Casein kinase II activity and polyamine-stimulated protein phosphorylation of cytosolic and plasma membrane proteins in bovine sperm

A highly purified preparation of sperm cytosolic protein kinase was obtained by repeated chromatography with phosphocellulose. The preferred substrate of the enzyme was casein and the activity was not stimulated by added Ca2+, calmodulin, or cAMP. With casein as substrate, both ATP and GTP served as phosphate donors and the activity was inhibited by low micromolar heparin and stimulated by low millimolar spermine and spermidine. These properties are characteristic of casein kinase II from other cells. Endogenous protein substrates of the enzyme in sperm cytosolic fractions and in plasma membranes were demonstrated by incubating the preparations with [gamma-32P]GTP, under conditions unfavorable to other protein kinases, and analyzing the products by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Spermine greatly enhanced the phosphorylation of three (55, 92, and 106 kDa) proteins in both cytosolic and plasma membrane preparations. Our results indicate that polyamines play a role in modulating the phosphorylation state of proteins in sperm and may further regulate sperm function through this mechanism.     

Protein phosphatases regulate DNA-dependent protein kinase activity

DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is a complex of DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and the DNA end-binding Ku70/Ku80 heterodimer. DNA-PK is required for DNA double strand break repair by the process of nonhomologous end joining. Nonhomologous end joining is a major mechanism for the repair of DNA double strand breaks in mammalian cells. As such, DNA-PK plays essential roles in the cellular response to ionizing radiation and in V(D)J recombination. In vitro, DNA-PK undergoes phosphorylation of all three protein subunits (DNA-PK catalytic subunit, Ku70 and Ku80) and phosphorylation correlates with inactivation of the serine/threonine protein kinase activity of DNA-PK. Here we show that phosphorylation-induced loss of the protein kinase activity of DNA-PK is restored by the addition of the purified catalytic subunit of either protein phosphatase 1 or protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and that this reactivation is blocked by the potent protein phosphatase inhibitor, microcystin. We also show that treating human lymphoblastoid cells with either okadaic acid or fostriecin, at PP2A-selective concentrations, causes a 50-60% decrease in DNA-PK protein kinase activity, although the protein phosphatase 1 activity in these cells was unaffected. In vivo phosphorylation of DNA-PKcs, Ku70, and Ku80 was observed when cells were labeled with [(32)P]inorganic phosphate in the presence of the protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid. Together, our data suggest that reversible protein phosphorylation is an important mechanism for the regulation of DNA-PK protein kinase activity and that the protein phosphatase responsible for reactivation in vivo is a PP2A-like enzyme.     

Purification and properties of a virion protein kinase.

The protein kinase associated with virions of frog virus 3 was purified to apparent homogeneity by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration. The enzyme protein appeared as a single polypeptide of molecular weight 50,000 to 55,000 as determined by gel filtration, glycerol gradient sedimentation, and sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and comprised approximately 0.4% of the total virion protein. The activity was classified as a cyclic nucleotide-independent protein kinase as it was not effected by cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate, cyclic guanosine 3':5'-monophosphate, or inhibited by a cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase inhibitor protein, and utilized GTP as well as ATP as a phosphate donor. The greatest rates of phosphorylation were obtained with acidic phosphoprotein substrates such as casein or phosvitin, although potential physiological substrates for this activity included specific virion polypeptides of frog virus.     

Purification of rat liver nuclear protein kinase NI.

Rat liver nuclear protein kinase NI, which appears in the flowthrough of DEAE-Sephadex columns, has been purified approximately 15,000-fold from soluble nuclear protein with yields of up to 10%. The method of purification involved chromatography of the DEAE-flowthrough protein successively on phosvitin-Sepharose and casein-Sepharose followed by rechromatography on phosvitin-Sepharose. The purified enzyme has an s20,w and molecular weight of 3.7 and 47,000, respectively, as determined by sucrose density gradient centrifugation in 0.4 M NaCl. A similar molecular weight of 42,000 was determined by gel filtration using Sephadex G-100. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the purified enzyme revealed a single polypeptide with a molecular weight of 25,000. Protein kinase NI therefore consists of a dimer of two identical subunits. Protein kinase NI exhibits maximal activity on casein substrate and is not stimulated by 10(-5) to 10(-4) M cAMP or cGMP when either casein or histone H2b is used as a substrate.     

Protein kinases and their protein substrates associated with chromatin and ribosomes in SV40-transformed rat cells.

The level of endogenous protein phosphorylation in non-histone chromosomal and ribosomal wash proteins is 7--10 times greater in SV40-transformed rat cells than in untransformed parental cells. Protein kinase activity in these proteins was fractionated by either phosphocellulose or DEAE-cellulose chromatography. One major and one minor component were detected in non-histone proteins and only one component in ribosomal wash proteins when the activity in each fraction was measured with an exogenous substrate, casein. These enzymes prefer casein to whole histone as substrate and are cyclic AMP-independent. The enzyme activity in a major peak of non-histone proteins and in ribosomal wash proteins measured with casein as substrate is 3 times greater in transformed cells than in untransformed cells, whereas pH optimum, cation requirements and apparent Km values for casein and ATP are identical or very similar in the two cell types. No significant phosphatase was detected in non-histone and ribosomal wash proteins from the two types of cell. The patterns of endogenous protein phosphorylation in these protein fractions analysed by gel electrophoresis are significantly different between these cells. These results suggest that the high level of endogenous protein phosphorylation in non-histone and ribosomal wash proteins from SV40-transformed cells is caused mainly by the increased activity of protein kinase and the nature of protein substrates.     

Purification and properties of cAMP-independent nuclear protein kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum

A cyclic-AMP-independent nuclear protein kinase has been purified from Dictyostelium discoideum amoebae. The purification procedure involves chromatography of DEAE-Sephadex, phosphocellulose and heparin-Sepharose. The purified enzyme phosphorylates threonine and serine of acidic proteins as casein and phosvitin. Phosphorylation of casein is stimulated by spermine. The kinase requires Mg2+ and can utilize both ATP and GTP as phosphoryl donors. Heparin is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme, being the protein kinase activity fully inhibited at concentrations of 0.5 micrograms/ml. One polypeptide of molecular mass 38 kDa was the major protein band present in the purified kinase preparation as estimated by NaDodSO4 denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This band belongs to the protein kinase because it is the only one that is observed associated with the protein kinase activity when the enzyme preparation is centrifuged in glycerol gradients. The 38-kDa polypeptide is also the major product of autophosphorylation of the enzyme preparation. The enzymatic properties allow to classify the enzyme as a type-II casein kinase. However, its structural properties are different from the mammalian type-II casein kinases and make the D. discoideum enzyme more similar to the plants type-II casein kinases.     

DNA-activated protein kinase in Raji Burkitt's lymphoma cells. Phosphorylation of c-Myc oncoprotein.

Autophosphorylation of a DNA-activated protein kinase (DNA-PK) in Raji Burkitt's lymphoma cells generated a band that corresponded to a phosphoprotein of about 300 kDa on SDS/PAGE. This band corresponds to a 300-350-kDa DNA-PK found previously in HeLa cells. In addition to the 300-kDa phosphoprotein, the band of a highly phosphorylated 58-kDa protein was detected by SDS/PAGE of partially purified DNA-PK preparations after the phosphorylation reaction in the presence of double-stranded DNA. This phosphoprotein was specifically immunoprecipitated by phosphoprotein nor detectable activities of other kinases, phosphorylated recombinant c-Myc proteins in the presence of DNA. The c-Myc phosphorylation by DNA-PK was markedly stimulated by relaxed, double-stranded DNA, but neither by single-stranded DNA nor by RNA. Phosphopeptide mapping and phosphoamino acid analysis indicated that DNA-PK phosphorylates c-Myc in vitro at several serine residues.     

Purification and properties of a protamine kinase and a type II casein kinase from bovine kidney mitochondria

Bovine kidney mitochondrial extracts contain an inactive protamine kinase and an inactive casein kinase. The protamine kinase was activated by chromatography on poly(L-lysine)-agarose. Two forms of this soluble mitochondrial protamine kinase were separated by chromatography on protamine-agarose. Both forms were purified about 80,000-fold to apparent homogeneity. Both forms of the protamine kinase consist of a single polypeptide chain with an apparent Mr approximately 45,000. Both enzyme forms underwent autophosphorylation without significant effect on activity, and both forms exhibited identical substrate specificities. The protamine kinase showed little activity toward branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase (less than 3%), and it was essentially inactive (less than 0.1%) with pyruvate dehydrogenase, casein, and ovalbumin. The enzyme was active with histone H1 and with bovine serum albumin. Protamine kinase activity was unaffected by heparin (up to 100 micrograms/ml), by the protein inhibitor of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, by Ca2+ and calmodulin, and by monoclonal antibody to the catalytic domain of protein kinase C from rat brain. The casein kinase was activated in the presence of spermine or by chromatography of the extract on DEAE-cellulose or poly(L-lysine)-agarose. The enzyme was purified about 80,000-fold to apparent homogeneity. It exhibited an apparent Mr 130,000 as determined by gel-permeation chromatography on Sephacryl S-300 in the presence of 0.5 M NaCl. Two subunits, with apparent Mr's 36,000 (alpha) and 28,000 (beta) were detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The kinase underwent autophosphorylation of its beta-subunit, without significant effect on activity. Casein kinase activity was inhibited 50% by 1.5 micrograms/ml of heparin. Spermine (1.0 mM) stimulated activity of the purified kinase two- to three-fold at 1.5 mM Mg2+. Half-maximal stimulation occurred at 0.1 mM spermine. The kinase utilized both ATP and GTP as substrates. The casein kinase showed little activity (less than 1%) toward pyruvate dehydrogenase and branched-chain alpha-keto acid dehydrogenase from kidney mitochondria, and the kinase was essentially inactive with glycogen synthase a. The properties of this soluble mitochondrial kinase indicate that it is a type II casein kinase.     

The use of ubiquitin-peptide extensions as protein kinase substrates

Four ubiquitin-peptide extensions prepared as cloned products in E. coli were tested as casein kinase II substrates. Two extensions containing the sequence Ser-Glu-Glu-Glu-Glu-Glu were readily phosphorylated by partially purified rabbit reticulocyte casein kinase II. The other two fusion proteins, which lack a consensus phosphorylation site for casein kinase II, did not serve as substrates under identical reaction conditions. Native ubiquitin was not phosphorylated by reticulocyte casein kinase II, nor have we observed its phosphorylation in crude extracts from HeLa cells, mouse liver, or Xenopus eggs. Ubiquitin's apparent lack of phosphorylatable residues coupled with its remarkable heat stability and rapid migration on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis gels make the protein an attractive carrier for carboxyl-terminal peptides containing specific phosphorylation sites. Such ubiquitin extension proteins should prove valuable as protein kinase substrates.     

The archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus contains a membrane-associated protein kinase activity that preferentially phosphorylates threonine residues in vitro

The extreme acidothermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus harbors a membrane-associated protein kinase activity. Its solubilization and stabilization required detergents, suggesting that this activity resides within an integral membrane protein. The archaeal protein kinase utilized purine nucleotides as phosphoryl donors in vitro. A noticeable preference for nucleotide triphosphates over nucleotide diphosphates and for adenyl nucleotides over the corresponding guanyl ones was observed. The molecular mass of the solubilized, partially purified enzyme was estimated to be approximately 125 kDa by gel filtration chromatography. Catalytic activity resided in a polypeptide with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 67 kDa by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Challenges with several exogenous substrates revealed the protein kinase to be relatively selective. Only casein, histone H4, reduced carboxyamidomethylated and maleylated lysozyme, and a peptide modeled after myosin light chains (KKRAARATSNVFA) were phosphorylated to appreciable levels in vitro. All of the aforementioned substrates were phosphorylated on threonine residues, while histone H4 was phosphorylated on serine as well. Substitution of serine for the phosphoacceptor threonine in the myosin light chain peptide produced a noticeably inferior substrate. The protein kinase underwent autophosphorylation on threonine and was relatively insensitive to a set of known inhibitors of "eukaryotic" protein kinases.     

Activation of mammalian DNA ligase I through phosphorylation by casein kinase II.

Mammalian DNA ligase I has been shown to be a phosphoprotein. Dephosphorylation of purified DNA ligase I causes inactivation, an effect dependent on the presence of the N-terminal region of the protein. Expression of full-length human DNA ligase I in Escherichia coli yielded soluble but catalytically inactive enzyme whereas an N-terminally truncated form expressed activity. Incubation of the full-length preparation from E. coli with purified casein kinase II (CKII) resulted in phosphorylation of the N-terminal region and was accompanied by activation of the DNA ligase. Of a variety of purified protein kinases tested, only CKII stimulated the activity of calf thymus DNA ligase I. Tryptic phosphopeptide analysis of DNA ligase I revealed that CKII specifically phosphorylated a major peptide also apparently phosphorylated in cells, implying that CKII is a protein kinase acting on DNA ligase I in the cell nucleus. These data suggest that DNA ligase I is negatively regulated by its N-terminal region and that this inhibition can be relieved by post-translational modification.     

Purification and characterization of a 400-kDa nonhistone chromatin protein that serves as an effective phosphate acceptor for casein kinase II from Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

A nonhistone chromatin protein (NHCP) has been purified to homogeneity from a 0.5 M NaCl extract of Ehrlich ascites tumor cell (EAT cell) nuclei as a phosphate acceptor for casein kinase II using ion-exchange column chromatographies and Sephacryl S300 gel filtration. The purified NHCP (approximate Mr = 400,000) was found to be a tetramer of an Mr = 98,000 polypeptide (pI = 6.9) and to have high contents of glycine (15%) and serine (11.6%). This protein (designated as 400-kDa NHCP) was highly phosphorylated by casein kinase II (Mr = 130,000), but not by histone kinase. Casein kinase II phosphorylated only seryl residues of the purified 400-kDa NHCP. The NHCP bound with DNA, but not with RNAs, and the DNA binding ability of the protein was reduced when it was phosphorylated by casein kinase II. Moreover, we found that (a) the 400-kDa NHCP is present in large quantities in malignant mouse cells, such as EAT, EL-4, and Meth-A cells, but only slightly in normal tissues and cells; (b) the protein level is rapidly increased when mouse lymphocytes are treated with recombinant interleukin 2 (T cell growth factor) or concanavalin A; and (c) the kinase responsible for the 400-kDa NHCP phosphorylation in the chromatin of various mouse cells is a casein kinase II. These experimental results suggest that the 400-kDa NHCP acts as an effective phosphate acceptor for casein kinase II at the chromatin level and that an increased phosphorylation of the protein by the kinase may be implicated in the progress of cell differentiation and proliferation.     

Phosphorylation of DNA topoisomerase II in vivo and in total homogenates of Drosophila Kc cells. The role of casein kinase II

The phosphorylation of DNA topoisomerase II in Drosophila Kc tissue culture cells was characterized by in vivo labeling studies and in vitro studies that examined the modification of exogenous enzyme in total homogenates of these embryonic cells. Several lines of evidence identified casein kinase II as the kinase primarily responsible for phosphorylating DNA topoisomerase II. First, the only amino acyl residue modified in the enzyme was serine. Second, partial proteolytic maps of topoisomerase II which had been labeled with [32P]phosphate by Drosophila cells in vivo, by cell homogenates in vitro, or by purified casein kinase II were indistinguishable from one another. Third, phosphorylation in cell homogenates was inhibited by micrograms/ml concentrations of heparin, micromolar concentrations of nonradioactive GTP, or anti-Drosophila casein kinase II antiserum. Fourth, cell homogenates were able to employ [gamma-32P]GTP as a phosphate donor nearly as well as [gamma-32P]ATP. Although topoisomerase II was phosphorylated in homogenates under conditions that specifically stimulate protein kinase C, calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, or cAMP-dependent protein kinase, modification was always sensitive to anti-casein kinase II antiserum or heparin. Thus, under a variety of conditions, topoisomerase II appears to be phosphorylated primarily by casein kinase II in the Drosophila embryonic Kc cell system.     

pp54 microtubule-associated protein 2 kinase. A novel serine/threonine protein kinase regulated by phosphorylation and stimulated by poly-L-lysine

An hepatic protein kinase that phosphorylates microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP-2) on Ser/Thr residues is markedly activated after intraperitoneal injection of cycloheximide in the rat. The enzyme has been purified greater than 10,000-fold to near homogeneity and corresponds to a 54-kDa polypeptide, based on auto-phosphorylation, renaturation of activity from sodium dodecyl sulfate gels, and gel filtration. The protein kinase activity is unaffected by prior autophosphorylation, Ca2+, diacylglycerol and phospholipids, cyclic nucleotides, staurosporine, and protein kinase inhibitor, but can be totally and specifically deactivated by the Ser/Thr protein phosphatase 2A. The enzyme is inhibited completely but reversible by transition metals and p-chloromercuribenzoate, and is strongly stimulated by poly-L-lysine toward most, but not all protein substrates. The activity of the cycloheximide-stimulated MAP-2 kinase (pp54 MAP-2 kinase) toward potential polypeptide substrates was compared to that of an insulin-stimulated MAP-2 kinase (pp42 MAP-2 kinase). Although both MAP-2 kinases exhibited little or no ability to phosphorylate histones and casein, the two kinases had a distinguishable substrate specificity. At comparable MAP-2 phosphorylating activities, pp42 MAP-2 kinase, but not pp54 MAP-2 kinase, phosphorylated and activated the Xenopus S6 protein kinase II. Moreover, pp42 MAP-2 kinase phosphorylated myelin basic protein at 10-12-fold higher rates than did pp54 MAP-2 kinase. Cycloheximide-activated pp54 MAP-2 protein kinase appears to be a previously uncharacterized protein kinase that is itself regulated through Ser/Thr phosphorylation and, perhaps, polypeptide regulators with basic domains. The identity of the upstream regulatory elements and the native substrates remain to be established.     

DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) phosphorylates nuclear DNA helicase II/RNA helicase A and hnRNP proteins in an RNA-dependent manner

An RNA-dependent association of Ku antigen with nuclear DNA helicase II (NDH II), alternatively named RNA helicase A (RHA), was found in nuclear extracts of HeLa cells by immunoprecipitation and by gel filtration chromatography. Both Ku antigen and NDH II were associated with hnRNP complexes. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis showed that Ku antigen was most abundantly associated with hnRNP C, K, J, H and F, but apparently not with others, such as hnRNP A1. Unexpectedly, DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), which comprises Ku antigen as the DNA binding subunit, phosphorylated hnRNP proteins in an RNA-dependent manner. DNA-PK also phosphorylated recombinant NDH II in the presence of RNA. RNA binding assays displayed a preference of DNA-PK for poly(rG), but not for poly(rA), poly(rC) or poly(rU). This RNA binding affinity of DNA-PK can be ascribed to its Ku86 subunit. Consistently, poly(rG) most strongly stimulated the DNA-PK-catalyzed phosphorylation of NDH II. RNA interference studies revealed that a suppressed expression of NDH II altered the nuclear distribution of hnRNP C, while silencing DNA-PK changed the subnuclear distribution of NDH II and hnRNP C. These results support the view that DNA-PK can also function as an RNA-dependent protein kinase to regulate some aspects of RNA metabolism, such as RNA processing and transport.     

Complex H2AX phosphorylation patterns by multiple kinases including ATM and DNA-PK in human cells exposed to ionizing radiation and treated with kinase inhibitors

In eukaryotic cells, DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) cause the prompt phosphorylation of serine 139 at the carboxy terminus of histone H2AX to generate gamma-H2AX, detectable by Western blotting or immunofluorescence. The consensus sequence at the phosphorylation site implicates the phosphatidylinositol 3-like family of protein kinases in H2AX phosphorylation. It remains open whether ATM (ataxia telangiectasia mutated) is the major H2AX kinase, or whether other members of the family, such as DNA-PK (DNA dependent protein kinase) or ATR (ATM and Rad3 related), contribute in a functionally complementary manner. To address this question, we measured global H2AX phosphorylation in cell lysates and foci formation in individual cells of either wild type or mutant (ATM or DNA-PK) genetic background. Normal global phosphorylation kinetics is observed after irradiation in cells defective either in ATM or DNA-PK alone, suggesting a complementary contribution to H2AX phosphorylation. This is further supported by the observation that initial H2AX phosphorylation is delayed when both kinases are inhibited by wortmannin, as well as when ATM is inhibited by caffeine in DNA-PK deficient cells. However, robust residual global phosphorylation is detectable under all conditions of genetic or chemical inhibition suggesting the function of additional kinases, such as ATR. Treatment with wortmannin, caffeine, or UCN-01 produces a strong DNA-PK dependent late global hyperphosphorylation of H2AX, uncoupled from DNA DSB rejoining and compatible with an inhibition of late steps in DNA DSB processing. Evaluation of gamma-H2AX foci formation confirms the major conclusions made on the basis of global H2AX phosphorylation, but also points to differences particularly several hours after exposure to IR. The results in aggregate implicate DNA-PK, ATM and possibly other kinases in H2AX phosphorylation. The functional significance and the mechanisms of coordination in space and time of these multiple inputs require further investigation.     

The phosphorylation of nucleoplasmin by casein kinase-2 is resistant to heparin inhibition

Highly purified preparations of casein kinase-2 from the nuclei of Xenopus laevis oocytes and from calf thymus can phosphorylate in vitro purified nucleoplasmin from X. laevis oocytes and eggs. The phosphorylation of nucleoplasmin by both kinase preparations is quite insensitive to heparin in contrast with casein phosphorylation which is completely abolished by heparin concentrations above 10 micrograms/ml. However, the phosphorylation of nucleoplasmin and casein are inhibited in a very similar fashion by 5,6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole (DRB), a well characterized specific inhibitor of casein kinase-2. Similarly, nucleoplasmin phosphorylation by the oocyte enzyme can be stimulated several-fold by spermine, another characteristic of this enzyme. These findings indicate that the phosphorylation of nucleoplasmin by purified casein kinase-2, while showing typical response to DRB and spermine, exhibits anomalous behavior in its resistance to heparin inhibition. It is possible that the large clusters of acidic amino acids in nucleoplasmin permit this substrate to interact with the enzyme more efficiently than other protein substrates. Heparin is generally considered a potent and specific inhibitor of casein kinase-2. This study, however, questions the validity of utilizing heparin inhibition as a criterion for casein kinase-2 involvement.     

Identification and solubilization of a cAMP-independent protein kinase from mouse L-cell smooth membranes

1. Smooth membranes have been prepared from mouse L-cells and found to contain an endogenous protein kinase activity. 2. The enzyme(s) responsible for this activity use ATP, but no other nucleoside triphosphates, to phosphorylate endogenous membrane proteins as well as exogenously-added protein substrates such as phosvitin and casein. 3. Mg2+ is required for enzyme activity, maximal activity is observed at pH 7.5-8.0 and the kinase is not dependent on, or stimulated by, cyclic 3'-5' AMP. 4. The kinase activity is not decreased by the Walsh heat-stable inhibitor of cyclic 3'-5' AMP-dependent protein kinases. 5. Fifty percent or more of the membrane-associated kinase activity can be solubilized by extracting membranes with buffer containing 0.6 M NaCl. 6. The solubilized enzyme resembles the membrane-associated activity in its Mg2+ requirement, pH optimum and independence of cyclic 3'-5' AMP. 7. Phosvitin and casein are better exogenous substrates than histones or protamine for phosphorylation by the enzyme in either the membrane-associated or solubilized state.