A phospholamban protein phosphatase activity associated with cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum

Canine cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum vesicles contain intrinsic phospholamban protein phosphatase activity, which is also effective in dephosphorylating phosphorylase a. The phosphatase associated with sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes was solubilized with Triton X-100 and subjected to chromatography on Mono Q HR 5/5 and polylysine-agarose. A single peak of phosphatase activity was eluted from each column and it was coincident for both phospholamban and phosphorylase a, used as substrates. Thermal denaturation of the enzyme resulted in progressive and coincident loss of both phospholamban and phosphorylase a phosphatase activities. Enzymic activity was partially inhibited by protein phosphatase inhibitor 1. Migration of the enzyme during sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation corresponded to a globular protein with an apparent Mr of 46,000. This enzyme preparation could dephosphorylate both the calcium-calmodulin-dependent as well as the cAMP-dependent sites on phospholamban. Thus, dephosphorylation of phospholamban by this sarcoplasmic reticulum-associated phosphatase may participate in modulating sarcoplasmic reticulum function in cardiac muscle.     

The MgATP-dependent protein phosphatase and protein phosphatase 1 have identical substrate specificities

The MgATP-dependent phosphorylase phosphatase was found to have a broad substrate specificity. Its activity against all phosphoproteins tested was dependent upon preincubation with the activating factor FA and MgATP. The enzyme dephosphorylated and inactivated phosphorylase kinase and inhibitor 1, and dephosphorylated and activated glycogen synthase and acetyl-CoA carboxylase. Glycogen synthase was dephosphorylated at similar rates whether it had been phosphorylated by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase, phosphorylase kinase or glycogen synthase kinase 3. The enzyme also catalysed the dephosphorylation of ATP citrate lyase, initiation factor eIF-2, and troponin I. The properties of the MgATP-dependent protein phosphatase from either dog liver or rabbit skeletal muscle showed a remarkable similarity to highly purified preparations of protein phosphatase 1 from rabbit skeletal muscle. The relative activities of the two enzymes against all phosphoproteins tested was very similar. Both enzymes dephosphorylated the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase 40-fold faster than the alpha-subunit, and both enzymes were inhibited by identical concentrations of the two proteins termed inhibitor 1 and inhibitor 2, which inhibit protein phosphatase 1 specifically. These results demonstrate that the MgATP-dependent protein phosphatase is a type-1 protein phosphatase, and is distinct from type-2 protein phosphatases which dephosphorylate the alpha-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and are unaffected by inhibitor 1 and inhibitor 2. The possibility that the MgATP-dependent protein phosphatase is an inactive form of protein phosphatase 1 and that both proteins share the same catalytic subunit is discussed.     

Modulation of rat liver hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase by protein phosphatases: purification of nonspecific hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA reductase phosphatases

Four phosphoprotein phosphatases, with the ability to act upon hydroxymethylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA reductase, phosphorylase, and glycogen synthase have been purified from rat liver cytosol through a process that involves DEAE-cellulose, aminohexyl-Sepharose-4B, and Bio-Gel A 1.5 m chromatographies. Protein phosphatase II (Mr 180,000) was the major enzyme (68%) with a very broad substrate specificity, showing similar activity toward the three substrates. Phosphatases I1 (Mr 180,000) and I3 (Mr 250,000) accounted for only 12 and 15% of the total activity, respectively, and they were also able to dephosphorylate the three substrates. In contrast, phosphatase I2 (Mr 200,000) showed only phosphorylase phosphatase activity with insignificant dephosphorylating capacity toward HMG-CoA reductase and glycogen synthase. Upon ethanol treatment at room temperature, the Mr of all phosphatases changed; protein phosphatases I2, I3, and II were brought to an Mr of 35,000, while phosphatase I1 was reduced to an Mr of 69,000. Glycogen synthase phosphatase activity was decreased in all four phosphatases. There was also a decrease in phosphatase I1 activity toward HMG-CoA reductase and phosphorylase as substrates. The HMG-CoA reductase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activities of phosphatases I2, I3, and II were increased after ethanol treatment. Each protein phosphatase showed a different optimum pH, which changed depending on the substrate. The four phosphatases increased their activity in the presence of Mn2+ and Mg2+. In general, Mn2+ was a better activator than Mg2+, and phosphatase I1 showed a stronger dependency on these cations than any other phosphatase. Phosphorylase was a competitive substrate in the HMG-CoA reductase phosphatase and glycogen synthase phosphatase reactions of protein phosphatases I1, I3, and II. HMG-CoA reductase was also able to compete with phosphorylase and glycogen synthase for phosphatase activity. Glycogen synthase phosphatase activity presented less inhibition in the low-Mr forms. A comparison has been made with other protein phosphatases previously reported in the literature.     

Purification and characterization of multiple S6 phosphatases from the rat parotid gland

S6 phosphatase activities, which dephosphorylate the phosphorylated S6 synthetic peptide, RRLSSLRASTSKSESSQK, were purified to near homogeneity from the membrane and cytosolic fractions of the rat parotid gland. Multiple S6 phosphatases were fractionated on Mono Q and gel filtration columns. In the cytosolic fraction, at least three forms of S6 phosphatase, termed peaks I, II, and III, were differentially resolved. The three forms had different sizes and protein compositions. The peak I enzyme, which had an approximately Mr of 68 kDa on gel filtration, appears to represent a dimeric form of the 39 kDa protein. This S6 phosphatase showed the high activity in the presence of EGTA and was completely inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of either okadaic acid or inhibitor 2. The peak II S6 phosphatase enzyme, with an Mr of 35 kDa, was activated by Mn²⁺. This form could be a proteolytic product of the catalytic subunit of type 1 phosphatase, due to its sensitivities to okadaic acid and inhibitor 2. The peak III enzyme, with an Mr of 55 kDa, is a Mn²⁺-dependent S6 phosphatase. This S6 phosphatase can be classified as a type 1 phosphatase, due to its sensitivity to okadaic acid, since the IC₅₀ of okadaic acid is 4 nM. However, the molecular mass of this S6 phosphatase differs from that of the type 1 catalytic subunit (37 kDa) and showed less sensitivity to inhibitor 2. On the other hand, the membrane fraction contained one form of the S6 phosphatases, termed peak V (Mr 34 and 28 kDa), which could be classified as a type 1 phosphatase. This S6 phosphatase activity was greatly stimulated by Mn²⁺.Abbreviations PP1-C catalytic subunit of type 1 protein phosphatase - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate - Hepes 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethane sulfonic acid - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride - Mops 4-morpholine propanesulfonic acid - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetate - EGTA [ethylenbis (oxyethylenenitrilo)]-tetra acetic acid     

Isolation and characterization of rabbit skeletal muscle protein phosphatases C-I and C-II

Previous studies have shown that phosphorylase phosphatase can be isolated from rabbit liver and bovine heart as a form of Mr approximately 35,000 after an ethanol treatment of tissue extracts. This enzyme form was designated as protein phosphatase C. In the present study, reproducible methods for the isolation of two forms of protein phosphatase C from rabbit skeletal muscle to apparent homogeneity are described. Protein phosphatase C-I was obtained in yields of up to 20%, with specific activities toward phosphorylase a of 8,000-16,000 units/mg of protein. This enzyme represents the major phosphorylase phosphatase activity present in the ethanol-treated muscle extracts. The second enzyme, protein phosphatase C-II, had a much lower specific activity toward phosphorylase a (250-900 units/mg). Phosphatase C-I and phosphatase C-II had Mr = 32,000 and 33,500, respectively, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate disc gel electrophoresis. The two enzymes displayed distinct enzymatic properties. Phosphatase C-II was associated with a more active alkaline phosphatase activity toward p-nitrophenyl phosphate than was phosphatase C-I. Phosphatase C-II activities were activated by Mn2+, whereas phosphatase C-I was inhibited. Phosphatase C-I was inhibited by rabbit skeletal muscle inhibitor 2 while phosphatase C-II was not inhibited. Both enzymes dephosphorylated glycogen synthase and phosphorylase kinase, but displayed different specificities toward the alpha- and beta-subunit phosphates of phosphorylase kinase (Ganapathi, M. K., Silberman, S. R., Paris, H., and Lee, E. Y. C. (1980) J. Biol. Chem. 246, 3213-3217). The amino acid compositions of the two proteins were similar. Peptide mapping of the two proteins showed that they are distinct proteins and do not have a precursor-proteolytic product relationship.     

Distinct type-1 protein phosphatases are associated with hepatic glycogen and microsomes

The type-1 protein phosphatase associated with hepatic microsomes has been distinguished from the glycogen-bound enzyme in five ways. (1) The phosphorylase phosphatase/synthase phosphatase activity ratio of the microsomal enzyme (measured using muscle phosphorylase a and glycogen synthase (labelled in sites-3) as substrates) was 50-fold higher than that of the glycogen-bound enzyme. (2) The microsomal enzyme had a greater sensitivity to inhibitors-1 and 2. (3) Release of the catalytic subunit from the microsomal type-1 phosphatase by tryptic digestion was accompanied by a 2-fold increase in synthase phosphatase activity, whereas release of the catalytic subunit from the glycogen-bound enzyme decreased synthase phosphatase activity by 60%. (4) 95% of the synthase phosphatase activity was released from the microsomes with 0.3 M NaCl, whereas little activity could be released from the glycogen fraction with salt. (5) The type-1 phosphatase separated from glycogen by anion-exchange chromatography could be rebound to glycogen, whereas the microsomal enzyme (separated from the microsomes by the same procedure, or by extraction with NaCl) could not. These findings indicate that the synthase phosphatase activity of the microsomal enzyme is not explained by contamination with glycogen-bound enzyme. The microsomal and glycogen-associated enzymes may contain a common catalytic subunit complexed to microsomal and glycogen-binding subunits, respectively. Thiophosphorylase a was a potent inhibitor of the dephosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6, HMG-CoA reductase and glycogen synthase, by the glycogen-associated type-1 protein phosphatase. By contrast, thiophosphorylase a did not inhibit the dephosphorylation of S6 or HMG-CoA reductase by the microsomal enzyme, although the dephosphorylation of glycogen synthase was inhibited. The I50 for inhibition of synthase phosphatase activity by thiophosphorylase a catalysed by either the glycogen-associated or microsomal type-1 phosphatases, or for inhibition of S6 phosphatase activity catalysed by the glycogen-associated enzyme, was decreased 20-fold to 5-10 nM in the presence of glycogen. The results suggest that the physiologically relevant inhibitor of the glycogen-associated type-1 phosphatase is the phosphorylase a-glycogen complex, and that inhibition of the microsomal type-1 phosphatase by phosphorylase a is unlikely to play a role in the hormonal control of cholesterol or protein synthesis. Protein phosphatase-1 appears to be the principal S6 phosphatase in mammalian liver acting on the serine residues phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Purification and characterization of ribosomal protein S6 kinase I from Xenopus eggs

Ribosomal protein S6 kinase I has been purified from unfertilized Xenopus eggs to near homogeneity as a Mr = 90,000 protein. S6 kinase I is phosphorylated when activated in vivo and can be phosphorylated by mitogen-activated protein kinase in vitro. The purified enzyme is inactivated upon treatment with protein phosphatase 2A. Immunological data and analysis of substrate specificity demonstrate that S6 kinase I is related to, but distinct from, the previously characterized S6 kinase II. Both enzymes are members of the ribosomal protein S6 kinase (rsk) gene family.     

The protein phosphatases involved in cellular regulation. 1. Classification and substrate specificities

The protein phosphatase activities involved in regulating the major pathways of intermediary metabolism can be explained by only four enzymes which can be conveniently divided into two classes, type-1 and type-2. Type-1 protein phosphatases dephosphorylate the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and are potently inhibited by two thermostable proteins termed inhibitor-1 and inhibitor-2, whereas type-2 protein phosphatases preferentially dephosphorylate the alpha-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and are insensitive to inhibitor-1 and inhibitor-2. The substrate specificities of the four enzymes, namely protein phosphatase-1 (type-1) and protein phosphatases 2A, 2B and 2C (type-2) have been investigated. Eight different protein kinases were used to phosphorylate 13 different substrate proteins on a minimum of 20 different serine and threonine residues. These substrates include proteins involved in the regulation of glycogen metabolism, glycolysis, fatty acid synthesis, cholesterol synthesis, protein synthesis and muscle contraction. The studies demonstrate that protein phosphatase-1 and protein phosphatase 2A have very broad substrate specificities. The major differences, apart from the site specificity for phosphorylase kinase, are the much higher myosin light chain phosphatase and ATP-citrate lyase phosphatase activities of protein phosphatase-2A. Protein phosphatase-2C (an Mg2+-dependent enzyme) also has a broad specificity, but can be distinguished from protein phosphatase-2A by its extremely low phosphorylase phosphatase and histone H1 phosphatase activities, and its slow dephosphorylation of sites (3a + 3b + 3c) on glycogen synthase relative to site-2 of glycogen synthase. It has extremely high hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA (HMG-CoA) reductase phosphatase and HMG-CoA reductase kinase phosphatase activity. Protein phosphatase-2B (a Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent enzyme) is the most specific phosphatase and only dephosphorylated three of the substrates (the alpha-subunit of phosphorylase kinase, inhibitor-1 and myosin light chains) at a significant rate. It is specifically inhibited by the phenathiazine drug, trifluoperazine. Examination of the amino acid sequences around each phosphorylation site does not support the idea that protein phosphatase specificity is determined by the primary structure in the immediate vicinity of the phosphorylation site.     

Specificity of a protein phosphatase inhibitor from rabbit skeletal muscle.

A hear-stable protein, which is a specific inhibitor of protein phosphatase-III, was purified 700-fold from skeletal muscle by a procedure that involved heat-treatment at 95 degrees C, chromatography on DEAE-cellulose and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100. The final step completely resolved the protein phosphatase inhibitor from the protein inhibitor of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The phosphorylase phosphatase, beta-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase, glycogen synthase phosphatase-1 and glycogen synthase phosphatase-2 activities of protein phosphatase-III [Antoniw, J. F., Nimmo, H. G., Yeaman, S. J. & Cohen, P.(1977) Biochem.J. 162, 423-433] were inhibited in a very similar manner by the protein phosphatase inhibitor and at least 95% inhibition was observed at high concentrations of inhibitor. The two forms of protein phosphatase-III, termed IIIA and IIIB, were equally susceptible to the protein phosphatase inhibitor. The protein phosphatase inhibitor was at least 200 times less effective in inhibiting the activity of protein phosphatase-I and protein phosphatase-II. The high degree of specificity of the inhibitor for protein phosphatase-III was used to show that 90% of the phosphorylase phosphatase and glycogen synthase phosphatase activities measured in muscle extracts are catalysed by protein phosphatase-III. Protein phosphatase-III was tightly associated with the protein-glycogen complex that can be isolated from skeletal muscle, whereas the protein phosphatase inhibitor and protein phosphatase-II were not. The results provide further evidence that the enzyme that catalyses the dephosphorylation of the alpha-subunit of phosphorylase kinase (protein phosphatase-II) and the enzyme that catalyses the dephosphorylation of the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase (protein phosphatase-III) are distinct. The results suggest that the protein phosphatase inhibitor may be a useful probe for differentiating different classes of protein phosphatases in mammalian cells.     

Purification and characterization of a protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatase from rat spleen which dephosphorylates and inactivates a tyrosine-specific protein kinase

A particulate form of protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatase was solubilized and purified over 2,000-fold from the particulate fraction of rat spleen. Phosphorylated poly(Glu, Tyr), a random copolymer of glutamic acid and tyrosine, was used as substrate for measuring protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity. Nonionic detergents like Triton X-100 increased the protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity of the particulate fraction (but not of the soluble fraction) by 4-8-fold. Chromatography of the Triton extract of the particulate fraction on DEAE-Sephacel gave three peaks of protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatase activity. The major peak of activity was further purified on Bio-Gel HTP, Sephadex G-75, and phosphocellulose columns. On polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of Na-dodecyl-SO4 the purified enzyme showed a major protein band of Mr 36,000 which comigrated with enzyme activity on the phosphocellulose column. The apparent Vmax and Km for phosphorylated poly(Glu,Tyr) were 6,150 nmol min-1 mg-1 and 1.6 microM, respectively. This enzyme was strongly inhibited by microM concentrations of orthovanadate and zinc acetate. Fluoride (50 mM) inhibited this enzyme only by 30-40%. Divalent metal ions Ca2+, Mg2+, and Mn2+ were inhibitory at 1-10 mM concentration. EDTA had no effect on the activity of the purified enzyme. This phosphatase could dephosphorylate and inactivate the phosphorylated form of a tyrosine-specific protein kinase (TK-I) previously purified from rat spleen. Dephosphorylation and inactivation of TK-I by purified phosphatase were inhibited by orthovanadate. After dephosphorylation and inactivation by phosphatase, TK-I could be rephosphorylated and reactivated on incubation with ATP. These results suggest that this protein-phosphotyrosine phosphatase may be involved in the regulation of the kinase activity of TK-I.     

Rabbit muscle glycogen-bound phosphoprotein phosphatases: substrate specificities and effects of inhibitor-1

A phosphoprotein phosphatase which has an apparent molecular weight of 240,000 was partially purified (500-fold) from the glycogen-protein complex of rabbit skeletal muscle. The enzyme exhibited broad substrate specificity as it dephosphorylated phosphorylase, phosphohistones, glycogen synthase, phosphorylase kinase, regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, and phosphatase inhibitor 1. The phosphatase showed high specificity towards dephosphorylation of the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and site 2 of glycogen synthase. With the latter substrate, the presence of phosphate in sites 1a and 1b decreased the apparent Vmax, perhaps by inhibiting the dephosphorylation of site 2. The phosphorylated form of inhibitor 1 did not significantly inhibit this high-molecular-weight phosphatase. However, an inhibitor 1-sensitive phosphatase activity could be derived from this preparation by limited trypsinization. Furthermore, greater than 70% of the phosphatase activity in skeletal muscle extracts and in the glycogen-protein complex was insensitive to inhibitor 1. Limited trypsinization of each fraction obtained from the phosphatase purification increased the total activity (1.5- to 2-fold) and converted the enzyme into a form which was inhibited by inhibitor 1. The results suggest that inhibitor 1-sensitive phosphatase may be a proteolyzed enzyme.     

Solubilization and characterization of phosphoprotein phosphatase(s) from bovine corpus-luteum plasma membranes.

Plasma membrane fractions I and II isolated from bovine corpus luteum contain phosphoprotein phosphatases. Enzyme activities associated with both membrane fractions showed pH optima in the neutral range and were most active with phosphoprotamine as the exogenous substrate. The enzyme activity was partially inhibited by Co2+, Zn2+ and Fe2+. Dithioerythritol, glutathione (reduced) and 2-mercaptoethanol stimulated the enzyme activity, whereas N-ethylmaleimide and N-phenylmaleimide were inhibitory. Similarly, various cyclic nucleotides and nuclsoside triphosphates also inhibited phosphoprotein phosphatase activities. The phosphatase activity was also observed with endogenous phosphorylated membrane proteins as substrate. The endogenous phosphorylation of membranes was rapid and attained a maximal level after 15--20 min of incubation. Initially endogenous dephosphorylation was also very rapid, but did not reach completion. In addition to phosphoprotein phosphatase, membrane preparations also possessed very active cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Phosphoprotein phosphatase activity from plasma membranes was solubilized by ionic and nonionic detergents. Optimal solubilization was achieved with 0.1% sodium deoxycholate. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation of deoxycholate-solubilized fraction I and fraction II membranes resolved phosphoprotein phosphatase activity into two species with apparent sedimentation coefficients of 6.7 S (Mr 130000) and 4.8 S (Mr 90000). Cyclic-AMPstimulated protein kinase activity sedimented as a broad peak with a sedimentation coefficient of 5.5 S (Mr 110000).     

Purification and properties of the catalytic subunit of the branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase phosphatase from bovine kidney mitochondria

The catalytic subunit of the branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) phosphatase (Damuni, Z., Merryfield, M.L., Humphreys, J.S., and Reed, L.J., (1984) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 81, 4335-4338) has been purified over 50,000-fold from extracts of bovine kidney mitochondria. The apparently homogeneous protein consists of a single polypeptide chain with an apparent Mr = approximately 33,000 as estimated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. BCKDH phosphatase, with an apparent Mr = 460,000, was dissociated to its catalytic subunit with no apparent change in activity, at an early stage in the purification procedure by treatment with 6 M urea. The specific activity of the catalytic subunit was 1,500-2,500 units/mg. The catalytic subunit exhibited approximately 10% maximal activity with 32P-labeled pyruvate dehydrogenase complex but was inactive with phosphorylase a and with p-nitrophenyl phosphate. The catalytic subunit, like the Mr = 460,000 species, was inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of BCKDH phosphatase inhibitor protein, was unaffected by protein phosphatase inhibitor 1 and inhibitor 2, and was inhibited by nucleoside tri- and diphosphates but not by nucleoside monophosphates.     

Characterization of phosphoprotein phosphatases and phosphorylase phosphatase from yeast

Three peaks of protein phosphatase (phosphoprotein phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.16) activity (fractions a, b and c) acting on muscle phosphorylase (1,4-alpha-D-glucan:orthophosphate alpha-D-glucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.1) were separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography of yeast extracts. In contrast to fractions a and b, only fraction c was able to liberate phosphate from 32P-labelled inactivated yeast phosphorylase. The activity of fraction c on both substrates was totally dependent on the presence of bivalent metal ions (Mg2+, Mn2+), and was activated by Mg . ATP. Following freezing in the presence of mercaptoethanol, fractions a and b were also able to dephosphorylate yeast phosphorylase. Rabbit muscle phosphoprotein phosphatase inhibitors 1 and 2 showed that yeast phosphatases acting on muscle phosphorylase were inhibited by inhibitor 2 but not by inhibitor 1. The action of fraction c on yeast phosphorylase was not inhibited by either inhibitor. The native yeast phosphorylase phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.17) was purified 8000-fold by ion-exchange chromatography, casein-Sepharose chromatography and Sephadex G-200 gel filtration. The purified enzyme was unable to dephosphorylate rabbit muscle phosphorylase a, but acted on casein phosphate (Km 3.3 mg/ml). Molecular weight was estimated to be 78 000 and pH optimum 6.5-7.5. Activity of the enzyme was dependent on bivalent metal ions (Mg2+, Mn2+) and was inhibited by fluoride (Ki 20 mM) and succinate (Ki 10 mM).     

Insulin stimulates a novel Mn2+-dependent cytosolic serine kinase in rat adipocytes

The cytosolic fraction of insulin-treated adipocytes exhibits a 2-fold increase in protein kinase activity when Kemptide is used as a substrate. The detection of insulin-stimulated kinase activity is critically dependent on the presence of phosphatase inhibitors such as fluoride and vanadate in the cell homogenization buffer. The cytosolic protein kinase activity exhibits high sensitivity (ED50 = 2 X 10(-10) M) and a rapid response (maximal after 2 min) to insulin. Kinetic analyses of the cytosolic kinase indicate that insulin increases the Vmax of Kemptide phosphorylation and ATP utilization without affecting the affinities of this enzyme toward the substrate or nucleotide. Upon chromatography on anion-exchange and gel filtration columns, the insulin-stimulated cytosolic kinase activity is resolved from the cAMP-dependent protein kinase and migrates as a single peak with an apparent Mr = 50,000-60,000. The partially purified kinase preferentially utilizes histones, Kemptide, multifunctional calmodulin-dependent protein kinase substrate peptide, ATP citrate-lyase, and acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase as substrates but does not catalyze phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6, casein, phosvitin, phosphorylase b, glycogen synthase, inhibitor II, and substrate peptides for casein kinase II, protein kinase C, and cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Phosphoamino acid analyses of the 32P-labeled substrates reveal that the insulin-stimulated cytosolic kinase is primarily serine-specific. The insulin-activated cytosolic kinase prefers Mn2+ to Mg2+ and is independent of Ca2+. Unlike ribosomal protein S6 kinase and protease-activated kinase II, the insulin-sensitive cytosolic kinase is fluoride-insensitive. Taken together, these results indicate that a novel cytosolic protein kinase activity is activated by insulin.     

Isolation and characterization of a high molecular weight protein phosphatase from rabbit skeletal muscle

A high molecular weight protein phosphatase (phosphatase H-II) was isolated from rabbit skeletal muscle. The enzyme had a Mr = 260,000 as determined by gel filtration and possessed two types of subunit, of Mr = 70,000 and 35,000, respectively, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. On ethanol treatment, the enzyme was dissociated to an active species of Mr = 35,000. The purified phosphatase dephosphorylated lysine-rich histone, phosphorylase a, glycogen synthase, and phosphorylase kinase. It dephosphorylated both the alpha- and beta-subunit phosphates of phosphorylase kinase, with a preference for the dephosphorylation of the alpha-subunit phosphate over the beta-subunit phosphate of phosphorylase kinase. The enzyme also dephosphorylated p-nitrophenyl phosphate at alkaline pH. Phosphatase H-II is distinct from the major phosphorylase phosphatase activities in the muscle extracts. Its enzymatic properties closely resemble that of a Mr = 33,500 protein phosphatase (protein phosphatase C-II) isolated from the same tissue. However, despite their similarity of enzymatic properties, the Mr = 35,000 subunit of phosphatase H-II is physically different from phosphatase C-II as revealed by their different sizes on sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis. On trypsin treatment of the enzyme, this subunit is converted to a form which is a similar size to phosphatase C-II.     

Chromatographic resolution of soluble and particulate protein phosphatases from Dictyostelium discoideum

We have examined protein phosphatase activities that are present during the cellular differentiation of Dictyostelium. Utilizing differential centrifugation, ion exchange, gel filtration, and concanavalin A affinity chromatography we found a number of distinct protein phosphatase activities. Three peaks of soluble Kemptide phosphatase activity and a very broad and heterogeneous soluble histone phosphatase activity were resolved by anion exchange chromatography. Histone phosphatase was associated with the particulate fraction, while Kemptide phosphatase was not. The protein phosphatase activities were able to dephosphorylate sites that had been phosphorylated by the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Therefore it is possible that their function in vivo may be to oppose the action of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In addition several paranitrophenyl phosphate phosphatase activities are shown to be largely separable from the protein phosphatases. An apparent heat-stable inhibitor of histone phosphatase is shown to be artifactual in that instead of interacting with the enzyme it acts by complexing with histone.     

A type 1 phosphoprotein phosphatase active with phosphorylated Mr = 68,000 initiation factor 2 kinase

A type 1 protein phosphatase from reticulocytes is shown to efficiently dephosphorylate the Mr = 68,000 phosphopeptide of the double-stranded RNA-dependent kinase that phosphorylates the alpha subunit of eukaryotic peptide initiation factor 2, eIF-2. The kinase, activated in the presence of double-stranded RNA with concomitant phosphorylation of the Mr = 68,000 peptide, causes inhibition of peptide initiation and thereby effects translational control of protein synthesis. The Mn2+-dependent phosphatase is classified as a type 1 enzyme in that it is inhibited by inhibitor 2 in nanomolar concentrations and appears to have a Mr = 35,000 catalytic subunit. Dephosphorylation of the Mr = 68,000 peptide by the phosphatase is directly associated with a loss in kinase activity which can be restored by incubation with double-stranded RNA in the presence of ATP. The results demonstrate that the eIF-2 alpha kinase can undergo cyclic activation-inactivation that appears to be directly related to the phosphorylation state of the Mr = 68,000 peptide. They strongly support the previous conclusion that double-stranded RNA is required only for activation of the kinase and phosphorylation of the Mr = 68,000 peptide.     

Purification and characterisation of the insulin-stimulated protein kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle; close similarity to S6 kinase II.

The insulin-stimulated protein kinase (ISPK) was purified over 50,000-fold from extracts of rabbit skeletal muscle by a procedure involving chromatography on phosphocellulose, fractionation with ammonium sulphate, and further chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, phenyl-Superose, Mono S and Mono Q. About 10 micrograms enzyme was isolated from 800 g muscle (one rabbit) in four days with an overall recovery of 5%. The purified enzyme showed a single protein-staining band of apparent molecular mass 91 kDa when analysed by SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The ISPK comigrated during SDS/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with the enzyme S6 kinase II from Xenopus eggs, and was recognised in immunoblotting and immunoprecipitation experiments by antibodies raised against S6 kinase II. The substrate specificities of ISPK and S6 kinase II were also very similar and like S6 kinase II, ISPK that had been inactivated by protein phosphatase 2A could be reactivated by incubation with mitogen-activated protein kinase and MgATP. ISPK was distinct from an insulin-stimulated 70-kDa S6 kinase from rat liver in both substrate specificity and immunological cross reactivity. It is concluded that ISPK is closely related in structure to S6 kinase II and may be a mammalian equivalent of this enzyme. The possibility that ISPK is involved in mediating a number of the actions of insulin is discussed.     

Dephosphorylation of distinct sites in myosin light chain by two types of phosphatase in aortic smooth muscle

Two types of myosin light chain phosphatase from aortic smooth muscle extract were separated by chromatography on heparin-agarose. The phosphatase which appeared in the flow-through fractions had low activity on actomyosin, its apparent molecular mass was 260 kDa and upon ethanol treatment it generated a catalytic subunit with an apparent molecular mass of 36-39 kDa as determined by gel filtration. This phosphatase preferentially dephosphorylated the alpha-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and its phosphorylase phosphatase activity was not inhibited by heparin, inhibitor-1 or inhibitor-2. The phosphatase retained by heparin-agarose had high activity on actomyosin, its apparent molecular mass was 150 kDa and upon ethanol treatment it generated a catalytic subunit with an apparent molecular mass of 39-42 kDa. It preferentially dephosphorylated the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and its phosphorylase phosphatase activity was not inhibited by heparin, inhibitor-1 or inhibitor-2. Myosin light chain was phosphorylated by myosin light chain kinase in peptides AB (Ser-P) and CD (Thr-P), and/or by protein kinase C in peptides E (Ser-P) and F (Thr-P) as determined by one-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping. The catalytic subunit of heparin-agarose flow-through phosphatase preferentially dephosphorylated peptide F over peptides AB, CD and E in both isolated light chain and actomyosin. The catalytic subunit of heparin-agarose bound phosphatase could effectively dephosphorylate all sites in isolated light chain, whereas it was less effective on dephosphorylation of peptide E in actomyosin.