Activation of tyrosine hydroxylase by intermittent hypoxia: involvement of serine phosphorylation.

Regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) by intermittent hypoxia (IH) was investigated in rat pheochromocytoma 12 (PC-12) cells by exposing them to alternating cycles of hypoxia (1% O2, 15 s) and normoxia (21% O2, 3 min) for up to 60 cycles; controls were exposed to normoxia for a similar duration. IH exposure increased dopamine content and TH activity by approximately 42 and approximately 56%, respectively. Immunoblot analysis revealed that comparable levels of TH protein were expressed in normoxic and IH cells. Removal of TH-bound catecholamines and in vitro phosphorylation of TH in cell-free extracts by the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A (PKA) increased TH activity in normoxic but not in IH cells, suggesting possible induction of TH phosphorylation and removal of endogenous inhibition of TH by IH. To assess the role of serine phosphorylation in IH-induced TH activation, TH immunoprecipitates and extracts derived from normoxic and IH cells were probed with anti-phosphoserine and anti-phospho-TH (Ser-40) antibody, respectively. Compared with normoxic cells, total serine and Ser-40-specific phosphorylation of TH were increased in IH cells. IH-induced activation of TH and the increase in total serine and Ser-40-specific phosphorylation of TH were inhibited by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) and PKA-specific inhibitors but not by inhibitors of the extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase pathway, suggesting that IH activates TH in PC-12 cells via phosphorylation of serine residues including Ser-40, in part, by CaMK and PKA. Our results also suggest that IH-induced phosphorylation of TH facilitates the removal of endogenous inhibition of TH, leading to increased synthesis of dopamine.     

Role of protein phosphatase 2C from bovine adrenal chromaffin cells in the dephosphorylation of phospho-serine 40 tyrosine hydroxylase

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamines. It is dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase (PP) 2A and PP2C. In this study we used a fixed amount of bacterially expressed rat TH (5 microM), phosphorylated only at serine 40 (pSer40TH), to determine the PP activities against this site that are present in extracts from the bovine adrenal cortex, adrenal medulla, adrenal chromaffin cells and rat striatum. We found that PP2C was the main TH phosphatase activity in extracts from the adrenal medulla and adrenal chromaffin cells. In adrenal cortex extracts PP2C and PP2A activities toward pSer40TH did not differ significantly. PP2A was the main TH phosphatase activity in extracts from rat striatum. Kinetic studies with extracts from adrenal chromaffin cells showed that when higher concentrations of pSer40TH (> 5 microM) were used the activity of PP2C increased more than the activity of PP2A. PP2C was maximally activated by 1.25 mM Mn2+ and by 5 mM Mg2+ but was inhibited by calcium. Our data suggest a more important role for PP2C than was previously suggested in the dephosphorylation of serine 40 on TH.     

Phosphorylation of protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 by Cdk5

Protein phosphatase inhibitor-1 is a prototypical mediator of cross-talk between protein kinases and protein phosphatases. Activation of cAMP-dependent protein kinase results in phosphorylation of inhibitor-1 at Thr-35, converting it into a potent inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1. Here we report that inhibitor-1 is phosphorylated in vitro at Ser-67 by the proline-directed kinases, Cdk1, Cdk5, and mitogen-activated protein kinase. By using phosphorylation state-specific antibodies and selective protein kinase inhibitors, Cdk5 was found to be the only kinase that phosphorylates inhibitor-1 at Ser-67 in intact striatal brain tissue. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated that phospho-Ser-67 inhibitor-1 was dephosphorylated by protein phosphatases-2A and -2B. The state of phosphorylation of inhibitor-1 at Ser-67 was dynamically regulated in striatal tissue by glutamate-dependent regulation of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid-type channels. Phosphorylation of Ser-67 did not convert inhibitor-1 into an inhibitor of protein phosphatase-1. However, inhibitor-1 phosphorylated at Ser-67 was a less efficient substrate for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. These results demonstrate regulation of a Cdk5-dependent phosphorylation site in inhibitor-1 and suggest a role for this site in modulating the amplitude of signal transduction events that involve cAMP-dependent protein kinase activation.     

Comparison of two forms of pig heart phosphoprotein phosphatase.

A phosphoprotein phosphatase (phosphoprotein phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.16) was partially purified from pig heart using as substrate H2B histone which had been phosphorylated at Ser-32 and Ser-36 by adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (EC 2.7.1.37). The enzyme had a molecular weight of approx. 250 000 and was converted to a smaller form with a molecular weight of approx. 30 000 upon treatment with ethanol. Phosphorylase alpha (EC 2.4.1.1) and phosphorylated H1 histone also served as substrates for both forms of the enzyme. The conversion of the large form of the enzyme to the small form decreased the phosphohistone phosphatase activity to 25-50% with a concomitant 7-fold increase in the phosphorylase alpha phosphatase activity. Ser-36 phosphate was removed 6- and 15-fold more rapidly than was Ser-32 phosphate by the large and small forms of the enzyme, respectively. Among Ser-36-containing tryptic phosphopeptides derived from phosphorylated H2B histone, Lys-Glu-Ser(P)-Tyr-Ser-Val-Tyr was the shortest phosphopeptide which was dephosphorylated at a significant reaction rate with the phosphoprotein phosphatase. The Km values for phosphorylated H2B histone and the tryptic phosphopeptide were 23.7 micron and 187.1 micron, respectively, with the large form, and 81.4 micron and 90.0 micron, respectively, with the small form of the enzyme.     

Tyrosine Hydroxylase Dephosphorylation by Protein Phosphatase 2A in Bovine Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

This study was undertaken to characterise the protein phosphatases in bovine adrenal chromaffin cells acting on tyrosine hydroxylase. Cells were pre-labelled with ³²P_i and permeabilized with digitonin. The extent of dephosphorylation of Ser-8, Ser-19, Ser-31 and Ser-40 on tyrosine hydroxylase was found to be 30%, 38%, 37% and 71% respectively over 5 min. For Ser-19, Ser-31 and Ser-40 the dephosphorylation was entirely due to protein phosphatase 2A, as the dephosphorylation could be completely blocked by microcystin, but not by the protein phosphatase 1 inhibitory peptide. Permeabilization did not change the distribution of protein phosphatase 2A or tyrosine hydroxylase, or the activity of PP2A, from that occurring in intact cells. The dephosphorylation of Ser-8 was not altered by any inhibitor, suggesting the involvement of other protein phosphatases. The method developed here can be used to determine the protein phosphatases acting on substrates in conditions closely approximating those in situ, including the endogenous state of substrate phosphorylation and phosphatase location.     

Site-directed mutagenesis of tyrosine hydroxylase. Role of serine 40 in catalysis.

We have investigated the role of serine 40 (Ser-40) in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) catalysis of basal and activated enzymes by protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation. Wild type and mutant TH were transiently and stably expressed in AtT-20 cells, and the enzymatic activities of the recombinant enzymes were analyzed. The specific enzymatic activity of transiently expressed TH mutants Ser-40-->leucine or-->tyrosine (Leu-40m or Tyr-40m) was higher than that of the wild type enzyme or of other mutants in which Ser-8, -19, and -31 were replaced by leucine. The kinetic studies carried out with the stably expressed TH show that the Km for the cofactor 6-methyltetrahydropterine is lower and the Ki for dopamine is higher when the enzymatic hydroxylation is catalyzed by the Leu-40m or Tyr-40m than by the wild type enzyme. The kinetic parameters and the pH profile of the enzymatic hydroxylation catalyzed by the Leu-40m or Tyr-40m are similar to the enzyme activated by PKA-mediated phosphorylation. We suggest that Ser-40 in TH exerts an inhibitory influence on the enzymatic activity, and its replacement with another amino acid by site-directed mutagenesis or its modification by phosphorylation leads to a change in conformation with an increased enzymatic activity. The importance of Ser-40 in the activation of TH by PKA-mediated phosphorylation was investigated by comparing the activation of the wild type enzyme with that of Leu-40m or Tyr-40m. The findings that the enzymatic activity is increased by PKA-mediated phosphorylation of the wild type enzyme, but not of the Leu-40m or Tyr-40m, demonstrate that phosphorylation at Ser-40 is essential for activation of TH by PKA. The findings that addition of ATP plus cAMP to homogenates from transfected AtT-20 cells stimulates the recombinant wild type TH activity indicate that these cells contain endogenous cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Phosphorylation of human recombinant tyrosine hydroxylase isoforms 1 and 2: an additional phosphorylated residue in isoform 2, generated through alternative splicing.

The single human tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) gene generates four different mRNA species through alternative splicing events. TH-1 and TH-2 mRNAs are expressed mostly in the brain. We have produced large amounts of the corresponding proteins in Escherichia coli to analyze their respective molecular characteristics. The polypeptides have molecular weights similar to those of TH expressed in Xenopus oocytes and react with antibodies to TH. The two isoforms were purified with a purity of 90% using a three-step procedure. The phosphorylation sites have been determined in the two isoforms after labeling with [gamma-32P]ATP in the presence of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) or calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-PK II). In both isoforms, Ser-40 was found to be phosphorylated by PKA, and Ser-19 and Ser-40 were found to be phosphorylated by CaM-PK II. The putative phosphorylation site generated by alternative splicing (Ser-31) was phosphorylated specifically by CaM-PK II in TH-2 only. The kinetic properties of the two isoforms in the presence of various concentrations of the substrate (tyrosine) and of the natural cofactor [6R)-tetrahydrobiopterin) were also analyzed. TH produced in E. coli is unphosphorylated but nevertheless active. At 50 microM tyrosine and 300 microM (6R)-tetrahydrobiopterin, the specific activities of TH-1 and TH-2 are 1300 and 620 nmol of dihydroxyphenylalanine/min/mg, respectively. Phosphorylation of TH-1 and TH-2 by PKA activates both isoenzymes as shown by the increase in the affinity for the cofactor. No changes in kinetic parameters of the isoenzymes were observed after phosphorylation by CaM-PK II. Dopamine was found to inhibit both TH isoenzymes to the same extent as shown by their similar Ki values for dopamine. These values were increased after phosphorylation of each enzyme by PKA. Unlike TH-1, phosphorylation of TH-2 by CaM-PK II resulted in an increase of the Ki value for dopamine. This property may be related to the presence of the additional phosphorylated residue in TH-2 isoform.     

Dephosphorylation of cardiac myofibril C-protein by protein phosphatase 1 and protein phosphatase 2A

C-protein purified from chicken cardiac myofibrils was phosphorylated with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase to nearly 3 mol [32P]phosphate/mol C protein. Digestion of 32P-labeled C-protein with trypsin revealed that the radioactivity was nearly equally distributed in three tryptic peptides which were separated by reversed-phase HPLC. Fragmentation of 32P-labeled C-protein with CNBr showed that the isotope was incorporated at different ratios in three CNBr fragments which were separated on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. Phosphorylation was present in both serine and threonine residues. Incubation of 32P-labeled C-protein with the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 1 or 2A rapidly removed 30-40% of the [32P]phosphate. The major site(s) dephosphorylated by either one of the phosphatases was a phosphothreonine residue(s) apparently located on the same tryptic peptide and on the same CNBr fragment. CNBr fragmentation also revealed a minor phosphorylation site which was dephosphorylated by either of the phosphatases. Increasing the incubation period or the phosphatase concentration did not result in any further dephosphorylation of C-protein by phosphatase 1, but phosphatase 2A at high concentrations could completely dephosphorylate C-protein. These results demonstrate that C-protein phosphorylated with cAMP-dependent protein kinase can be dephosphorylated by protein phosphatases 1 and 2A. It is suggested that the enzyme responsible for dephosphorylation of C-protein in vivo is phosphatase 2A.     

Stimulus-coupled interaction of tyrosine hydroxylase with 14-3-3 proteins

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is phosphorylated by CaM kinase II and is activated in situ in response to a variety of stimuli that increase intracellular Ca(2+). We report here, using baculovirus-expressed TH, that the 14-3-3 protein binds and activates the expressed TH when the enzyme is phosphorylated at Ser-19, a site of CaM kinase II-dependent phosphorylation located in the regulatory domain of TH. Site-directed mutagenesis showed that a TH mutant in which Ser-19 was substituted by Ala retained enzymatic activity at the same level as the non-mutated enzyme, but was a poor substrate for CaM kinase II and did not bind the 14-3-3 protein. Likewise, a synthetic phosphopeptide (FRRAVpSELDA) corresponding to the part of the TH sequence, including phosphoSer-19, inhibited the interaction between the expressed TH and 14-3-3, while the phosphopeptide (GRRQpSLIED) corresponding to the site of cAMP-dependent phosphorylation (Ser-40) had little effect on complex formation. The complex was very stable with a dissociation constant of 3 nM. Furthermore, analysis of PC12nnr5 cells transfected with myc-tagged 14-3-3 showed that 14-3-3 formed a complex with endogenous TH when the cultured cells were exposed to a high K(+) concentration that increases intracellular Ca(2+) and phosphorylation of Ser-19 in TH. These findings suggest that the 14-3-3 protein participates in the stimulus-coupled regulation of catecholamine synthesis that occurs in response to depolarization-evoked, Ca(2+)-dependent phosphorylation of TH.     

Activation of rat caudate tyrosine hydroxylase phosphatase by tetrahydropterins

Tyrosine hydroxylase phosphatase activity in rat caudate nucleus was separated into three peaks by chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. [32P]Tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase was dephosphorylated only by the major peak eluting at 0.3 M NaCl, while tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylated by Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase was also dephosphorylated by two calcium-inhibited phosphatases. The Vmax of the enzyme in the major DEAE peak was increased by 10 microM tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) from 0.78 to 5.0 fmol min-1 mg-1 while the Km was only slightly affected, increasing from 45 to 62 pM. The activation could not be reversed by dilution. On Sephadex G-200, the enzyme was found to consist of two major forms with molecular masses of 420 and 100 kDa. In contrast to the activation of liver phosphatases by freezing with beta-mercaptoethanol, activation by tetrahydrobiopterin was not associated with a shift in the molecular weight of the phosphatase to lower molecular weight forms. Other reduced pterins, including tetrahydroneopterin, 6-methyltetrahydropterin, and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, also activated the enzyme, while oxidized pterins had no effect. GTP, the metabolic precursor of tetrahydrobiopterin, was a potent inhibitor of the phosphatase reaction, inhibiting by 65% at a concentration of 1 microM. These findings suggest a close regulatory interrelationship between the tetrahydrobiopterin synthetic pathway and catecholamine biosynthesis.     

Identification of a PKB/Akt hydrophobic motif Ser-473 kinase as DNA-dependent protein kinase

Full activation of protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt requires phosphorylation on Thr-308 and Ser-473 by 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1) and Ser-473 kinase (S473K), respectively. Although PDK1 has been well characterized, the identification of the S473K remains controversial. A major PKB Ser-473 kinase activity was purified from the membrane fraction of HEK293 cells and found to be DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). DNA-PK co-localized and associated with PKB at the plasma membrane. In vitro, DNA-PK phosphorylated PKB on Ser-473, resulting in a approximately 10-fold enhancement of PKB activity. Knockdown of DNA-PK by small interfering RNA inhibited Ser-473 phosphorylation induced by insulin and pervanadate. DNA-PK-deficient glioblastoma cells did not respond to insulin at the level of Ser-473 phosphorylation; this effect was restored by complementation with the human PRKDC gene. We conclude that DNA-PK is a long sought after kinase responsible for the Ser-473 phosphorylation step in the activation of PKB.     

Okadaic acid activates microtubule-associated protein kinase in quiescent fibroblastic cells

Okadaic acid is a potent and specific inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A, and is a strong tumor promoter that is not an activator of protein kinase C. Treatment of quiescent cultures of rat fibroblastic 3Y1 cells with okadaic acid induced marked activation of a kinase activity that phosphorylated microtubule-associated protein (MAP) 2 and myelin basic protein, but not histone or casein, in vitro. This activated kinase eluted at approximately 0.15 M NaCl on a DEAE-cellulose column and its apparent molecular mass was determined to be approximately 40 kDa by gel filtration. Detection of the kinase activity in polyacrylamide gels containing substrate proteins after sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis revealed that the okadaic-acid-activated kinase activity resided mainly in two closely related polypeptides with apparent molecular mass approximately 40 kDa. The characteristics of this kinase were indistinguishable from those of the mitogen-activated MAP kinase in the same cells. The okadaic-acid-activated MAP kinase was deactivated by protein phosphatase 2A treatment in vitro. These results suggest that MAP kinase is negatively regulated by protein phosphatases 1 and/or 2A in quiescent cells and therefore can be activated by inhibiting these protein phosphatases. Interestingly, the okadaic-acid-induced activation of MAP kinase was transient and epidermal-growth-factor-induced activation was also transient, even in the presence of okadaic acid. These data may imply that protein phosphatases 1 and 2A are not involved in the deactivation of MAP kinase in cells.     

Dephosphorylation of the beta 2-adrenergic receptor and rhodopsin by latent phosphatase 2

Recent evidence suggests that the function of receptors coupled to guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins may be controlled by highly specific protein kinases, e.g. rhodopsin kinase and the beta-adrenergic receptor kinase. In order to investigate the nature of the phosphatases which might be involved in controlling the state of receptor phosphorylation we studied the ability of four highly purified well characterized protein phosphatases to dephosphorylate preparations of rhodopsin or beta 2-adrenergic receptor which had been highly phosphorylated by beta-adrenergic receptor kinase. These included: type 1 phosphatase, calcineurin phosphatase, type 2A phosphatase, and the high molecular weight latent phosphatase 2. Under conditions in which all the phosphatases could dephosphorylate such common substrates as [32P]phosphorylase a and [32P]myelin basic protein at similar rates only the latent phosphatase 2 was active on the phosphorylated receptors. Moreover, a latent phosphatase activity was found predominantly in a sequestered membrane fraction of frog erythrocytes. This parallels the distribution of a beta-adrenergic receptor phosphatase activity recently described in these cells (Sibley, D. R., Strasser, R. H., Benovic, J. L., Daniel, K., and Lefkowitz, R. J. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. 83, 9408-9412). These data suggest a potential role for the latent phosphatase 2 as a specific receptor phosphatase.     

Enhancement of tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation and activity by glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor

Although glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) acts as a potent survival factor for dopaminergic neurons, it is not known whether GDNF can directly alter dopamine synthesis. Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the rate-limiting enzyme for dopamine biosynthesis, and its activity is regulated by phosphorylation on three seryl residues: Ser-19, Ser-31, and Ser-40. Using a TH-expressing human neuroblastoma cell line and rat primary mesencephalic neuron cultures, the present study examined whether GDNF alters the phosphorylation of TH and whether these changes are accompanied by increased enzymatic activity. Exposure to GDNF did not alter the TH protein level in either neuroblastoma cells or in primary neurons. However, significant increases in the phosphorylation of Ser-31 and Ser-40 were detected within minutes of GDNF application in both cell types. Enhanced Ser-31 and Ser-40 phosphorylation was associated with increased TH activity but not dopamine synthesis in neuroblastoma cells, possibly because of the absence of l-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase activity in these cells. In contrast, increased phosphorylation of Ser-31 and Ser-40 was found to enhance dopamine synthesis in primary neurons. Pharmacological experiments show that Erk and protein kinase A phosphorylate Ser-31 and Ser-40, respectively, and that their inhibition blocked both TH phosphorylation and activity. Our results indicate that, in addition to its role as a survival factor for dopaminergic neurons, GDNF can directly increase dopamine synthesis.     

Identification of the major protein phosphatases in mammalian cardiac muscle which dephosphorylate phospholamban.

The protein phosphatases which dephosphorylate native, sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)-associated phospholamban were studied in cardiac muscle extracts and in a Triton fraction prepared by detergent extraction of myofibrils, the latter fraction containing 70-80% of the SR-associated proteins present in the tissue. At physiological concentrations of free Mg2+ (1 mM), protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) accounted for approximately 70% of the total phospholamban phosphatase activity in these fractions towards either Ser-16 (the residue labelled by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, PK-A) or Thr-17 (the residue phosphorylated by an SR-associated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase). Protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C) accounted for the remainder of the activity. A major form of cardiac PP1, present in comparable amounts in both the extract and Triton fraction, was similar, if not identical, to skeletal muscle protein phosphatase 1G (PP1G), which is composed of the PP1 catalytic (C) subunit complexed to a G subunit of approximately 160 kDa, responsible for targeting PP1 to both the SR and glycogen particles of skeletal muscle. This conclusion was based on immunoblotting experiments using antibody to the G subunit, ability to bind to glycogen and the release of PP1 activity from glycogen upon incubation with PK-A and MgATP. PP1 accounted for approximately 90% of the phospholamban (Ser-16 or Thr-17) phosphatase activity in the material sedimented by centrifugation at 45,000 x g, a fraction prepared from cardiac extracts which is enriched in SR membranes. The G subunit in this fraction could be solubilised by Triton X-100, but not with 0.5 M NaCl or digestion with alpha-amylase, indicating that it is bound to membranes and not to glycogen. By analogy with the situation in skeletal muscle, the PK-A catalysed phosphorylation of the G subunit, with ensuing release of the C subunit from the SR, may prevent PP1 from dephosphorylating SR-bound substrates and represent one of the mechanisms by which adrenalin increases the phosphorylation of cardiac phospholamban (Ser-16 and Thr-17) in vivo. Hearts left in situ post mortem lose 85-95% of their PP1 activity within 20-30 min. This remarkable disappearance of PP1 may partly explain why the importance of this enzyme in cardiac muscle metabolism has not been recognized previously.     

Identification of high levels of type 1 and type 2A protein phosphatases in higher plants.

Extracts of Brassica napus (oilseed rape) seeds contain type 1 and type 2A protein phosphatases whose properties are indistinguishable from the corresponding enzymes in mammalian tissues. The type 1 activity dephosphorylated the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase selectively and was inhibited by the same concentrations of okadaic acid [IC50 (concentration causing 50% inhibition) approximately 10 nM], mammalian inhibitor 1 (IC50 = 0.6 nM) and mammalian inhibitor 2 (IC50 = 2.0 nM) as the rabbit muscle type 1 phosphatase. The plant type 2A activity dephosphorylated the alpha-subunit of phosphorylase kinase preferentially, was exquisitely sensitive to okadaic acid (IC50 approximately 0.1 nM), and was unaffected by inhibitors 1 and 2. As in mammalian tissues, a substantial proportion of plant type 1 phosphatase activity (40%) was particulate, whereas plant type 2A phosphatase was cytosolic. The specific activities of the plant type 1 and type 2A phosphatases were as high as in mammalian tissue extracts, but no type 2B or type 2C phosphatase activity was detected. The results demonstrate that the improved procedure for identifying and quantifying protein phosphatases in animal cells is applicable to higher plants, and suggests that okadaic acid may provide a new method for identifying plant enzymes that are regulated by reversible phosphorylation.     

Phosphorylation at serine 75 is required for UV-mediated degradation of human Cdc25A phosphatase at the S-phase checkpoint

The human Cdc25A phosphatase plays a pivotal role at the G1/S transition by activating cyclin E and A/Cdk2 complexes through dephosphorylation. In response to ionizing radiation, Cdc25A is phosphorylated by both Chk1 and Chk2 on Ser-123. This in turn leads to ubiquitylation and rapid degradation of Cdc25A by the proteasome resulting in cell cycle arrest. We found that in response to UV irradiation, Cdc25A is phosphorylated at a different serine residue, Ser-75. Significantly, Cdc25A mutants carrying alanine instead of either Ser-75 or Ser-123 demonstrate that only Ser-75 mediates protein stabilization in response to UV-induced DNA damage. As a consequence, cyclin E/Cdk2 kinase activity was high. Furthermore, we find that Cdc25A was phosphorylated by Chk1 on Ser-75 in vitro and that the same site was also phosphorylated in vivo. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that phosphorylation of Cdc25A on Ser-75 by Chk1 and its subsequent degradation is required to delay cell cycle progression in response to UV-induced DNA lesions.     

Multisite phosphorylation of a synthetic peptide derived from the carboxyl terminus of the ribosomal protein S6

The synthetic peptide AKRRRLSSLRASTSKSESSQK (S6-21) which corresponds to the carboxyl-terminal 21 amino acids of human ribosomal protein S6 was synthesized and tested as a substrate for S6/H4 kinase purified from human placenta. The specific activity of the enzyme with the synthetic peptide and 40 S ribosomes was 45 and 23 nmol/min/mg, respectively. The S6/H4 kinase activity with S6-21 was greater than the enzyme activity with any other substrate tested, including histones, protamine, and casein and several other synthetic peptides. The phosphorylation of the peptide was not inhibited by inhibitors of several other proteins kinases. S6/H4 kinase catalyzed the phosphorylation of three major sites in the synthetic peptide and the 40 S ribosomes. A fourth site in S6-21 was phosphorylated more slowly. The principal phosphorylation sites were serines in the acidic carboxyl-terminal domain of the peptide. A serine (Ser-7 or -8) in the amino-terminal domain was phosphorylated at approximately 25% the rate of the carboxyl-terminal domain serines. The data suggest that multiple S6 kinases may be required to phosphorylate S6 at all five sites which are modified in vivo.     

Differential expression of the B'beta regulatory subunit of protein phosphatase 2A modulates tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation and catecholamine synthesis

Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), the rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine synthesis, is stimulated by N-terminal phosphorylation by several kinases and inhibited by protein serine/threonine phosphatase 2A (PP2A). PP2A is a family of heterotrimeric holoenzymes containing one of more than a dozen different regulatory subunits. In comparison with rat forebrain extracts, adrenal gland extracts exhibited TH hyperphosphorylation at Ser(19), Ser(31), and Ser(40), as well as reduced phosphatase activity selectively toward phosphorylated TH. Because the B'beta regulatory subunit of PP2A is expressed in brain but not in adrenal glands, we tested the hypothesis that PP2A/B'beta is a specific TH phosphatase. In catecholamine-secreting PC12 cells, inducible expression of B'beta decreased both N-terminal Ser phosphorylation and in situ TH activity, whereas inducible silencing of endogenous B'beta had the opposite effect. Furthermore, PP2A/B'beta directly dephosphorylated TH in vitro. As to specificity, other PP2A regulatory subunits had negligible effects on TH activity and phosphorylation in situ and in vitro. Whereas B'beta was highly expressed in dopaminergic cell bodies in the substantia nigra, the PP2A regulatory subunit was excluded from TH-positive terminal fields in the striatum and failed to colocalize with presynaptic markers in general. Consistent with a model in which B'beta enrichment in neuronal cell bodies helps confine catecholamine synthesis to axon terminals, TH phosphorylation was higher in processes than in somata of dopaminergic neurons. In summary, we show that B'beta recruits PP2A to modulate TH activity in a tissue- and cell compartment specific fashion.