Phosphorylated Rho-GDP directly activates mTORC2 kinase towards AKT through dimerization with Ras-GTP to regulate cell migration.

Abstract

mTORC2 plays critical roles in metabolism, cell survival, and actin cytoskeletal dynamics via phosphorylation of AKT. Despite its importance to biology and medicine, it is unclear how mTORC2-mediated AKT phosphorylation is controlled. Here, we identify an unforeseen principle by which a GDP-bound form of the conserved small G protein Rho GTPase directly activates mTORC2 in AKT phosphorylation in social amoebae Dictyostelium cells. Using biochemical reconstitution with purified proteins, we demonstrate that Rho-GDP promotes AKT phosphorylation by assembling the supercomplex with Ras-GTP and mTORC2. This supercomplex formation is controlled by chemoattractant-induced phosphorylation of Rho-GDP at serine 192 by GSK-3. Furthermore, Rho-GDP rescued defects in both mTORC2-mediated AKT phosphorylation and directed cell migration in Rho-null cells in a manner dependent on phosphorylation of serine 192. Thus, in contrast to the prevailing view that GDP-bound forms of G proteins are inactive, our study reveals that mTORC2-AKT signaling is activated by Rho-GDP.