaction with 14–3–3 protein. These findings suggest a novel mechanism for the regulation of Numb-mediated endocytosis, namely through direct phosphorylation.