des-(1-13) human beta-endorphin interacts with calmodulin

It is known that the 31-residue neuropeptide beta-endorphin inhibits the calcium-dependent, calmodulin-mediated stimulation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity. The results of this study demonstrate that a non-opiate, synthetic amino terminal deletion peptide, des-(1-13), of human beta-endorphin is also capable of inhibiting the stimulated enzymic activity, but not the basal activity. This inhibition occurs with the same efficacy as the intact 31-residue peptide. Thus, the amino terminal region of beta-endorphin, which is responsible for opiate activity, does not appear to contribute to the calmodulin interaction. Circular dichroic spectroscopy of des-(1-13) beta-endorphin, calmodulin, and mixtures of the two shows that the ellipticity at 221 nm was more negative in the peptide-protein mixture than could be accounted for on the basis of simple additivity of the peptide and calmodulin. This spectral change implies enhanced alpha-helicity concomitant with the peptide-protein association. Helix formation may occur in the peptide since this sequence has the potential to form an amphipathic helix.     

Functional properties of covalent beta-endorphin peptide/calmodulin complexes. Chlorpromazine binding and phosphodiesterase activation

The 31-residue neuropeptide porcine beta-endorphin was shown to inhibit the Ca2+-dependent calmodulin activation of highly purified bovine brain cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (3',5'-cyclic AMP 5'-nucleotidohydrolase, EC 3.1.4.17). Using a series of deletion peptides, the minimal inhibitory peptide sequence was found to correspond to beta-endorphin residues 14-25, confirming previously reported results for crude enzyme preparations. A correlation was found between the relative inhibitory potency of a particular beta-endorphin deletion peptide and the efficacy of cross-linking that peptide to calmodulin with bis(sulfosuccinimidyl) suberate, strongly implicating peptide binding to calmodulin as the mechanism of the observed inhibition. We found that relatively modest concentrations of chlorpromazine significantly reduced the efficiency of cross-linking beta-endorphin 14-31 to calmodulin. Chlorpromazine-Sepharose affinity chromatography of peptide/calmodulin adducts showed that a significant portion of the cross-linked beta-endorphin 14-31/calmodulin complex (stoichiometry of 1 mol/mol) retained the ability to interact with the immobilized phenothiazine in a Ca2+-dependent and calmodulin-displaceable manner. In contrast, the 2:1 (peptide:protein) product exhibited no affinity for the immobilized phenothiazine. The use of this affinity chromatographic step allowed preparation of homogeneous populations of both 1:1 and 2:1 beta-endorphin 13-31/calmodulin complexes and assessment of their functional characteristics. Equilibrium binding studies with chlorpromazine revealed that the covalent attachment of one peptide molecule to calmodulin perturbed all phases of Ca2+-dependent drug binding, but the adduct still bound significant quantities of chlorpromazine. The 2:1 complex, however, showed little detectable binding of the phenothiazine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Specific acylation of calmodulin. Synthesis and adduct formation with a fluorenyl-based spin label

The spin-labeling reagent, N4-(9'-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl)-4-amino-1-oxyl-4-succinimidyloxyca rbonyl- 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, and the same enriched in 14C at the 4-formyl group, were synthesized as new acylating compounds for protein amino groups that can preserve charge. Porcine testicular calmodulin was modified with this reagent at pH 7.8 in the presence of Ca2+ under conditions that yielded a fairly homogeneous derivative as judged by electrophoretic analysis and tryptic digestion patterns. The tryptic peptides were separated by gel filtration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and the resulting, highly purified 14C-labeled peptides were hydrolyzed and their amino acid compositions determined. The results indicate that at least 87% of the modifications occur at lysyl residues 75 and 148, and the former appears to be the most reactive. This bilabeled calmodulin adduct does not activate a bovine brain cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase preparation. The fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl portion of this inactive calmodulin derivative can, however, be removed by conditions that do not diminish native calmodulin activity in the phosphodiesterase assay. The resulting calmodulin adduct is active in the enzymic assay, although with diminished potency compared to calmodulin. The specificity of the reaction of this acylating reagent with calmodulin may be due to recognition of the tricyclic fluorene ring by the phenothiazine-binding sites since it was found that trifluoperazine inhibited the labeling reaction. Also, calmodulin was far more reactive to this reagent than were several other proteins. This is the first report of a specific, characterized lysine modification on calmodulin, and it is possible that other phenothiazine-binding proteins may also exhibit similar selectivity for acylation. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the calmodulin adducts suggest a high degree of spin immobilization in both the Ca2+-free and Ca2+-saturated states.     

Isolation of NPY-25 (neuropeptide Y[12-36]), a potent inhibitor of calmodulin, from porcine brain

In the present purification of low molecular weight fractions (Mr: 2000-4000) containing basic peptides, twenty nmol of novel calmodulin binding peptide, possessing a potent affinity for calmodulin, was isolated from 18 kg of porcine brain. By analysis with gas phase sequencer, the sequence was determined to be APAEDLARYYSALRHYINLITRQRY. Carboxy terminus of the peptide was determined to be Tyr-NH2. The peptide was a carboxy terminal pentacosanepeptide of neuropeptide Y and was termed NPY-25. NPY-25 competitively inhibited the activation of cAMP-phosphodiesterase through CaM binding in a Ca++ dependent fashion, but did not inhibit the basal activity of cAMP phosphodiesterase. NPY-25 elicited a more potent activity than did neuropeptide Y. IC50 values of NPY-25 and Neuropeptide Y were 0.06 microM and 0.54 microM respectively.     

Inhibitory effect of regucalcin on Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity in rat kidney cytosol

The effect of regucalcin, a novel Ca²⁺-binding protein, on Ca²⁺/ calmodulin-dependent cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) phosphodiesterase activity in the cytosol of rat renal cortex was investigated. Regucalcin with physiologic concentration (10^-7 M) in rat kidney had no effect on cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity in the absence of CaCl₂ and calmodulin. However, the activatory effect of both CaCl₂ (10 µM) and calmodulin (20 U/ml) on cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase was markedly inhibited by the addition of regucalcin (10^-8 to 10^-6 M) in the enzyme reaction mixture. The inhibitory effect of regucalcin on the enzyme activity was also seen in the presence of CaCl₂ (5-50 µM) or calmodulin (5-50 U/ml) with increasing concentrations. The presence of trifluoperazine (10 µM), an antagonist of calmodulin, caused a partial inhibition of Ca²⁺ /calmodulin-dependent cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity. This inhibition was further enhanced by the addition of regucalcin (10^-7 M). The inhibitory effect of regucalcin (10^-7 M) was not seen in the presence of 20 µM trifluoperazine. Moreover, the activatory effect of calmodulin (20 U/ml) on cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase was not entirely seen, when calmodulin was added 10 min after incubation in the presence of CaCl₂ (10 µM) and regucalcin (10^-7 M). The present results demonstrates that regucalcin has an inhibitory effect on Ca²⁺ /calmodulin-dependent cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activation in the cytosol of rat renal cortex.     

Interaction of α-N-acetyl-β-endorphin and calmodulin

Acetylation at the α-amino terminal is a common post-translational modification of many peptides and proteins. In the case of the potent opiate peptide β-endorphin, α-N-acetylation is a known physiological modification that abolishes opiate activity. Since there are no known receptors for α-N-acetyl-β-endorphin, we have studied the association of this peptide with calmodulin, a calcium-dependent protein that binds a variety of peptides, phenothiazines, and enzymes, as a model system for studying acetylated endorphin-protein interactions. Association of the acetylated peptide with calmodulin was demonstrated by cross-linking with bis(sulfosuccinimidyl)suberate; like β-endorphin, adducts containing 1 mol and 2 mol of acetylated peptide per mole calmodulin were formed. Some of the bound peptides are evidently in relatively close proximity to each other since, in the presence of amidated (i.e., lysine-blocked) calmodulin, cross-linking yielded peptide dimers. The acetylated peptide exhibited no appreciable helicity in aqueous solution, but in trifluoroethanol (TFE) considerable helicity was formed. Also, a mixture of acetylated peptide and calmodulin was characterized by a circular dichroic spectrum indicative of induced helicity. Empirical prediction rules, applied earlier to β-endorphin, suggest that residues 14–24 exhibit α-helix potential. This segment has the potential of forming an amphipathic helix; this structural unit is believed to be important in calmodulin binding. The acetylated peptide was capable of inhibiting the calmodulin-mediated stimulation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.17) activity with an effective dose for 50% inhibition of about 3 µM; this inhibitory effect was demonstrated using both an enzyme-enriched preparation as well as highly purified enzyme. Thus, acetylation at the α-amino terminal of β-endorphin, although abolishing opiate activity, does not interfere with the binding to calmodulin. Indeed, β-endorphin and the α-N-acetylated peptide behave very similarly with respect to calmodulin association.     

A protein inhibitor of calmodulin-regulated cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in amphibian ovaries

The cytosol fraction of an extract of Xenopus laevis ovaries contains a protein inhibitor that can specifically block the activation of calmodulin-sensitive cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE I) found in that tissue. This inhibitor was purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200, and affinity chromatography on calmodulin-Sepharose. It has a molecular weight of approximately 90,000, and is heat-labile and susceptible to inactivation by chymotrypsin. The inhibitor blocks calmodulin activation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases from amphibian ovary and bovine brain and of the myosin light chain kinase from rabbit smooth muscle, but does not affect the activity of a calmodulin-insensitive cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. The inhibitor not only affects the activation of Xenopus PDE I and of the bovine brain phosphodiesterase by calmodulin, but also inhibits the stimulation of these enzymes by lysophosphatidylcholine. The inhibitor also acts on PDE I activated by partial tryptic proteolysis, but the enzyme fully activated by trypsin is only slightly susceptible to inhibition by this protein. The inhibition of PDE I activation caused by this ovarian factor can be reversed by adding excess amounts of calmodulin or lysophosphatidylcholine. The presence of this inhibitor provides a possible explanation for the previously observed inactivity of PDE I in vivo.     

Characterization of a calmodulin-dependent high-affinity cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase from male mouse germ cells.

Two cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activities were separated by ion-exchange chromatography of cytosol from male mouse germ cells. A form eluted at low salt concentration showed high affinity (Km congruent to 2 microM) and low affinity (Km congruent to 20 microM) for cyclic AMP, and high affinity (Km congruent to 3.5 microM) for cyclic GMP. A second form, eluted at high salt concentration, showed high affinity (Km congruent to 5 microM) for cyclic AMP and was similar to a phosphodiesterase activity described in rat germ cells. The present study was performed to characterize the first form, which represents most of the phosphodiesterase activity in mouse germ cells. The enzyme was sensitive to Ca2+ and calmodulin stimulation, which increased its activity 3-4-fold. Calmodulin stimulation depended on direct interaction of the activator with the enzyme, as indicated by the reversible changes in the chromatographic elution pattern in the presence of Ca2+, as well as by the increase in the sedimentation coefficient in the presence of calmodulin. Reciprocal inhibition kinetics between cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP for the calmodulin-dependent form demonstrated a non-competitive inhibition between the two substrates, suggesting the presence of separate catalytic sites. This is in agreement with kinetic parameters and different thermal stabilities of cyclic AMP- and cyclic GMP-hydrolysing activities. Furthermore, the relevant change in s value, depending on the absence or presence of Ca2+ and calmodulin, suggested that the enzyme is composed of subunits, which aggregate in the presence of the activator. A model for catalytic site composition and reciprocal interaction is also proposed.     

Identification and characterization of a Ca2+-calmodulin-sensitive cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in a human lymphoblastoid cell line.

This study examines the pattern and regulatory properties of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases in a human lymphoblastoid B-cell line (RPMI 8392) established from a patient with acute lymphocytic leukaemia. In this cell line, phosphodiesterase activity measured at 0.25 microM-cyclic AMP is approx. 7-fold greater than that in isolated human peripheral-blood lymphocytes, and 16% of the phosphodiesterase activity in RPMI 8392 cells is associated with particulate fractions. Phosphodiesterase activity in crude fractions of this cell line is reproducibly stimulated by about 60-80% by Ca2+-calmodulin. In the presence of 20 nM-calmodulin, half-maximal stimulation occurs at 0.7 microM-Ca2+. The cytosolic phosphodiesterase activity of RPMI 8392 cells is separated into two forms by DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. The first form is eluted at approx. 0.2 M-sodium acetate, catalyses the hydrolysis of both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP, and is stimulated 3-fold by Ca2+-calmodulin. This form exhibits non-linear kinetics for cyclic AMP in the absence of calmodulin, with extrapolated Km values of 0.8 and 4 microM, and non-linear kinetics in the presence of calmodulin, with extrapolated Km values of 0.5 and 1 microM. The Vmax. values are increased approx. 3-fold by calmodulin. The second form is eluted at approx. 0.6 M-sodium acetate, is specific for cyclic AMP, and insensitive to stimulation by Ca2+-calmodulin. The Ca2+-calmodulin-sensitive phosphodiesterase from the DEAE-Sephacel column can be adsorbed to a calmodulin-Sepharose affinity column and eluted with EGTA. This enzymic activity can also be immunoprecipitated by a monoclonal antibody directed against a calmodulin-bovine heart phosphodiesterase complex. This study documents the existence of Ca2+-calmodulin-sensitive phosphodiesterase in a cultured lymphoblastoid cell line derived from a leukaemic patient.     

Endogenous Peptides That Inhibit Brain Cyclic AMP Phosphodiesterase

Peptide extracts of rat brain powerfully inhibited the cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activity of rat brain homogenate. Similar extracts of ox brain showed comparable although less potent activity. Preliminary investigation of the physicochemical properties of brain extracts indicated that the rat brain extract contained an active peptide of low molecular weight (about 1400), whereas ox brain contained two such peptides (about 1400 and 900). These studies indicate that endogenous oligopeptides that inhibit cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase are present in brain. Experiments on several pure peptides known to be present in brain. Experiments on several pure peptides known to be present in the CNS showed that the majority were inactive against brain phosphodiesterase, but ACTH(1-24), somatostatin, substance P and Lys8-vasopressin, in descending order of potency, were active. To help distinguish the peptides found in rat and ox brain extracts from known peptides, preliminary analyses of amino acid composition were performed. These suggested that the peptides found in brain extracts were distinct from known peptides having the ability to inhibit cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase.     

Calmodulin-like activity in Mucor rouxii

Abstract A modulator factor with properties similar to those of calmodulin was found and partially purified from the soluble fraction of Mucor rouxii . These properties include: heat-stability, stimulation in a Ca²⁺-dependent fashion of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from bovine brain, and inhibition of this process by trifluoperazine. This calmodulin-like activity was detected in the soluble fraction of both mycelium and yeast-like cells of the fungus.     

Dynamics of calmodulin and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in plasma membranes of rat livers and ascites hepatomas

1. Plasma membranes from ascites hepatoma cells (AH-7974, AH-130) contained much smaller amounts of calmodulin (about half) and cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (about one-third) compared to plasma membranes of rat livers. 2. Some of calmodulin molecules in liver plasma membranes were released by repeated washing. The 'washed' liver plasma membranes showed the presence of specific binding sites for externally added calmodulin molecules (bovine brain) (N = 140 pmol/mg protein, Kd = 7.9 . 10(-8) M). The calmodulin content of AH-7974 plasma membranes was not reduced by repeated washing. The binding of calmodulin to the 'washed' AH-7974 plasma membranes was only of nonspecific nature with negative cooperativity. 3. Plasma membranes (liver and AH-7974) appeared to contain both calmodulin-dependent and calmodulin-independent phosphodiesterase, but the stimulation by externally added Ca2+ plus calmodulin was rather small. Externally added calmodulin-dependent phosphodiesterase (bovine brain) was bound more to 'washed' liver plasma membranes than to 'washed' AH-7974 plasma membranes. Newly bound phosphodiesterase appeared to be more sensitive to the stimulation by Ca2+ plus calmodulin in 'washed' hepatoma plasma membranes than in 'washed' liver plasma membranes. 4. Preincubation of 'washed' plasma membranes (liver and hepatoma) with calmodulin did not affect the binding of phosphodiesterase, but the sensitivity of phosphodiesterase to the stimulation by Ca2+ plus calmodulin in hepatoma plasma membranes was lost.     

Effects of Peptides of the Secretin-Glucagon Family and Cyclic Nucleotides on Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity in Sympathetic Nerve Endings

Previous studies have shown that certain peptides of the secretin-glucagon family stimulate tyrosine hydroxylase activity in sympathetic neurons of the superior cervical ganglion and three of its end organs, i.e., the iris, pineal gland, and submaxillary gland. To determine whether a similar regulation occurs in other sympathetic neurons, the effects of two of these peptides, secretin and vasoactive intestinal peptide, were examined in the right cardiac ventricle of the rat, a tissue innervated primarily by the middle and inferior cervical ganglia. Both peptides stimulated tyrosine hydroxylase activity, measured in situ, in this tissue. In addition, several second messenger systems were investigated as possible mediators of this peptidergic stimulation of tyrosine hydroxylase activity in autonomic end organs. 8-Bromoadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate and forskolin elevated tyrosine hydroxylase activity in slices of both the right ventricle and the submaxillary gland. 8-Bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate also stimulated tyrosine hydroxylase activity in both tissues, whereas nitroprusside stimulated activity only in the submaxillary slices. Furthermore, the phosphodiesterase inhibitors 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine and/or Ro 20-1724 potentiated the stimulation by secretin, as well as the stimulations by forskolin and nitroprusside. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate also stimulated tyrosine hydroxylase activity in cardiac and submaxillary slices; however, no potentiation of these effects was seen following addition of either phosphodiesterase inhibitor. These data, taken together with those of previous studies, suggest a role for a cyclic nucleotide, probably adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate, in the peptidergic stimulation of tyrosine hydroxylase activity in sympathetic nerve terminals.     

Interactions of basic polypeptides and proteins with calmodulin.

Low concentrations (less than 10 microgram/ml) of a number of highly basic polypeptides inhibit the calmodulin-stimulated cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. Inhibitory compounds include synthetic polypeptides [polylysine (D and L) and polyarginine] and basic proteins (protamine, histones H1, H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 and myelin basic protein). Polylysine of mol.wt. about 2000 or higher was inhibitory, but pentalysine did not inhibit. Other basic proteins and compounds did not inhibit, including bradykinin, spermine and putrescine. In mixtures of calmodulin and basic protein, complexes were formed whether Ca2+ was present or not. This was true for polylysine, myelin basic protein and histone H2B. These interactions suggest that the inhibition of the phosphodiesterase is due to interaction of these basic proteins with calmodulin. The wide variety of basic polypeptides and proteins that affect the calmodulin stimulation of phosphodiesterase indicates that these interactions are not specific.     

Possible involvement of calmodulin in maturation and activation of Chaetopterus eggs

We report the isolation of calmodulin from oocytes of Chaetopterus pergamentaceus. The identification of this protein is based on (1) activation of beef heart cAMP phosphodiesterase, (2) heat stability, (3) sensitivity to chlorpromazine, and (4) electrophoretic mobility identical to that of porcine brain calmodulin after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of either Ca2+ or EGTA. We treated oocytes with chlorpromazine and W-7 to investigate the involvement of calmodulin in meiosis initiation and egg activation. Very low concentrations of chlorpromazine inhibited germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). This effect was shown to be dependent upon bright indirect light, since the drug was much less effective at GVBD inhibition under conditions of very low illumination. Higher concentrations of chlorpromazine and W-7 (100 microM) inhibited GVBD and activated eggs with intact germinal vesicles as determined by fertilization envelope formation and the onset of ameboid activity. Neither egg activation nor inhibition of calmodulin stimulation of phosphodiesterase activity in vitro was affected by light. These results are consistent with a role for calmodulin in egg activation and GVBD, but suggest that chlorpromazine in bright light may prevent GVBD by some mechanism other than calmodulin inhibition.     

Characterization of a novel calmodulin from Dictyostelium discoideum

We have purified calmodulin from the eukaryotic microorganism Dictyostelium discoideum (Clarke, M., Bazari, W. L., and Kayman, S. C. (1980) J. Bacteriol. 141, 397-400) and have compared it to calmodulin purified from bovine brain. The two proteins behaved almost identically during fractionation on ion exchange and gel filtration columns and on isoelectric focusing gels. Dictyostelium calmodulin had one-third the specific activity of brain calmodulin in the Ca2+-dependent activation of brain cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase; this activation was inhibited for both proteins by 25 microM trifluoperazine. Dictyostelium calmodulin also activated erythrocyte (Ca2+ + Mg2+)-ATPase and interacted with the inhibitory subunit of skeletal muscle troponin. Competition radioimmune assays showed that Dictyostelium calmodulin could compete with brain calmodulin for antibodies to brain calmodulin. These similarities indicate a close relationship between Dictyostelium and brain calmodulin and suggest that the functional capabilities of the protein have been conserved even among evolutionarily distant species. However, substantial differences in primary structure were detected by amino acid analyses and peptide mapping. Most interesting is the lack of trimethyllysine in Dictyostelium calmodulin. This unusual amino acid, which is commonly found in calmodulins, is therefore not essential for interaction between calmodulin and the calmodulin-regulated proteins tested here.     

Purification of a cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from bovine brain using blue dextran-Sepharose chromatography.

The soluble high Km form of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (EC 3.4.1.17) was purified over 2000-fold from bovine brain homogenates principally using blue dextran-Sepharose chromatography. The purified protein has a specific enzymic activity of 167 units/mg and appears homogeneous when examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 1.26 +/- 0.05 x 10(5) consisting of two apparently identical polypeptide chains. Kinetic measurements indicate that the substrates cyclic GMP and cyclic AMP each have a single Km value, 9 +/- 1 micron and 150 +/- 50 micron, respectively, that the two cyclic nucleotides compete for the same catalytic site, that the blue dye of blue dextran-Sepharose is a competitive inhibitor for the cyclic nucleotides, and that the Vmax with cyclic AMP as substrate is about an order of magnitude larger than that for cyclic GMP. Bovine brain calmodulin stimulates the catalytic rate of the purified enzyme in the presence of Ca2+ by increasing the Vmax associated with each cyclic nucleotide substrate.     

Proteolytic activation of calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase

Purified calmodulin-stimulated cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from brain, a homodimer of 59-kDa subunits, was activated by limited proteolysis with trypsin, alpha-chymotrypsin, Pronase, or papain and could not be further stimulated by addition of Ca2+ and calmodulin. Proteolysis increased Vmax and had little effect on the Km for cGMP. Treatment with alpha-chymotrypsin in the presence of ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) produced, sequentially, 57- and 45-kDa peptides from the bovine and 55-, 53-, and 38-kDa peptides from the ovine enzyme. This protease-treated phosphodiesterase exhibited a Stokes radius of 3.9 nm and an S20,w value of 4.55; comparison with the hydrodynamic properties observed for native enzyme (4.3 nm, 5.95 S) strongly suggests a dimeric protein of Mr approximately 80,000-90,000. The proteolyzed species does not interact significantly with calmodulin immobilized on agarose, nor does it show complex formation with 2-dimethylaminonaphthalene-1-sulfonyl-calmodulin even at micromolar concentrations of protein. Proteolysis, in the presence of calmodulin plus Ca2+, fully activated phosphodiesterase, producing the same intermediate peptides; however, final peptides from the bovine and ovine enzymes were 47 and 42 kDa, respectively, indicating a new, specific conformation of the enzyme. When EGTA was added to such incubations, these peptides were cleaved to those of the size seen when proteolysis was carried out entirely in the presence of EGTA. The initial rate of activation was increased by the presence of Ca2+ and calmodulin, suggesting that, in complex, phosphodiesterase exhibits a site with increased susceptibility to proteolysis. Since calmodulin can still interact with a fully activated form of the enzyme, it appears that retention of calmodulin binding can occur concomitantly with damage to that portion of the phosphodiesterase molecule responsible for suppression of its basal catalytic activity.     

Drug-protein interactions: binding of chlorpromazine to calmodulin, calmodulin fragments, and related calcium binding proteins

The quantitative binding of a phenothiazine drug to calmodulin, calmodulin fragments, and structurally related calcium binding proteins was measured under conditions of thermodynamic equilibrium by using a gel filtration method. Plant and animal calmodulins, troponin C, S100 alpha, and S100 beta bind chlorpromazine in a calcium-dependent manner with different stoichiometries and affinities for the drug. The interaction between calmodulin and chlorpromazine appears to be a complex, calcium-dependent phenomenon. Bovine brain calmodulin bound approximately 5 mol of drug per mol of protein with apparent half-maximal binding at 17 microM drug. Large fragments of calmodulin had limited ability to bind chlorpromazine. The largest fragment, containing residues 1-90, retained only 5% of the drug binding activity of the intact protein. A reinvestigation of the chlorpromazine inhibition of calmodulin stimulation of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase further indicated a complex, multiple equilibrium among the reaction components and demonstrated that the order of addition of components to the reaction altered the drug concentration required for half-maximal inhibition of the activity over a 10-fold range. These results confirm previous observations using immobilized phenothiazines [Marshak, D.R., Watterson, D.M., & Van Eldik, L.J. (1981) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 78, 6793-6797] that indicated a subclass of calcium-modulated proteins bound phenothiazines in a calcium-dependent manner, demonstrate that the interaction between phenothiazines and calmodulin is more complex than previously assumed, and suggest that extended regions of the calmodulin molecule capable of forming the appropriate conformation are required for specific, high-affinity, calcium-dependent drug binding activity.     

Urodilatin attenuates sympathetic neurotransmission in the rabbit isolated vas deferens without activating guanylyl cyclase.

Natriuretic peptides are produced in cardiovascular, renal and neural tissues and are believed to reduce arterial blood pressure by augmenting sodium and water loss in the urine. Another potential antihypertensive action of these peptides involves a suppression of adrenergic neurotransmission. Atrial, brain and C-type natriuretic peptides suppress sympathetic neurotransmission but no data are available on neuromodulatory actions of urodilatin. This study investigates the hypothesis that urodilatin and brain natriuretic peptide inhibit sympathetic neurotransmission by elevating guanylyl cyclase activity. Both brain natriuretic peptide and urodilatin suppressed force generation in response to electrical stimulation of the vas deferens. Brain natriuretic peptide accelerated the production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate equipotently with its effects on neurotransmission. However, urodilatin failed to increase guanylyl cyclase activity, thus dissociating its effects on neurotransmission from guanylyl cyclase stimulation. None of the natriuretic peptides altered contractile effects of either adenosine triphosphate or norepinephrine, the two putative neurotransmitters secreted from adrenergic nerves in the vas deferens. These data are consistent with the following conclusions: 1) all of the known endogenous natriuretic peptides suppress adrenergic neurotransmission; 2) guanylyl cyclase activation is not required for the inhibition of sympathetic neurotransmission by natriuretic peptides; and 3) inhibitory effects of the natriuretic peptides on neurotransmission result from a suppression of neurotransmitter exocytosis. The novel findings of this study include both the suppression of sympathetic neurotransmission by urodilatin and its biological activity in the absence of guanylyl cyclase activation.