Multiple phosphorylation of mouse muscle glycogen synthase

Glycogen synthase was isolated from extracts of mouse diaphragm muscle by immunoprecipitation with specific antibodies raised against the rabbit muscle enzyme. A procedure was developed which permitted phosphorylation of the immunoprecipitated enzyme by several purified protein kinases. Peptide mapping techniques (including reverse-phase HPLC and thin-layer electrophoresis and chromatography) were used to compare tryptic phosphopeptides of the rabbit and mouse muscle enzymes. The results demonstrated a high degree of similarity in the chemical properties of these peptides, suggesting significant homology around the phosphorylation sites in these proteins. Thus, mouse peptides corresponding to the rabbit muscle peptides containing sites 1a, 1b, 2, 3, and 5 were identified, with protein kinase recognition specificities identical to those of the rabbit enzyme. The study indicates significant conservation in the muscle isozymes of glycogen synthase between mouse and rabbit as well as a similar distribution of phosphorylation sites throughout the enzyme subunit.     

The phosphorylation of rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by glycogen synthase kinase-2 and adenosine-3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase.

Purified glycogen synthase is contaminated with traces of two protein kinases that can phosphorylate the enzyme. One is protein kinase dependent on adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and the second is an activity termed glycogen synthase kinase-2 [Nimmo, H.G. and Cohen P, (1974)]. Glycogen synthase kinase-2 has been found to be localized relatively specifically in the protein-glycogen complex. It has been purified 4000-fold by two procedures, both of which involve disruption of the complex, followed by the DEAE-cellulose and phosphocellulose chromatographies. However the salt concentration at which glycogen synthase kinase-2 is eluted from DEAE-cellulose depends on the method that is used to disrupt the complex. The results indicate that glycogen synthase kinase-2 is firmly attached to a protein component of the complex. The isolation procedures separate glycogen synthase kinase-2 from phosphorylase kinase, cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and other glycogen-metabolising enzymes. Glycogen synthase kinase-2 is the major phosvitin kinase in skeletal muscle, although glycogen synthase is a six to eight-fold better substrate than phosvitin under the standard assay conditions. Phosphorylase kinase and phosphorylase b are not substrates for glycogen synthase kinase 2. Following incubation with cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase, cyclic AMP and Mg-ATP, the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase reaches a plateau at 1.0 molecules of phosphate incorporated per subunit and the activity ratio measured in the absence and presence of glucose 6-phosphate falls from 0.8 to a plateau of 0.18. The Ka for glucose 6-phosphate of this phosphorylated species, termed glycogen synthase b1, is the 0.6 mM. Following incubation with glycogen synthase kinase-2 and Mg-ATP, the phosphorylation reaches a plateau of 0.92 molecules of phosphate incorporated per subunit and the activity ratio decreases to a plateau of 0.08. The Ka for glucose 6-phosphate of this phosphorylated species, termed glycogen synthetase b2, is 4 mM. In the presence of both cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase and glycogen synthase kinase-2, the phosphorylation of glycogen synthase reaches a plateau when 1.95 molecules of phoshophate have been incorporated per subunit. The activity ratio is 0.01 and the Ka for glucose 6-phosphate is 10 mM. The results indicate that glycogen synthase can be regulated by two distinct phosphorylation-dephosphorylation cycles. The implication of these findings for the regulation of glycogen synthase in vivo are discussed.     

Compartmentalized protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in glycogen particles from rabbit skeletal muscle

Activation of phosphorylase in intact glycogen particles from skeletal muscle by Ca2+ and MgATP is known as flash activation. By using [gamma-32P]ATP to monitor protein phosphorylation, we have demonstrated that there is, coincident with phosphorylase activation and inactivation, coordinated phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of phosphorylase, glycogen synthase, the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase and proteins of Mr = 43,000 and 32,000. Our results show that within the glycogen particle phosphorylase kinase and type-1 protein phosphatase are organized to allow access to a set of protein components. This arrangement may contribute to the reciprocal regulation of their activities.     

Multiple phosphorylation of rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase. Evidence for interactions among phosphorylation sites and the resolution of electrophoretically distinct forms of the subunit

Phosphorylation of rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by a cyclic nucleotide and Ca2+-independent protein kinase, PC0.7, caused the enzyme to be a better substrate for phosphorylation by another cyclic nucleotide and Ca2+-independent protein kinase, FA/GSK-3. In contrast, phosphorylation by the combination of FA/GSK-3 and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase led to less phosphorylation than predicted from the individual actions of the protein kinases. These results are explained in part by the existence of cooperative interactions among the phosphorylation sites of glycogen synthase. Phosphorylation by FA/GSK-3 also correlated with a reduction in the electrophoretic mobility, in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, of the glycogen synthase subunit from an apparent molecular weight of 85,000-86,000 to values of 88,000 and ultimately 90,000. The synergistic phosphorylation by PC0.7 and FA/GSK-3 was associated with an increased formation of the species of reduced electrophoretic mobility. The effects on subunit mobility were also reflected in the behavior of a larger phosphorylated CNBr fragment of glycogen synthase, CB-2, which gave apparent molecular weights of 22,000-27,000 depending on its phosphorylation state.     

Comparison of the phosphorylation of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and cAMP-independent glycogen synthase (casein) kinase-1

We have previously reported that rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase is phosphorylated by glycogen synthase (casein) kinase-1 (CK-1) primarily on the beta subunit (beta = 1 mol of PO4; alpha = 0.2 mol of PO4) when the reaction was carried out in beta-glycerophosphate. The resultant enzyme activation was 16-fold (Singh, T. J., Akatsuka, A., and Huang, K.-P. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 13379-13384). In the present study we found that in Tris-Cl buffer CK-1 catalyzes the incorporation of greater than 2 mol of PO4/monomer into each of the alpha and beta subunits. Phosphorylase kinase activation resulting from the higher level of phosphorylation remained 16-fold. 32P-Labeled tryptic peptides from the alpha and beta subunits were analyzed by isoelectric focusing. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) phosphorylates a single major site in each of the alpha and beta subunits at 1.5 mM Mg2+. In addition to these two sites, A-kinase phosphorylates at least three other sites in the alpha subunit at 10 mM Mg2+. CK-1 also catalyzes the phosphorylation of multiple sites in both the alpha and beta subunits. Of the two major sites phosphorylated by CK-1 in the beta subunit, one of these sites is also recognized by A-kinase. At least three sites are phosphorylated by CK-1 in the alpha subunit. One of these sites is recognized by CK-1 only after a prior phosphorylation of phosphorylase kinase by A-kinase at a single site in each of the alpha and beta subunits at 1.5 mM Mg2+. The roles of the different phosphorylation sites in phosphorylase kinase activation are discussed.     

Identification of the C-terminus of rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase

The primary structure of a tryptic peptide containing one of the phosphorylation sites on rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (site 1b) has been redetermined and shown to correspond to the C-terminus of the protein. The sequence is: -SNSVDTSSLSTPSEPLSSAPSLGEERN.     

Multisite phosphorylation of glycogen synthase from rabbit skeletal muscle. Organisation of the seven sites in the polypeptide chain

Glycogen synthase is a substrate for five distinct protein kinases in skeletal muscle which phosphorylate seven different serine residues on the enzyme. Cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates sites 1a, 1b and 2, phosphorylase kinase, site 2, glycogen synthase kinase 3, sites 3a, 3b and 3c, glycogen synthase kinase 4, site 2 and glycogen synthase kinase 5 site 5. Site 2 is seven residues from the N-terminus of glycogen synthase and is located in a cyanogen bromide peptide termed CB1 (apparent Mr = 9000). The other six phosphorylation sites are located in a cyanogen bromide peptide termed CB2 (apparent Mr = 24 000) at the C-terminal end of the molecule. The sequence of the N-terminal 123 residues of peptide CB2, has been completed. Sites 3a, 3b, 3c, 5, 1a and 1b are located at residues 30, 34, 38, 46, 87 and 100 from the N-terminus of CB2 respectively. Site 1a is the next serine residue after site 5. The region surrounding sites 3a, 3b and 3c is very rich in proline residues while that surrounding sites 1a and 1b contains many serine and threonine residues. The 23 residues following site 5 contain 15 aspartic acid and glutamic acid residues, while the region immediately N-terminal to site 1a is very basic. The whole region is remarkably hydrophilic and is the region at which the native enzyme is attacked by proteinases. The sites at which glycogen synthase is cleaved by trypsin, chymotrypsin and thermolysin have been identified. The finding that trypsin cleaves the enzyme C-terminal to site 3c while chymotrypsin cleaves N-terminal to site 3a has formed the basis of a simple procedure for determining the state of phosphorylation of the seven serine residues in vivo [Parker, P.J., Embi, N., Caudwell, F.B., and Cohen, P. (1982) Eur. J. Biochem. 124, 47-55].     

Multisite phosphorylation of glycogen synthase from rabbit skeletal muscle. Identification of the sites phosphorylated by casein kinase-I

A casein kinase was highly purified from rabbit skeletal muscle whose substrate specificity and enzymatic properties were virtually identical to those of casein kinase-I from rabbit reticulocytes. Prolonged incubation of glycogen synthase with high concentrations of skeletal muscle casein kinase-I and Mg-ATP resulted in the incorporation of greater than 6 mol phosphate/mol subunit and decreased the activity ratio (+/- glucose-6P) from 0.8 to less than 0.02. The sites phosphorylated by casein kinase-I were all located in the N and C-terminal cyanogen bromide peptides, termed CB-1 and CB-2. At an incorporation of 6 mol phosphate/mol subunit, approximately equal to 2 mol/mol was present in CB-1 and approximately equal to 4 mol/mol in CB-2. Within CB-1, casein kinase-I phosphorylated the serines that were 3, 7 and 10 residues from the N-terminus of glycogen synthase, with minor phosphorylation at threonine-5. Within CB-2, approximately equal to 90% of the phosphate incorporated was located between residues 28 and 53, and at least five of the seven serine residues in this region were phosphorylated. The remaining 10% of phosphate incorporated into CB-2 was located between residues 98 and 123, mainly at a serine residue(s). Two of the major sites labelled by casein kinase-I (serine-3 and serine-10 of CB-1) are not phosphorylated by any other protein kinase. This will enable the role of casein kinase-I as a glycogen synthase kinase in vivo to be evaluated.     

Analysis of the in vivo phosphorylation state of rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry

The in vivo phosphorylation state of glycogen synthase was re-examined by fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry and a procedure in which phosphoserine residues are first converted to S-ethylcysteine. In animals injected with the beta-adrenergic antagonist propranolol, the phosphorylation sites in the N-terminal (N) and C-terminal (C) cyanogen bromide peptides were identified as the serine residues at N7, the region C28-C39, C42, C46 and C100. In animals injected with adrenalin, the phosphorylation of N7 increased from 0.6 to 0.8 mol/mol, the region C28-C39 from 0.7 to 1.2 mol/mol and C100 from 0.3 to 0.6 mol/mol. The phosphorylation states of C42 (0.7 mol/mol) and C46 (0.9 mol/mol) were unchanged. In addition, two further serine residues became phosphorylated at positions N10 (0.5 mol/mol) and C87 (0.5 mol/mol), which were not phosphorylated in the absence of adrenalin. Residues N10 and C42 have not been recognized as in vivo sites of phosphorylation previously. The results suggest that N10 is phosphorylated by a novel protein kinase which may be activated by cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase. The phosphorylation of C42 is likely to be catalysed by glycogen synthase kinase 3. The protein kinases responsible for phosphorylating N7, the region C28-C39, C46, C87 and C100 in vivo and the molecular mechanisms by which adrenalin inactivates glycogen synthase in vivo are discussed. Residue N3, a major site phosphorylated by casein kinase-I in vitro is not phosphorylated in vivo. This and other evidence indicates that casein kinase-I is not a glycogen synthase kinase in vivo.     

Kinetic properties of glycogen synthase from skeletal muscle after phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase 4

Glycogen synthase I (EC 2.4.1.11) from rat and from rabbit skeletal muscle was phosphorylated in vitro by glycogen synthase kinase 4 (EC 2.7.1.37) to the extent of 0.8 phosphates/subunit. For both phosphorylated enzymes, the activity ratio (activity without glucose 6-P divided by activity with 8 mM glucose 6-P) was 0.8 when determined with low concentrations of glycogen synthase and/or short incubation times. However, the activity ratio was 0.5 with high enzyme concentrations and longer incubation times. It was found that the lower activity ratios result largely from UDP inhibition of activity measured in the absence of glucose 6-P. Inhibition by UDP was much less pronounced for glycogen synthase I, indicating that a major consequence of phosphorylation by glycogen synthase kinase 4 is an increased sensitivity to UDP inhibition.     

Hormonal regulation of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase through covalent phosphorylation

Studies have been initiated to determine the hormonal regulation of glycogen synthase in rabbit skeletal muscle. It was found that glycogen synthase purified from control animals was quite highly phosphorylated (2.35 mol phosphate/mol synthase subunit) with 40% of the phosphate in the trypsin-sensitive or COOH-terminal domain, and 60% in the trypsin-insensitive or NH2-terminal domain. The phosphorylation state of synthase was elevated (3.9 mol/mol) by epinephrine injection and in the diabetic condition. With epinephrine, about 76% of the additional phosphate was incorporated in the trypsin-sensitive domain, which strongly supports the contention that this hormone acts through the cyclic AMP (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase. In the synthase purified from diabetic rabbits, 90% of the additional phosphate was in the trypsin-insensitive domain. Insulin treatment of the diabetics resulted in specific dephosphorylation of the trypsin-insensitive domain. These results indicate that in this system insulin is not acting by inhibition of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Phosphorylation of rabbit liver glycogen synthase by multiple protein kinases

Purified rabbit liver glycogen synthase was found to be a substrate for six different protein kinases: (i) cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, (ii) two Ca2+-stimulated protein kinases, phosphorylase kinase (from muscle) and a calmodulin-dependent glycogen synthase kinase, and (iii) three members of a Ca2+ and cyclic nucleotide independent class, PC0.7, FA/GSK-3, and casein kinase-1. Greatest inactivation accompanied phosphorylation by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (to 0.5-0.7 phosphate/subunit, +/- glucose-6-P activity ratio reduced from approximately 1 to 0.6) or FA/GSK-3 (to approximately 1 phosphate/subunit, activity ratio, 0.46). Phosphorylation by the combination FA/GSK-3 plus PC0.7 was synergistic, and more extensive inactivation was achieved. The phosphorylation reactions just described caused significant reductions in the Vmax of the glycogen synthase with little effect on the S0.5 (substrate concentration corresponding to Vmax/2). Phosphorylase kinase achieved a lesser inactivation, to an activity ratio of 0.75 at 0.6 phosphate/subunit. PC0.7 acting alone, casein kinase-1, and the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase did not cause inactivation of liver glycogen synthase with the conditions used. Analysis of CNBr fragments of phosphorylated glycogen synthase indicated that the phosphate was distributed primarily between two polypeptides, with apparent Mr = 12,300 (CB-I) and 16,000-17,000 (CB-II). PC0.7 and casein kinase-1 displayed a decided specificity for CB-II, and the calmodulin-dependent protein kinase was specific for CB-I. The other protein kinases were able, to some extent, to introduce phosphate into both CB-I and CB-II. Studies using limited proteolysis indicated that CB-II was located at a terminal region of the subunit. CB-I contains a minimum of one phosphorylation site and CB-II at least three sites. Liver glycogen synthase is therefore potentially subject to the same type of multisite regulation as skeletal muscle glycogen synthase although the muscle and liver enzymes display significant differences in both structural and kinetic properties.     

Regulation of cardiac glycogen synthase by phosphorylation: catalysis of inactivation by cAMP-dependent and cAMP-independent protein kinases and comparison with the phosphorylation of the skeletal muscle enzyme

Glycogen synthase has been purified from bovine heart to near homogeneity by a procedure including zonal sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. The purified enzyme had a subunit molecular weight of 88,000 ± 2000, an $\text{I}\text{D}$ ratio of between 0.8 and 1.0, and contained less than 0.1 mol of covalently bound phosphate per mole of subunit. The rates, extent, and sites of phosphorylation of the cardiac enzyme were compared with those of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase as catalyzed by both the cardiac cAMP-dependent and a cardiac cAMP-independent protein kinases. The cardiac glycogen synthase was phosphorylated up to 1 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, to at least 2 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit by the cAMP-independent protein kinase, and to at least 3 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit with the two protein kinases together. There was a linear correlation between the extent of phosphorylation and conversion of cardiac synthase I to the glucose 6-phosphate-dependent form. This correlation was independent of which kinase(s) catalyzed the phosphorylation. Maximum inactivation occurred at an incorporation of 2 mol of phosphate per subunit. Under equivalent conditions, the rates of phosphorylation of cardiac and skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase were identical. In contrast, the cardiac enzyme was phosphorylated at a faster rate by the homologous cardiac cAMP-independent protein kinase than was the skeletal muscle synthase by the latter cardiac protein kinase. Analysis of the sites of phosphorylation of the cardiac and skeletal muscle glycogen synthases by CNBr cleavage and trypsin hydrolysis indicated minor differences in the derived phosphopeptides.     

Synergistic phosphorylation of rabbit muscle glycogen synthase by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and casein kinase I. Implications for hormonal regulation of glycogen synthase

The phosphorylation of rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by casein kinase I is markedly enhanced if the enzyme has previously been phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The presence of phosphate in the primary cAMP-dependent protein kinase sites, sites 1a, 1b, and 2 (serine 7), increases the activity of casein kinase I toward residues in the vicinity of these sites. This synergistic phosphorylation correlates with potent inactivation of the glycogen synthase. Analysis of the NH2 terminus of the enzyme subunit indicated that phosphorylation at serine 7 caused serine 10 to become a preferred casein kinase I site and that phosphoserine can be an important recognition determinant for casein kinase I. This finding can also explain how epinephrine stimulation of skeletal muscle provokes significant increases in the phosphorylation state of serine residues, in particular serine 10, not recognized by cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Effect of phosphorylation by different protein kinases on the behaviour of glycogen synthase as a substrate for hepatic synthase phosphatases

Glycogen synthase a from skeletal muscle was phosphorylated in vitro and then used as substrate for the two major synthase phosphatases from liver. Synthase phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (1.4-1.7 P/subunit) was preferentially activated by the cytosolic S-component; in contrast, progressive phosphorylation by casein kinase-1 (0.9-6.5 P/subunit) yielded substrates that were always better dephosphorylated and activated by the glycogen-bound G-component. We have previously isolated from dog liver several types of synthase b that differ by their need for the S- and/or G-component for prompt activation. After additional phosphorylation by a mixture of synthase kinases the activation of these enzyme preparations required the presence of both components.