Evidence for the activation of the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in response to hormones that increase intracellular Ca2+

The phosphorylation state of six cytoplasmic proteins is increased following treatment of isolated rat hepatocytes with hormones that elevate free intracellular Ca2+ levels (Garrison, J. C. and Wagner, J. D. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 13135-13143). Tryptic 32P-phosphopeptide maps of two of the substrates, pyruvate kinase and a 49,000-dalton protein, the major 32P-labeled protein in hepatocytes, were prepared following stimulation of cells with vasopressin, a Ca2+-linked hormone. Peptide maps of the 49,000-dalton protein phosphorylated in vitro with the recently identified multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase contained phosphopeptides identical to those observed in the intact cell, suggesting that this kinase is activated in response to Ca2+-mobilizing hormones. Similar in vitro phosphorylation experiments with pyruvate kinase suggested that the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase can phosphorylate not only the serine residues observed following vasopressin stimulation of the intact cell but also additional threonine residues. Both pyruvate kinase and the 49,000-dalton protein are also phosphorylated in the hepatocyte in response to glucagon and in vitro by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Both vasopressin and glucagon appear to stimulate the phosphorylation of identical serine residues in pyruvate kinase but only vasopressin enhances the phosphorylation of certain sites in the 49,000-dalton protein. Comparison of the tryptic phosphopeptide maps of these substrates phosphorylated in vitro with either the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase or the cAMP-dependent protein kinase suggests that the Ca2+-dependent kinase can phosphorylate unique sites in both substrates. It appears to share specificity at other sites with the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Overall, the results suggest that the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase plays an important role in the response of the hepatocyte to a Ca2+ signal.     

Purification and characterization of a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase from rat brain

A soluble Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase has been purified from rat brain to near homogeneity by using casein as substrate. The enzyme was purified by using hydroxylapatite adsorption chromatography, phosphocellulose ion-exchange chromatography, Sepharose 6B gel filtration, affinity chromatography using calmodulin-Sepharose 4B, and ammonium sulfate precipitation. On sodium dodecyl sulfate (NaDodSO4)-polyacrylamide gels, the purified enzyme consists of three protein bands: a single polypeptide of 51 000 daltons and a doublet of 60 000 daltons. Measurements of the Stokes radius by gel filtration (81.3 +/- 3.7 A) and the sedimentation coefficient by sucrose density sedimentation (13.7 +/- 0.7 S) were used to calculate a native molecular mass of 460 000 +/- 29 000 daltons. The kinase autophosphorylated both the 51 000-dalton polypeptide and the 60 000-dalton doublet, resulting in a decreased mobility in NaDodSO4 gels. Comparison of the phosphopeptides produced by partial proteolysis of autophosphorylated enzyme reveals substantial similarities between subunits. These patterns, however, suggest that the 51 000-dalton subunit is not a proteolytic fragment of the 60 000-dalton doublet. Purified Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent casein kinase activity was dependent upon Ca2+, calmodulin, and ATP X Mg2+ or ATP X Mn2+ when measured under saturating casein concentrations. Co2+, Mn2+, and La3+ could substitute for Ca2+ in the presence of Mg2+ and saturating calmodulin concentrations. In addition to casein, the purified enzyme displayed a broad substrate specificity which suggests that it may be a "general" protein kinase with the potential for mediating numerous processes in brain and possibly other tissues.     

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphorylation associated with the cytoskeleton of quiescent rat fibroblast (3Y1) cells.

Endogenous phosphorylation of the crude membrane fraction of cultured 3Y1 fibroblast cells was enhanced by the addition of Ca2+/calmodulin. Both Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase activity and its substrate were present in a cytoskeletal fraction, obtained as a pellet after washing of the membrane fraction with 2 mM EGTA, 0.6 M NaCl, and 1% Triton X-100. The phosphorylatable protein in the Triton X-insoluble fraction was identified by immunoblotting as vimentin. This endogenous phosphorylation induced by calmodulin was inhibited by the addition of KN-62, a specific Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II inhibitor, in a dose-dependent manner. However, phosphorylation of the 59 kDa protein (vimentin) in this fraction was not stimulated by adding both phosphatidyl serine and cAMP, thereby suggesting the absence of protein kinase C or of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in this fraction. The protein kinase associated with the Triton X-insoluble fraction phosphorylated the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II-specific site of synapsin I from the bovine cortex. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide maps of vimentin indicated that a major phosphopeptide phosphorylated by the endogenous calmodulin-dependent kinase also appears to be the same as a major phosphopeptide phosphorylated by the exogenous Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Our results suggest that cytoskeleton-associated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II regulates dynamic cellular functions through the phosphorylation of cytoskeletal elements in non-neural cells.     

Phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein-2 in GH3 cells. Regulation by cAMP and by calcium.

The rat pituitary cell line GH3 contains a high molecular weight microtubule-associated protein with properties characteristic of microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP-2). The 280-kDa protein is selectively immunoprecipitated by antibodies to authentic bovine brain MAP-2 and is phosphorylated at appropriate sites by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAMP kinase) and multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase). Although MAP-2 is a minor cellular constituent, it can be immunoprecipitated from [32P]Pi-labeled GH3 cells and shown to contain a high level of basal phosphorylation. Vasoactive intestinal peptide, forskolin, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthene, or cholera toxin, treatments which increase cellular cAMP levels, or dibutyryl cAMP stimulate phosphorylation of specific sites on MAP-2 without significantly increasing its high state of basal phosphorylation. Phosphopeptide mapping reveals that the sites phosphorylated by cAMP kinase in vitro are the same sites whose phosphorylation in situ increases following stimulation of GH3 with agents that activate cAMP kinase. Increasing intracellular Ca2+ levels in GH3 cells also stimulates phosphorylation of MAP-2 but at sites distinct from those phosphorylated following treatment with cAMP inducing agonists. Phosphopeptide mapping indicates that the sites phosphorylated by CaM kinase in vitro are the same sites whose phosphorylation in situ increases following Ca2(+)-mediated stimulation. We conclude that activation of cAMP- and Ca2(+)-based signaling pathways leads to phosphorylation of MAP-2 in GH3 cells and that cAMP kinase and CaM kinase mediate phosphorylation by these pathways, respectively.     

Purification and characterization of a brain-specific multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase from rat cerebellum.

A brain-specific multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV, which exhibited characteristic properties quite different from those of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, was purified approximately 230-fold from rat cerebellum. The purified preparation gave two protein bands with molecular weights of 63,000 (alpha) and 66,000 (beta) on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, both of which showed protein kinase activity as examined by the activity gel method. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated as about 67,000 from sedimentation coefficient (3.2 S) and Stokes radius (50 A), indicating a monomeric structure of the enzyme. The enzyme phosphorylated smooth muscle myosin light chain, synapsin I, microtubule-associated protein 2, tau protein, myelin basic protein, histone H1, and tyrosine hydroxylase in a Ca2+/calmodulin dependent manner, suggesting that the enzyme is a multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase capable of phosphorylating a large number of substrates. A synthetic peptide, Lys-Ser-Asp-Gly-Gly-Val-Lys-Lys-Arg-Lys-Ser-Ser-Ser-Ser, was found to be a specific substrate for this kinase and, using this peptide as substrate, the distribution of the enzyme activity in various rat tissues was examined. The activity was found in cerebral cortex, brain stem, and cerebellum, most abundantly in cerebellum, but other tissues tested, including liver, spleen, kidney, lung, heart, skeletal muscle, and adrenal gland showed very little activity.     

The multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase mediates Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase

Stimulation of rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells with ionophore A23187, carbachol, or high K+ medium, agents which increase intracellular Ca2+, results in the phosphorylation and activation of tyrosine hydroxylase (Nose, P., Griffith, L. C., and Schulman, H. (1985) J. Cell Biol. 101, 1182-1190). We have identified three major protein kinases in PC12 cells and investigated their roles in the Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase and other cytosolic proteins. A set of PC12 proteins were phosphorylated in response to both elevation of intracellular Ca2+ and to protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase) activators. In addition, distinct sets of proteins responded to either one or the other stimulus. The three major regulatory kinases, the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and protein kinase C all phosphorylate tyrosine hydroxylase in vitro. Neither the agents which increase Ca2+ nor the agents which directly activate kinase C (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate or 1-oleyl-2-acetylglycerol) increase cAMP or activate the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, thereby excluding this pathway as a mediator of these stimuli. The role of protein kinase C was assessed by long term treatment of PC12 cells with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, which causes its "desensitization." In cells pretreated in this manner, agents which increase Ca2+ influx continue to stimulate tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation maximally, while protein kinase C activators are completely ineffective. Comparison of tryptic peptide maps of tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylated by the three protein kinases in vitro with phosphopeptide maps generated from tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylated in vivo indicates that phosphorylation by the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase most closely mirrors the in vivo phosphorylation pattern. These results indicate that the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase mediates phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase by hormonal and electrical stimuli which elevate intracellular Ca2+ in PC12 cells.     

Purification and characterization of calmodulin-dependent multifunctional protein kinase from smooth muscle: isolation of caldesmon kinase

Previously, it was reported that smooth muscle caldesmon is a protein kinase and is autophosphorylated [Scott-Woo, G.C., & Walsh, M.P. (1988) Biochem. J. 252, 463-472]. We separated a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase from caldesmon in the presence of 15 mM MgCl2. The Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent caldesmon kinase was purified by using a series of liquid chromatography steps and was characterized. The subunit molecular weight (MW) of the kinase was 56K by SDS gel electrophoresis and was autophosphorylated. After the autophosphorylation, the kinase became active even in the absence of Ca2+/calmodulin. The substrate specificity of caldesmon kinase was similar to the rat brain calmodulin-dependent multifunctional protein kinase II (CaM PK-II) and phosphorylated brain synapsin and smooth muscle 20-kDa myosin light chain. The purified kinase bound to caldesmon, and the binding was abolished in the presence of high MgCl2. Enzymological parameters were measured for smooth muscle caldesmon kinase, and these were KCaM = 32 nM, KATP = 12 microM, Kcaldesmon = 4.9 microM, and KMg2+ = 1.1 mM. Optimum pH was 7.5-9.5. The observed properties were similar to brain CaM PK-II, and, therefore, it was concluded that smooth muscle caldesmon kinase is the isozyme of CaM PK-II in smooth muscle.     

Identification of membrane-bound calcium, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in canine heart

Phospholamban, the putative regulatory proteolipid of the Ca2+/Mg2+ ATPase in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum, was selectively phosphorylated by a Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase associated with a cardiac membrane preparation. This kinase also catalyzed the phosphorylation of two exogenous proteins known to be phosphorylated by the multifunctional Ca2+/CaM-dependent protein kinase II (Ca2+/CaM-kinase II), i.e., smooth muscle myosin light chains and glycogen synthase a. The latter protein was phosphorylated at sites previously shown to be phosphorylated by the purified multifunctional Ca2+/CaM-kinase II from liver and brain. The membrane-bound kinase did not phosphorylate phosphorylase b or cardiac myosin light chains, although these proteins were phosphorylated by appropriate, specific calmodulin-dependent protein kinases added exogenously. In addition to phospholamban, several other membrane-associated proteins were phosphorylated in a calmodulin-dependent manner. The principal one exhibited a Mr of approximately 56,000, a value similar to that of the major protein (57,000) in a partially purified preparation of Ca2+/CaM-kinase II from the soluble fraction of canine heart that was autophosphorylated in a calmodulin-dependent manner. These data indicate that the membrane-bound, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase that phosphorylates phospholamban in cardiac membranes is not a specific calmodulin-dependent kinase, but resembles the multifunctional Ca2+/CaM-kinase II. Our data indicate that this kinase may be present in both the particulate and soluble fractions of canine heart.     

Kinase activity associated with caldesmon is Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase II.

The relationship of the kinase which co-purifies with caldesmon to Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II) was investigated by studying the phosphorylation of bovine brain synapsin I, as well-characterized substrate of CaM-kinase II. Synapsin I is a very good substrate (Km = 90 nM) of the co-purifying kinase, which phosphorylates two sites in synapsin I, both of which are distinct from the single site phosphorylated by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase. Phosphorylation of synapsin I is Ca2(+)- and calmodulin-dependent: half-maximal activation occurs at 0.13 microM-Ca2+ and maximal activity at 0.4 microM-Ca2+. Phosphorylation of the co-purifying kinase slightly enhances the rate, but does not alter the stoichiometry, of subsequent synapsin I phosphorylation; it does, however, circumvent the requirement for Ca2+ and calmodulin. The properties of this kinase therefore closely resemble those of CaM-kinase II, and we conclude that it is probably a smooth-muscle isoenzyme of CaM-kinase II.     

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Characterization of distinct calmodulin binding and inhibitory domains

Regulatory domains of the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II were investigated utilizing synthetic peptides. These peptides were derived from the sequence between positions 281 and 319 as translated from the cDNA sequence of the rat brain 50-kDa subunit (Lin, C. R., Kapiloff, M. S., Durgerian, S., Tatemoto, K., Russo, A. F., Hanson, P., Schulman, H., and Rosenfeld, M. G. (1987) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 84, 5962-5966), which contain the putative calmodulin-binding region as well as potential autophosphorylation sites. Peptide 290 to 309 was found to be a potent calmodulin antagonist with an IC50 of 52 nM for inhibition of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Neither truncation from the amino terminus (peptide 296-309) nor extension in the carboxyl-terminal direction (peptide 294-319) markedly affected calmodulin binding, whereas shortening the peptide from the carboxyl terminus (peptide 290-302) or from both ends (peptide 295-304) resulted in the elimination of this activity. Peptide 281-290 did not bind calmodulin, but was a good substrate for the enzyme, being phosphorylated at Thr-286. Several of the peptides inhibited the kinase in a partially competitive, substrate-directed manner, but were not themselves phosphorylated. These studies identify domains within Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II which may be involved in 1) inhibition of the kinase in the absence of calmodulin, 2) binding of calmodulin, and 3) the resulting activation. Additionally, it is suggested that phosphorylation of residues flanking these domains may be responsible for the known regulatory effects of autophosphorylation on the properties of the kinase.     

Mechanism of autophosphorylation of the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase

The multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase purified from rat brain cytosol undergoes a self-phosphorylation or autophosphorylation reaction. Our conclusion that this reaction is autocatalytic is based on the following lines of evidence: The autophosphorylation reaction and the protein kinase activity toward other substrates are absolutely dependent on the presence of both Ca2+ and calmodulin; autophosphorylation and phosvitin kinase activity show a similar time course and indistinguishable heat lability; the reaction is a consistent property of every preparation of rat brain kinase; the reaction is present in both crude and highly purified preparations of similar kinases or isozymes from rat lung, spleen, heart, bovine brain, and a neuronal tissue from Aplysia californica, a marine mollusk; phosphorylation of the kinase subunits is not mimicked by addition of cAMP, cGMP, Ca2+ plus diglyceride, or addition of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and is not blocked by the heat-stable inhibitor protein of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase; and the reaction is intramolecular. Autophosphorylation results in the stoichiometric incorporation of phosphate into both the 51,000- and 60,000-dalton subunits.     

Purification and characterization of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase I from bovine brain

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (Ca2+/CaM kinase I), which phosphorylates site I of synapsin I, has been highly purified from bovine brain. The physical properties and substrate specificity of Ca2+/CaM kinase I were distinct from those of all other known Ca2+/CaM kinases. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the purified enzyme preparation consisted of two major polypeptides of Mr 37,000 and 39,000 and a minor polypeptide of Mr 42,000. In the presence of Ca2+ and calmodulin (CaM), all three polypeptides bound CaM, were autophosphorylated on threonine residues, and were labeled by the photoaffinity label 8-azido-ATP. Peptide maps of the three autophosphorylated polypeptides were very similar. The Stokes radius and the sedimentation coefficient of the enzyme were, respectively, 31.8 A and 3.25 s. A molecular weight of 42,400 and a frictional ratio of 1.38 were calculated from the above values, suggesting that Ca2+/CaM kinase I is a monomer. It is possible that the polypeptides of lower molecular weight are derived from the polypeptide of Mr 42,000 by proteolysis; alternatively, the polypeptides may represent isozymes of Ca2+/CaM kinase I. Synapsin I (site I) was the best substrate tested (Km, 2-4 microM) for Ca2+/CaM kinase I. Of many additional proteins tested, only protein III (a phosphoprotein related to synapsin I) and smooth muscle myosin light chain were phosphorylated. Ca2+/CaM kinase I was found in highest concentration in brain, where it showed widespread regional and subcellular distributions. In addition, the enzyme had a widespread and predominantly cytosolic tissue distribution. The widespread neuronal and tissue distribution of Ca2+/CaM kinase I suggests that other substrates might exist for this enzyme in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues.     

Characterization and partial purification of cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum phospholamban kinase

Phospholamban, the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum proteolipid, is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, by Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, and by an endogenous Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, the identity of which remains to be defined. The aim of this study was therefore to characterize the latter kinase, called phospholamban kinase. Phospholamban kinase was purified approximately 42-fold with a yield of 11%. The purified fraction exhibits a specific activity of 6.5 nmol of phosphate incorporated into exogenous phospholamban per minute per milligram of protein. Phospholamban kinase appears to be a high molecular weight enzyme and presents a broad substrate specificity, synapsin-1, glycogen synthase, and smooth muscle myosin regulatory light chain being the best substrates. Phospholamban kinase phosphorylates synapsin-1 on a Mr 30 000 peptide. The enzyme exhibits an optimum pH of 8.6, a Km for ATP of 9 microM, and a requirement for Mg2+ ions. These data suggest that phospholamban kinase might be an isoenzyme of the multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Consequently we have searched for Mr 50 000-60 000 phosphorylatable subunits among cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum proteins. A Mr 56 000 protein was found to be phosphorylated in the presence of Ca2+/calmodulin. Such phosphorylation alters the electrophoretic migration velocity of the protein. In addition, this protein that binds calmodulin was always found to be present in fractions containing phospholamban kinase activity. This Mr 56 000 protein is therefore a good candidate for being a subunit of phospholamban kinase. However, the Mr 56 000 calmodulin-binding protein and the Mr 53 000 intrinsic glycoprotein which binds ATP are two distinct entities.     

Phosphorylation by calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and protein kinase C modulates the activity of nitric oxide synthase.

Nitric oxide synthase purified from rat brain, which is Ca2+ and calmodulin dependent, was phosphorylated by calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II as well as protein kinase C. Phosphorylation by calcium calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II resulted in a marked decrease in enzyme activity (33% of control) without changing the co-factor requirements, whereas a moderate increase in enzyme activity (140% of control) was observed after phosphorylation by protein kinase C. These findings indicate that brain nitric oxide synthase activity may be regulated not only by Ca2+/calmodulin and several co-factors, but also by phosphorylation.     

Synapsin I Regulates Glutamate Release from Rat Brain Synaptosomes

Introduction of the dephosphorylated from of synapsin I into rat brain synaptosomes using freeze-thaw (transient) permeabilization significantly decreased the K(+)-induced release of glutamate. In contrast, introduction of synapsin I that had been phosphorylated by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II was without effect on glutamate release. Addition of dephosphosynapsin I after freeze-thaw treatment also had no effect. Thus, the action of synapsin I was dependent on the phosphorylation state of synapsin I and on its entry into the synaptosomes. Our results implicate synapsin I as an important component in the regulation of neurotransmitter release in the mammalian nervous system.     

Biochemical basis for the specificity of alloxan inactivation of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.

The specificity and biochemical basis of inactivation of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II by alloxan was studied in dispersed rat brain cells and a partially purified kinase preparation from an insulin-secreting tumor-cell line, RINm5f. When mechanically dispersed rat brain cells were incubated with [32P]-phosphate to label endogenous ATP, depolarization with 44 mM KCl produced a significant (P = 0.03) increase in phosphorylation of endogenous synapsin (132 +/- 8% of basal). Pre-treatment of the brain cells with 1.5 mM alloxan reduced depolarization-sensitive synapsin phosphorylation (109 +/- 5%). Phosphopeptide mapping of depolarization-phosphorylated synapsin showed that alloxan pre-treatment reduced phosphorylation specifically at synapsin sites phosphorylated by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. The results demonstrate selective inactivation of calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity by alloxan in an intact cell system, which may be useful in the study of the Type II kinase in cells and tissues. Using a partially purified kinase preparation from RINm5f cells, alloxan (100 microM) inactivated 76 +/- 1% calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II activity in 5 min at 37 degrees C. Subsequent incubation with dithiothreitol restored most of the activity. 5,5'-Dithiobis (2-nitrobenzoic acid) (I50 = 2.5 microM) also inactivated the kinase. These results suggested that a sulfhydryl group was involved at the inactivation site. Iodoacetamide (1.0 mM) had no inhibitory effect; however, preincubation with iodoacetamide protected the kinase activity from subsequent inactivation by alloxan. Covalent binding of [14C]-alloxan to calmodulin-dependent protein kinase was demonstrated.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Active catalytic fragment of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Purification, characterization, and structural analysis.

We report the purification and characterization of an active catalytic fragment of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, derived from autophosphorylation and subsequent limited chymotryptic digestion of the purified rat forebrain soluble kinase. The purified fragment was completely Ca2+/calmodulin-independent, existed as a monomer, and phosphorylated synapsin I at the same sites as does the native form of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Kinetic studies with the purified fragment revealed a more than 10-fold increase in Vmax and a 50% decrease in Km for synthetic peptide substrates, compared with native Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. No 32P-labeled autophosphorylated residues were detected in the purified active fragment, indicating that the autophosphorylation sites were not contained within this fragment. Comparative studies of this active fragment (30 kDa) and its inactive counterpart (32-kDa fragment) revealed certain structural details of both fragments. Calmodulin-overlay study, immunoblot analysis, and direct amino acid sequencing suggest that both fragments contain the entire NH2-terminal catalytic domain and were generated by distinct cleavage within the regulatory domain. The putative cleavage sites for both fragments are discussed.     

Activation of multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase in GH3 cells.

We report that the rat pituitary cell line GH3 contains a Ca2(+)- and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase with properties characteristic of multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) from rat brain. The GH3 kinase exhibits the hallmark of authentic CaM kinase: conversion from Ca2(+)-dependent to Ca2(+)-independent activity following a brief initial phosphorylation in vitro. This phosphorylation occurs at a site which is similar or identical to that of the "autonomy" site of the rat brain enzyme and thus may be an autophosphorylation event. GH3 CaM kinase is phosphorylated and becomes Ca2(+)-independent in situ. Depolarization of intact cells with K+ opens calcium channels and leads to the phosphorylation of CaM kinase at the autonomy site, and the kinase becomes significantly and persistently Ca2(+)-independent. Treatment of cells with thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which activates the phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway, also generates a Ca2(+)-independent CaM kinase in situ. The primary effect of TRH on CaM kinase activity is transient and correlates with the spike of Ca2+ released from intracellular stores and the rapid phase of prolactin release from GH3 cells. This study demonstrates that CaM kinase is able to detect and respond to both calcium that enters the cell through voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels and calcium released from internal stores via the phosphatidylinositol pathway. We find that TRH, a hormone that causes release of prolactin and was previously believed to activate primarily protein kinase C, also significantly activates CaM kinase in intact cells.     

Multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase is necessary for nuclear envelope breakdown

The role of multifunctional Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase) in nuclear envelope breakdown (NEB) was investigated in sea urchin eggs. The eggs contain a 56-kD polypeptide which appears to be a homologue of neuronal CaM kinase. For example, it undergoes Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent autophosphorylation that converts it to a Ca2(+)-independent species, a hallmark of multifunctional CaM kinase. It is homologous to the alpha subunit of rat brain CaM kinase. Autophosphorylation and substrate phosphorylation by the sea urchin egg kinase are inhibited in vitro by CaMK(273-302), a synthetic peptide corresponding to the autoinhibitory domain of the neuronal CaM kinase. This peptide inhibited NEB when microinjected into sea urchin eggs. Only one mAb to the neuronal enzyme immunoprecipitated the 56-kD polypeptide. Only this antibody blocked or significantly delayed NEB when microinjected into sea urchin eggs. These results suggest that sea urchin eggs contain multifunctional CaM kinase, and that this enzyme is involved in the control of NEB during mitotic division.     

Phosphorylation and modulation of the enzymic activity of native and protease-cleaved purified hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase by a calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase

A Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase has been purified which catalyzed the phosphorylation and concomitant inactivation of both the microsomal native (100,000 Da) and protease-cleaved purified 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase (HMG-CoA reductase) (53,000 Da) fragments. This low molecular weight brain cytosolic Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase phosphorylates histone H1, synapsin I, and purified HMG-CoA reductase as major substrates. The kinase, purified by sequential chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, calmodulin affinity resin, and high performance liquid chromatography (TSKG 3000 SW) is an electrophoretically homogeneous protein of approximately 110,000 Da. The molecular weight of the holoenzyme, substrate specificity, subunit protein composition, subunit autophosphorylation, subunit isoelectric points, and subunit phosphopeptide analysis suggest that this kinase of Mr 110,000 may be different from other previously reported Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinases. Maximal phosphorylation by the low molecular form of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent kinase of purified HMG-CoA reductase revealed a stoichiometry of approximately 0.5 mol of phosphate/mol of 53,000-Da enzyme. Dephosphorylation of phosphorylated and inactivated native and purified HMG-CoA reductase revealed a time-dependent loss of 32P-bound radioactivity and reactivation of enzyme activity. Based on the results reported here, we propose that HMG-CoA reductase activity may be modulated by yet another kinase system involving covalent phosphorylation. The elucidation of a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent HMG-CoA reductase kinase-mediated modulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity involving reversible phosphorylation may provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis.