Type Iγ phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase targets and regulates focal adhesions

The ability of cells to form cell contacts, adhere to the extracellular matrix, change morphology, and migrate is essential for development, wound healing, metastasis, cell survival and the immune response. These events depend on the binding of integrin to the extracellular matrix, and assembly of focal adhesions, which are complexes comprising scaffolding and signalling proteins organized by adhesion to the extracellular matrix(1-3). Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P-2) regulates interactions between these proteins, including the interaction of vinculin with actin and talin(4-9). The binding of talin to beta-integrin is strengthened by PtdIns(4,5)P-2, suggesting that the basis of focal adhesion assembly is regulated by this lipid mediator(9,10). Here we show that the type I phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase isoform-gamma 661 (PIPKI-gamma661), an enzyme that makes PtdIns(4,5)P-2, is targeted to focal adhesions by an association with talin. PIPKIgamma661 is tyrosine phosphorylated by focal adhesion associated kinase signalling, increasing both the activity of phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase and its association with talin. This defines a mechanism for spatial generation of PtdIns(4,5)P-2 at focal adhesions.