Casein Kinase II Phosphorylates the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule L1

Abstract: L1 is an axonal cell adhesion molecule found primarily on projection axons of both the CNS and PNS. It is a phosphorylated membrane-spanning glycoprotein that can be immunoprecipitated from rat brain membranes in association with protein kinase activities. Western blot analysis demonstrates that casein kinase II (CKII), a ubiquitous serine/threonine kinase enriched in brain, is present in these immunoprecipitates. CKII preparations partially purified from PC12 cells are able to phosphorylate recombinant L1 cytoplasmic domain (L1CD), which consists of residues 1,144–1,257. Using these as well as more highly purified kinase preparations, phosphorylation assays of small peptides derived from the L1CD were performed. CKII was able to phosphorylate a peptide encompassing amino acids (aa) 1,173–1,185, as well as a related peptide representing an alternatively spliced nonneuronal L1 isoform that lacks aa 1,177–1,180. Both peptides were phosphorylated with similar kinetic profiles. Serine to alanine substitutions in these peptides indicate that the CKII phosphorylation site is at Ser^1,181. This is consistent with experiments in which L1CD was phosphorylated by these kinase preparations, digested, and the radiolabeled fragments sequenced. Furthermore, when L1 immunoprecipitates were used to phosphorylate L1CD, one of the residues phosphorylated is the same residue phosphorylated by CKII. Finally, in vivo radiolabeling indicates that Ser^1,181 is phosphorylated in newborn rat brain. These data show that CKII is associated with and able to phosphorylate L1. This phosphorylation may be important in regulating certain aspects of L1 function, such as adhesivity or signal transduction.     

Interaction of casein kinase II with ribosomal protein L22 of Drosophila melanogaster

The ubiquitous eukaryotic protein kinase CKII (casein kinase II) has been found to interact with a number of cellular proteins, either through the catalytic subunit or the regulatory subunit. Using the yeast two-hybrid screening method, we found that the catalytic subunit of Drosophila melanogaster CKII (DmCKII) interacts with Drosophila ribosomal protein L22 (rpL22). This interaction was also observed in vitro with a glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-rpL22 fusion protein. The predicted full-length Drosophila rpL22 protein has an N-terminal extension rich in alanine, lysine, and proline that appears to be unique to Drosophila. Deletion mapping revealed that the conserved core of rpL22 is responsible for the interaction with CKII. Moreover, purified DmCKII can phosphorylate a GST-L22 fusion protein at the C-terminal end, suggesting that this protein may be a substrate of CKII in Drosophila.     

Tubulin-Associated Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase: Evidence for an Endogenous Complex of Tubulin with a Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Kinase

A Ca2+ -calmodulin kinase that phosphorylates tubulin and microtubule-associated proteins as major substrates has been purified and characterized from brain cytoplasm. It is important to determine if cytoskeletal proteins are major natural substrates for this kinase system. This report demonstrates that a significant fraction of brain cytosolic calmodulin-dependent kinase activity exists in tight association with tubulin in the form of a stable complex. The tubulin-calmodulin kinase complex displayed an apparent molecular weight on gel filtration of approximately 1.8 X 10(6) daltons. The specific activity of tubulin kinase in the complex was enriched over 20-fold in comparison with brain cytosol. Although purified tubulin alone did not adhere to a calmodulin column, the tubulin associated with the calmodulin kinase complex did bind specifically to the calmodulin affinity resin. The kinase activity was shown to be tightly associated in complex with tubulin by (1) copurification, (2) isolation on gel filtration chromatography, (3) isolation on ion-exchange chromatography, and (4) binding to calmodulin. The kinase complexed with tubulin was identical to the previously purified kinase as judged by several criteria including (1) subunit molecular weights, (2) isoelectric points, (3) autophosphorylation characteristics, (4) calmodulin binding properties, (5) kinetic parameters of tubulin phosphorylation, (6) phosphoamino acid phosphorylation sites on alpha- and beta-tubulin, and (7) identical subunit 125I-tryptic peptide maps. The results indicate that a significant fraction of this previously purified calmodulin kinase is endogenously associated with tubulin in brain cytoplasm and may play a role in mediating some of the effects of calcium on neuronal function.     

Phosphorylation of Microtubule-associated Protein SB401 from Solanum berthaultii Regulates Its Effect on Microtubules

We reported previously that the protein SB401 from Solanum berthaultii binds to and bundles both microtubules and F-actin. In the current study, we investigated the regulation of SB401 activity by its phosphorylation. Our experimental results showed that the phosphorylation of SB401 by casein kinase Ⅱ (CKII) downregulates the activities of SB401, namely the bundling of microtubules and enhancement of the polymerization of tubulin. However, phosphorylation of SB401 had no observable effect on its bundling of F-actin. Further investigation using extract of potato pollen indicated that a CKII-like kinase may exist in potato pollen. Antibodies against CKII alpha recognized specifically a major band from the pollen extract and the pollen extract was able to phosphorylate the SB401 protein in vitro. The CKII-like kinase showed a similar ability to downregulate the bundling of microtubules. Our experiments demonstrated that phosphorylation plays an important role in the regulation of SB401 activity. We propose that this phosphorylation may regulate the effects of SB401 on microtubules and the actin cytoskeleton.     

Characterization and Intracellular Distribution of Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 in Differentiating Human Neuroblastoma Cells

The use of a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against different determinants of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) enabled us to identify two distinct high-molecular-mass MAP2 species (270 and 250 kDa) and a substantial amount of MAP2c (70 kDa) in human neuroblastoma cells. The 250-kDa MAP2 species appears to be confined to the human neuroblastoma cells and was not observed in microtubules (MTs) from bovine and rat brain, mouse neuroblastoma, or MTs from human cerebellum. A new overlay method was developed, which demonstrates binding of tubulin to human neuroblastoma high-molecular-mass MAP2 by exposing nitrocellulose-bound MT proteins under polymerization conditions to tubulin. Bound tubulin was detected with a mAb directed against beta-tubulin. The binding of tubulin to MAP2 could be abolished by a peptide homologous to positions 426-445 of the C-terminal region of beta-tubulin. Immunological cross-reactivity with several mAbs directed against bovine brain MAP2, taxol-promoted coassembly into MTs, and immunocytochemical visualization within cells were further criteria utilized to characterize these proteins as true MAPs. Indirect immunofluorescence with anti-MAP2 and anti-beta-tubulin mAbs demonstrated that there is a change in the spatial organization of MTs during induced cell differentiation, as indicated by the appearance of MT bundles and the redistribution of MAP2.     

Characterization of a Nerve Growth Factor-Stimulated Protein Kinase in PC12 Cells Which Phosphorylates Microtubule-Associated Protein 2 and pp250

Treatment of PC12 cells with nerve growth factor (NGF) resulted in the rapid, but transient, activation of a protein kinase which specifically phosphorylated an endogenous 250-kDa cytoskeletal protein (pp250). We report that the microtubule-associated protein, MAP2, is an alternative substrate for the NGF-activated kinase. NGF treatment maximally activated the kinase within 5 min; however, the activity declined with longer exposure to NGF. The enzyme was localized predominantly in microsomal and soluble fractions and phosphorylated MAP2 on serine and threonine residues. The soluble enzyme was fractionated by DEAE chromatography and gel filtration and had an apparent Mr of 45,000. The enzyme was purified to near homogeneity by chromatofocussing and had a pI of 4.9. Kinetic analysis revealed that NGF treatment caused a sevenfold increase in Vmax for MAP2. The Km with respect to the MAP2 substrate was approximately 50 nM and was not altered by NGF treatment. A novel feature of the NGF-stimulated enzyme was its sharp dependence on Mn2+ concentration. The active enzyme is likely to be phosphorylated, because inclusion of phosphatase inhibitors was required for recovery of optimal activity and the activity was lost on treatment of the enzyme with alkaline phosphatase. Histones, tubulin, casein, bovine serum albumin, and the ribosomal subunit protein S-6 were not phosphorylated by this enzyme. The NGF-stimulated kinase was distinct from A kinase, C kinase, or other NGF-stimulated kinases. The rapid and transient activation of the protein kinase upon NGF treatment suggests that the enzyme may play a role in signal transduction in PC12 cells.     

Protein Kinase C-Mediated Phosphorylation of Kvβ2 in Adult Rat Brain

The phosphorylation of Kvβ2 was investigated by different protein kinases. Protein kinase A catalytic subunit (PKA-CS) yielded the greatest phosphorylation of recombinant Kvβ2 (rKvβ2), with limited phosphorylation by protein kinase C catalytic subunit (PKC-CS) and no detectable phosphorylation by casein kinase II (CKII). Protein kinase(s) from adult rat brain lysate phosphorylated both rKvβ2 and endogenous Kvβ. The PKA inhibitor, PKI 6-22, fully inhibited PKA-mediated phophorylation of rKvβ2 yet showed minimal inhibition of kinase activity present in rat brain. The inhibitor Gö 6983, that blocks PKCα, PKCβ, PKCγ, PKCδ and PKCζ activities, inhibited rKvβ2 phosphorylation by rat brain kinases, with no inhibition by Gö 6976 which blocks PKCα and PKCβΙ activities. Dose-response analysis of Gö 6983 inhibitory activity indicates that at least two PKC isozymes account for the kinase activity present in rat brain. Τhus, while PKA was the most active protein kinase to phosphorylate rKvβ2 in vitro, Kvβ2 phosphorylation in the rat brain is mainly mediated by PKC isozymes.     

TTLL7 is a mammalian beta-tubulin polyglutamylase required for growth of MAP2-positive neurites

Microtubules form a cytoskeletal framework that influences cell shape and provides structural support for the cell. Microtubules in the nervous system undergo a unique post-translational modification, polyglutamylation of the C termini of their tubulin subunits. The mammalian enzymes that perform beta-tubulin polyglutamylation as well as their physiological functions in the neuronal tissue remain elusive. We report identification of a mammalian polyglutamylase with specificity for beta-tubulin as well as its distribution and function in neurite growth. To identify putative tubulin polyglutamylases, we searched tubulin tyrosine ligase-like (TTLL) proteins for those predominantly expressed in the nervous system. Of 13 TTLL proteins, TTLL7 was transcribed at the highest level in the nervous system. Recombinant TTLL7 catalyzed tubulin polyglutamylation with high preference to beta-tubulin in vitro. When expressed in HEK293T cells, TTLL7 demonstrated specificity for beta-tubulin and not for alpha-tubulin or nucleosome assembly protein 1. Consistent with these findings, knockdown of TTLL7 in a primary culture of superior cervical ganglion neurons caused a loss of polyglutamylated beta-tubulin. Following stimulation of PC12 cells with nerve growth factor to differentiate, the level of TTLL7 increased concomitantly with polyglutamylation of beta-tubulin. Short interference RNA-mediated knockdown of TTLL7 repressed nerve growth factor-stimulated MAP (microtubule-associated protein) 2-positive neurite growth in PC12 cells. Consistent with having a role in the growth of MAP2-positive neurites, TTLL7 accumulated within a MAP2-enriched somatodendritic portion of superior cervical ganglion, as did polyglutamylated beta-tubulin. Anti-TTLL7 antibody revealed that TTLL7 was distributed in a somatodendritic compartment in the mouse brain. These findings indicate that TTLL7 is a beta-tubulin polyglutamylase and is required for the growth of MAP2-positive neurites in PC12 cells.     

Phosphorylation of Tubulin by Casein Kinase II Regulates Its Binding to a Neuronal Protein (NP185) Associated with Brain Coated Vesicles

We recently described a new protein associated exclusively with neuronal clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs), and characterized two monoclonal antibodies that react with it (S-8G8 and S-6G7). In this report, the association of neuronal protein of 185 kilodaltons (NP185) with CCV kinases and its interaction with tubulin are described. The affinity of NP185 for tubulin is significantly enhanced when tubulin is phosphorylated by CCV-associated casein kinase II. In contrast, phosphorylation of tubulin by a kinase activity associated with purified brain tubulin decreases its affinity for NP185. Together, these data suggest that the interaction of NP185 with tubulin is modulated by protein phosphorylation. Recent evidence has suggested that tubulin is phosphorylated by casein kinase II during neurite development. The enhanced affinity of NP185 for tubulin phosphorylated by casein kinase II could be important for proper intracellular sorting of this protein in the developing neuron.     

Tubulin is phosphorylated at tyrosine by pp60c-src in nerve growth cone membranes

We show here that tubulin is the major in vivo substrate of the tyrosine-specific protein kinase pp60c-src in nerve growth cone membranes. Phosphotyrosine antibodies were used to demonstrate phosphotyrosyl residues in a subpopulation of alpha- and beta-tubulin that was highly enriched in a subcellular fraction of growth cone membranes from fetal rat brain. The presence of phosphotyrosine- modified isoforms of alpha- and beta-tubulin in vivo was confirmed by 32p labeling of rat cortical neurons in culture. Tubulin in growth cone membranes was phosphorylated at tyrosine in endogenous membrane phosphorylation reactions (0.068 mol phosphotyrosine/mol alpha-tubulin and 0.045 mol phosphotyrosine/mol beta-tubulin), and phosphorylation was specifically inhibited by antibodies directed against pp60c-src, which is localized in the growth cone membranes. pp60c-src was capable of directly phosphorylating tubulin as shown in immune complex kinase assays with purified brain tubulin. Phosphopeptide mapping revealed a limited number of sites of tyrosine phosphorylation in alpha- and beta- tubulin, with similar phosphopeptides observed in vivo and in vitro. These results reveal a novel posttranslational modification of tubulin that could regulate microtubule dynamics at the growth cone.     

Purification and characterization of choline/ethanolamine kinase from rat liver

Choline kinase, the first enzyme in the CDP-choline pathway for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis, was purified 26,000-fold from rat liver to a specific activity of 143,000 nmol.min-1.mg-1 protein. The subunit molecular mass was 47 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, while the apparent native molecular mass was 160 kDa by size exclusion chromatography, suggesting a tetrameric structure. Two peaks of choline kinase activity were obtained by chromatofocusing. These isoforms eluted at pH 4.7 (CKI) and 4.5 (CKII). CKII appeared to be homogeneous by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis. Peptide mapping of two isoforms indicated a high degree of similarity, although there were peptides not common to both. Ethanolamine kinase activity copurified with both isoforms. The ratio of choline to ethanolamine kinase activity was 3.7 +/- 0.7 throughout the purification procedure. Choline and ethanolamine were mutually competitive inhibitors. The respective Km values, 0.013 and 1.2 mM, were similar to the Ki values of 0.014 and 2.2 mM. An antibody raised against CKII immunoprecipitated both choline and ethanolamine kinase activities from liver cytosol at the same titer. These data suggest that both activities reside on the same protein and occur at the same active site. Similarly, both activities were immunoprecipitated from brain, lung, and kidney cytosols. Western blot analysis showed both purified liver isoforms, as well as brain, lung and kidney enzymes, to have a molecular mass of 47 kDa.     

A casein kinase II-related activity is involved in phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein MAP-1B during neuroblastoma cell differentiation

A neuroblastoma protein related to the brain microtubule-associated protein, MAP-1B, as determined by immunoprecipitation and coassembly with brain microtubules, becomes phosphorylated when N2A mouse neuroblastoma cells are induced to generate microtubule-containing neurites. To characterize the protein kinases that may be involved in this in vivo phosphorylation of MAP-1B, we have studied its in vitro phosphorylation. In brain microtubule protein, MAP-1B appears to be phosphorylated in vitro by an endogenous casein kinase II-like activity which also phosphorylates the related protein MAP-1A but scarcely phosphorylates MAP-2. A similar kinase activity has been detected in cell-free extracts of differentiating N2A cells. Using brain MAP preparations devoid of endogenous kinase activities and different purified protein kinases, we have found that MAP-1B is barely phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, or Ca/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase whereas MAP-1B is one of the preferred substrates, together with MAP-1A, for casein kinase II. Brain MAP-1B phosphorylated in vitro by casein kinase II efficiently coassembles with microtubule proteins in the same way as in vivo phosphorylated MAP-1B from neuroblastoma cells. Furthermore, the phosphopeptide patterns of brain MAP-1B phosphorylated in vitro by either purified casein kinase II or an extract obtained from differentiating neuroblastoma cells are identical to each other and similar to that of in vivo phosphorylated neuroblastoma MAP-1B. Thus, we suggest that the observed phosphorylation of a protein identified as MAP-1B during neurite outgrowth is mainly due to the activation of a casein kinase II-related activity in differentiating neuroblastoma cells. This kinase activity, previously implicated in beta-tubulin phosphorylation (Serrano, L., J. Díaz-Nido, F. Wandosell, and J. Avila, 1987. J. Cell Biol. 105: 1731-1739), may consequently have an important role in posttranslational modifications of microtubule proteins required for neuronal differentiation.     

Identification of three coated vesicle components as alpha- and beta- tubulin linked to a phosphorylated 50,000-dalton polypeptide

Coated vesicles are involved in the intracellular transport of membrane proteins between a variety of membrane compartments. The coats of bovine brain coated vesicles contain at least six polypeptides in addition to an 180,000-dalton polypeptide called clathrin. In this report we show that the 54,000- and 56,000-dalton coated vesicle polypeptides are alpha- and beta-tubulin, determined by immunoblotting and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. An affinity-purified tubulin antiserum can precipitate coated vesicles. The tubulin polypeptides are tightly associated with a 50,000-dalton coated vesicle polypeptide, which is phosphorylated. The phosphorylated 50,000-dalton polypeptide appears to be related to brain microtubule-associated tau proteins since it can be specifically immunoprecipitated by an affinity-purified antiserum directed against these proteins. In addition, gel filtration experiments indicate that at least a fraction of the 50,000-dalton polypeptide may associate with the 100,000-dalton coated vesicle polypeptide. Since brain is a tissue rich in tubulins, liver coated vesicles were analyzed for the presence of alpha- and beta-tubulin. Like brain coated vesicles, liver coated vesicles also contain an endogenous kinase activity, which phosphorylates polypeptides of the same molecular weights and isoelectric points as the brain coated vesicle 50,000-dalton, tau-like polypeptide, and alpha- and beta-tubulin. The phosphorylated 50,000-dalton polypeptide may link the membrane and contents of coated vesicles with components of the cytoskeleton.     

Dephosphorylation of Microtubule Proteins by Brain Protein Phosphatases 1 and 2A, and Its Effect on Microtubule Assembly

Protein phosphatase C was purified 140-fold from bovine brain with 8% yield using histone H1 phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (cyclic AMP-kinase). Brain protein phosphatase C was considered to consist of 10 and 90%, respectively, of the catalytic subunits of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A on the basis of the effects of ATP and inhibitor-2. Protein phosphatase C dephosphorylated microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), tau factor, and tubulin phosphorylated by a multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (calmodulin-kinase) and the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-kinase. The properties of dephosphorylation of MAP2, tau factor, and tubulin were compared. The Km values were in the ranges of 1.6-2.7 microM for MAP2 and tau factor. The Km value for tubulin decreased from 25 to 10-12.5 microM in the presence of 1.0 mM Mn2+. No difference in kinetic properties of dephosphorylation was observed between the substrates phosphorylated by the two kinases. Protein phosphatase C did not dephosphorylate the native tubulin, but universally dephosphorylated tubulin phosphorylated by the two kinases. The holoenzyme of protein phosphatase 2A from porcine brain could also dephosphorylate MAP2, tau factor, and tubulin phosphorylated by the two kinases. The phosphorylation of MAP2 and tau factor by calmodulin-kinase separately induced the inhibition of microtubule assembly, and the dephosphorylation by protein phosphatase C removed its inhibitory effect. These data suggest that brain protein phosphatases 1 and 2A are involved in the switch-off mechanism of both Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent and cyclic AMP-dependent regulation of microtubule formation.     

Phosphorylation of a neuronal-specific beta-tubulin isotype

Adult rats were intracraneally injected with [32P] phosphate and brain microtubules isolated. The electrophoretically purified, in vivo phospholabeled, beta-tubulin was digested with the V8-protease and the labeled peptide purified by reversed-phase liquid chromatography. Its amino acid sequence corresponds to the COOH-terminal sequence of a minor neuronal beta 3-tubulin isoform from chicken and human. The phosphorylation site was at serine 444. A synthetic peptide with sequence EMYEDDEEESESQGPK, corresponding to that of the COOH terminus of beta 3-tubulin, was efficiently phosphorylated in vitro by casein kinase II at the same serine 444. The functional meaning of tubulin phosphorylation is still unclear. However, the modification of the protein takes place after microtubule assembly, and phosphorylated tubulin is mainly present in the assembled microtubule protein fraction.     

Identification of sites of phosphorylation by G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 in beta-tubulin.

G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) is known to specifically phosphorylate the agonist-bound forms of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). This strict specificity is due at least partly to activation of GRK2 by agonist-bound GPCRs, in which basic residues in intracellular regions adjacent to transmembrane segments are thought to be involved. Tubulin was found to be phosphorylated by GRK2, but it remains unknown if tubulin can also serve as both a substrate and an activator for GRK2. Purified tubulin, phosphorylated by GRK2, was subjected to biochemical analysis, and the phosphorylation sites in beta-tubulin were determined to be Thr409 and Ser420. In addition, the Ser444 in beta III-tubulin was also indicated to be phosphorylated by GRK2. The phosphorylation sites in tubulin for GRK2 reside in the C-terminal domain of beta-tubulin, which is on the outer surface of microtubules. Pretreatment of tubulin with protein phosphatase type-2A (PP2A) resulted in a twofold increase in the phosphorylation of tubulin by GRK2. These results suggest that tubulin is phosphorylated in situ probably by GRK2 and that the phosphorylation may affect the interaction of microtubules with microtubule-associated proteins. A GST fusion protein of a C-terminal region of beta I-tubulin (393-445 residues), containing 19 acidic residues but only one basic residue, was found to be a good substrate for GRK2, like full-length beta-tubulin. These results, together with the finding that GRK2 may phosphorylate synuclein and phosducin in their acidic domains, indicate that some proteins with very acidic regions but without basic activation domains could serve as substrates for GRK2.     

Stimulation of enzymatic activity in filament preparations of casein kinase II by polylysine,melittin, and spermine

Summary Casein kinase II (CKII) has been purified from bovine heart tissue. Under conditions of low salt (0.05 M NaCl, 10 MM MgCl₂), CKII forms structured aggregates that appear as filaments similar to results obtained withDrosophila CKII [C.V.C. Glover (1986) J. Biol. Chem. 261:14349]. The aggregates have been analyzed by sucrose density gradients and electron microscopy. Filament preparations of the enzyme have reduced but measurable kinase activity. The addition of salt restores activity. Various modulators of CKII activity have been examined with the enzyme in the low salt, polymerized form. The polyamines spermine or spermidine stimulated CKII activity as much as six fold; putrescine had no effect. Polylysine of varying lengths activated CKII 4–6 fold. Melittin, the basic polypeptide from bee venom, was also an effective activator. Activation of filament preparations was also observed if the CKII specific peptide (RRREEETEEE) was used as the substrate in place of casein. These results with filament preparations provide an alternative in vitro system for the study of possible regulatory aspects of CKII.     

The epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase phosphorylates connexin32

Oncoprotein 18 or stathmin was isolated from bovine brain, characterized and novel features of its function as a microtubule depolymerizing factor were tested.The effect of phosphorylation of stathmin on its function as a microtubule depolymerizing factor has been tested in vitro. Five different protein kinases, protein kinase A, MAP kinase, cdc2 kinase, glycogen synthase kinase 3 and casein kinase 2, were used to modify stathmin, since it is known that these kinases could phosphorylate several residues that are modified in vivo and could have important roles in stathmin function. The residues phosphorylated in vitro by the different protein kinases were identified and in some cases they correspond to those modified in vivo.Recombinant unphosphorylated stathmin and native stathmin, which was previously dephosphorylated with alkaline phosphatase, showed similar microtubule depolymerizing activity. This activity is higher than that of stathmin phosphorylated by protein kinase A, MAP kinase or cdc 2 kinase, whereas phosphorylation of the protein with casein kinase 2 or glycogen synthase kinase 3 resulted in a slight increase of the depolymerizing activity.     

Phosphorylation of tubulin by a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase

Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase was purified from porcine brain cytosol through sequential steps involving acid precipitation, DEAE-chromatography, and calmodulin-Sepharose chromatography. The purified enzyme contained a major Mr 50,000 and a minor Mr 60,000 peptide. Porcine brain tubulin was a major substrate for this kinase. Under optimal conditions 2.6 mol of phosphate were incorporated per mol of tubulin. The kinase phosphorylated both tubulin subunits at their carboxyl-terminal region. Limited proteolysis, using trypsin and chymotrypsin, of phosphorylated and unphosphorylated tubulins resulted in different cleavage patterns as determined by peptide mapping. Phosphorylated tubulin was unable to bind to microtubule-associated protein or to polymerize, but regained its assembly capacity after phosphatase treatment.