Phosphorylation of myocardial fructose-6-phosphate,2-kinase: fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C. Activation by phosphorylation and amino acid sequences of the phosphorylation sites

Phosphorylation of pure fructose-6-phosphate,2-kinase:fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase from bovine heart by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C was investigated. The major enzyme form (subunit Mr of 58,000) was rapidly phosphorylated by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C, incorporating 0.8 and 1.0 mol/mol of subunit, respectively. The rate of phosphorylation of the heart enzyme by cAMP-dependent protein kinase was 10 times faster than that of the rat liver enzyme. The minor enzyme (subunit Mr of 54,000), however, was phosphorylated only by protein kinase C and was phosphorylated much more slowly with a phosphate incorporation of less than 0.1 mol/mol of subunit. Phosphorylation by either cAMP-dependent protein kinase or protein kinase C activated the enzyme, but each phosphorylation affected different kinetic parameters. Phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase lowered the Km value for fructose 6-phosphate from 87 to 42 microM without affecting the Vmax, whereas the phosphorylation by protein kinase C increased the Vmax value from 55 to 85 milliunits/mg without altering the Km value. The phosphorylated peptides were isolated, and their amino acid sequences were determined. The phosphorylation sites for both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C were located in a single peptide whose sequence was Arg-Arg-Asn-Ser-(P)-Phe-Thr-Pro-Leu-Ser-Ser-Ser-Asn-Thr(P)-Ile-Arg-Arg-Pro. The seryl residue nearest the N terminus was the residue specifically phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, whereas the threonine residue nearest the C terminus was phosphorylated by protein kinase C.     

Phosphorylation of skeletal and cardiac muscle C-proteins by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase

Catecholamines are known to influence the contractility of cardiac and skeletal muscles, presumably via cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of specific proteins. We have investigated the in vitro phosphorylation of myofibrillar proteins by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase of fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscles and cardiac muscle with a view to gaining a better understanding of the biochemical basis of catecholamine effects on striated muscles. Incubation of canine red skeletal myofibrils with the isolated catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and Mg-[gamma-32P]ATP led to the rapid incorporation of [32P]phosphate into five major protein substrates of subunit molecular weights (MWs) 143,000, 60,000, 42,000, 33,000, and 11,000. The 143,000 MW substrate was identified as C-protein; the 42,000 MW substrate is probably actin; the 33,000 MW substrate was shown not to be a subunit of tropomyosin and, like the 60,000 and 11,000 MW substrates, is an unidentified myofibrillar protein. Isolated canine red skeletal muscle C-protein as phosphorylated to the extent of approximately 0.5 mol Pi/mol C-protein. Rabbit white skeletal muscle and bovine cardiac muscle C-proteins were also phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, both in myofibrils and in the isolated state. Cardiac C-protein was phosphorylated to the extent of 5-6 mol Pi/mol C-protein, whereas rabbit white skeletal muscle C-protein was phosphorylated at the level of approximately 0.5 mol Pi/mol C-protein. As demonstrated earlier by others, C-protein of skeletal and cardiac muscles inhibited the actin-activated myosin Mg2+-ATPase activity at low ionic strength in a system reconstituted from the purified skeletal muscle contractile proteins (actin and myosin).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Phosphorylation of bovine cardiac C-protein by protein kinase C

C-protein, a thick filament-associated protein, has been isolated from bovine myocardium and found to be a substrate in vitro of the Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C). Incorporation of approximately 1.6 mol Pi/mol C-protein was observed. This phosphorylation was dependent on both Ca2+ and a phospholipid (L-alpha-phosphatidyl-L-serine was used). Phosphate incorporation specifically into C-protein was verified by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography and was almost exclusively into serine residues (86.9%), with only a small amount of phosphothreonine (13.1%) and no phosphotyrosine being detected. Two-dimensional thin-layer electrophoresis of a chymotryptic digest of phosphorylated C-protein indicated site specificity of phosphorylation. Cardiac C-protein is known to be a substrate of cAMP-dependent protein kinase both in vitro and in vivo (Jeacocke, S.A. and England, P.J. (1980) FEBS Lett. 122, 129-132). Isolated bovine cardiac C-protein was rapidly phosphorylated, to the extent of 5 mol/mol, by the purified catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Phosphorylation catalyzed by these two protein kinases was not additive, suggesting that the sites phosphorylated by protein kinase C are also phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Chicken cardiac muscle has also been shown to contain a Ca2+, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase which phosphorylates C-protein (Hartzell, H.C. and Glass, D.B. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 15587-15596). The physiological role of cardiac C-protein may therefore be subject to regulation by multiple protein kinases.     

Phosphorylation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor by cAMP-dependent protein kinase

The phosphorylation of canine cardiac and skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase has been studied. A high-molecular-weight protein (Mr 400,000) in cardiac microsomes was phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. A monoclonal antibody against the cardiac ryanodine receptor immunoprecipitated this phosphoprotein. In contrast, high-molecular-weight proteins (Mr 400,000-450,000) in canine skeletal microsomes isolated from extensor carpi radialis (fast) or superficial digitalis flexor (slow) muscle fibers were not significantly phosphorylated. In agreement with these findings, the ryanodine receptor purified from cardiac microsomes was also phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Phosphorylation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor in microsomal and purified preparations occurred at the ratio of about one mol per mol of ryanodine-binding site. Upon phosphorylation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor, the levels of [3H]ryanodine binding at saturating concentrations of this ligand increased by up to 30% in the presence of Ca2+ concentrations above 1 microM in both cardiac microsomes and the purified cardiac ryanodine receptor preparation. In contrast, the Ca2+ concentration dependence of [3H]ryanodine binding did not change significantly. These results suggest that phosphorylation of the ryanodine receptor by cAMP-dependent protein kinase may be an important regulatory mechanism for the calcium release channel function in the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum.     

Phosphorylation of mammalian myosin light chain kinases by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and by cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase

The phosphorylation of the calmodulin-dependent enzyme myosin light chain kinase, purified from bovine tracheal smooth muscle and human blood platelets, by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and by cGMP-dependent protein kinase was investigated. When myosin light chain kinase which has calmodulin bound is phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, 1 mol of phosphate is incorporated per mol of tracheal myosin light chain kinase or platelet myosin light chain kinase, with no effect on the catalytic activity. Phosphorylation when calmodulin is not bound results in the incorporation of 2 mol of phosphate and significantly decreases the activity. The decrease in myosin light chain kinase activity is due to a 5 to 7-fold increase in the amount of calmodulin required for half-maximal activation of both tracheal and platelet myosin light chain kinase. In contrast to the results with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase cannot phosphorylate tracheal myosin light chain kinase in the presence of bound calmodulin. When calmodulin is not bound to tracheal myosin light chain kinase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates only one site, and this phosphorylation has no effect on myosin light chain kinase activity. On the other hand, cGMP-dependent protein kinase incorporates phosphate into two sites in platelet myosin light chain kinase when calmodulin is not bound. The sites phosphorylated by the two cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases were compared by two-dimensional peptide mapping following extensive tryptic digestion of the phosphorylated myosin light chain kinases. With respect to the tracheal myosin light chain kinase, the single site phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase when calmodulin is not bound appears to be the same site phosphorylated in the tracheal enzyme by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase when calmodulin is bound. With respect to the platelet myosin light chain kinase, the additional site that was phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase when calmodulin was not bound was different from that phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

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.     

Phosphorylation of the acetylcholine receptor by protein kinase C and identification of the phosphorylation site within the receptor delta subunit

Purified acetylcholine receptor is rapidly and specifically phosphorylated by partially purified protein kinase C, the Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme. The receptor delta subunit is the major target for phosphorylation and is phosphorylated on serine residues to a final stoichiometry of 0.4 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit. Phosphorylation is dose-dependent with a Km value of 0.2 microM. Proteolytic digestion of the delta subunit phosphorylated by either protein kinase C or the cAMP-dependent protein kinase yielded a similar pattern of phosphorylated fragments. The amino acids phosphorylated by either kinase co-localized within a 15-kDa proteolytic fragment of the delta subunit. This fragment was visualized by immunoblotting with antibodies against a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 354-367 of the receptor delta subunit. This sequence, which contains 3 consecutive serine residues, was recently shown to include the cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation site (Souroujon, M. C., Neumann, D., Pizzighella, S., Fridkin, M., and Fuchs, S. (1986) EMBO J. 5, 543-546). Concomitantly, the synthetic peptide 354-367 was specifically phosphorylated in a Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent manner by protein kinase C. Furthermore, antibodies directed against this peptide inhibited phosphorylation of the intact receptor by protein kinase C. We thus conclude that both the cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C phosphorylation sites reside in very close proximity within the 3 adjacent serine residues at positions 360, 361, and 362 of the delta subunit of the acetylcholine receptor.     

Phosphorylation of high mobility group 14 protein by cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases

Chromosomal high mobility group (HMG) proteins have been examined as substrates for cGMP-dependent and cAMP-dependent protein kinases. Of the four HMG proteins only HMG 14 contained a major high affinity site which could be phosphorylated by both enzymes, preferentially by cGMP-dependent protein kinase. One mol of 32P was incorporated/mol of HMG 14. Kinetic analysis revealed apparent Km and Vmax of 40.5 microM and 14.7 mumol/min/mg, respectively, for cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and 123 microM and 11.1 mumol/min/mg, respectively, for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Tryptic maps of 32P-labeled phosphopeptides of HMG 14 demonstrated phosphorylation of the same site by both enzymes. The tryptic fragment containing the major phosphorylation site was identified by amino acid composition and sequence as HMG 14 (residues 4-13): H-Lys-Val-Ser(P)-Ser-Ala-Glu-Gly-Ala-Ala-Lys-OH. HMG 14 and HMG 17 also contained minor sites which could be phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase. Tryptic phosphopeptides mapping suggested that the same minor site was phosphorylated on both HMG 14 and 17. On the basis of amino acid composition, the tryptic peptides carrying the minor phosphorylation sites were identified as H-Leu-Ser(P)-Ala-Lys representing residues 23-26 and 27-30 of HMG 14 and HMG 17, respectively.     

Phosphorylation of L-type pyruvate kinase by a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase

Rat liver L-type pyruvate kinase was phosphorylated in vitro by a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase purified from rabbit liver. The calmodulin (CaM)-dependent kinase catalyzed incorporation of up to 1.7 mol of 32P/mol of pyruvate kinase subunit; maximum phosphorylation was associated with a 3.0-fold increase in the K0.5 for P-enolpyruvate. This compares to incorporation of 0.7 to 1.0 mol of 32P/mol catalyzed by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase with a 2-fold increase in K0.5 for P-enolpyruvate. When [32P]pyruvate kinase, phosphorylated by the CaM-dependent protein kinase, was subsequently incubated with 5 mM ADP and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (kinase reversal conditions), 50-60% of the 32PO4 was removed from pyruvate kinase, but the K0.5 for P-enolpyruvate decreased only 20-30%. Identification of 32P-amino acids after partial acid hydrolysis showed that the CaM-dependent protein kinase phosphorylated both threonyl and seryl residues (ratio of 1:2, respectively) whereas the cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylated only seryl groups. The two phosphorylation sites were present in the same 3-4-kDa CNBr fragment located near the amino terminus of the enzyme subunit. These results indicate that the CaM-dependent protein kinase catalyzed phosphorylation of L-type pyruvate kinase at two discrete sites. One site is apparently the same serine which is phosphorylated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The second site is a unique threonine residue whose phosphorylation also inactivates pyruvate kinase by elevating the K0.5 for P-enolpyruvate. These results may account for the Ca2+-dependent phosphorylation of pyruvate kinase observed in isolated hepatocytes.     

Phosphorylation of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase by protein kinase C. Comparative study of the phosphorylated sites

Smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase is phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C purified from human platelets. When myosin light chain kinase which has calmodulin bound is phosphorylated by protein kinase C, 0.8-1.1 mol of phosphate is incorporated per mol of myosin light chain kinase with no effect on its enzyme activity. Phosphorylation of myosin light chain kinase with no calmodulin bound results in the incorporation of 2-2.4 mol of phosphate and significantly decreases the rate of myosin light chain kinase activity. The decrease in myosin light chain kinase activity is due to a 3.3-fold increase in the concentration of calmodulin necessary for the half-maximal activation of myosin light chain kinase. The sites phosphorylated by protein kinase C and the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase were compared by two-dimensional peptide mapping following extensive tryptic digestion of phosphorylated myosin light chain kinase. The single site phosphorylated by protein kinase C when calmodulin is bound to myosin light chain kinase (site 3) is different from that phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (site 1). The additional site that is phosphorylated by protein kinase C when calmodulin is not bound appears to be the same site phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (site 2). These studies confirm the important role of site 2 in binding calmodulin to myosin light chain kinase. Sequential studies using both protein kinase C and the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase suggest that the phosphorylation of site 1 also plays a part in decreasing the affinity of myosin light chain kinase for calmodulin.     

Synthetic peptides corresponding to the site phosphorylated in 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/fructose-2,6-bisphosphatase as substrates of cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases

The specificities of cAMP-dependent and cGMP-dependent protein kinases were studied using synthetic peptides corresponding to the phosphorylation site in 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/Fru-2,6-P2ase (Murray, K.J., El-Maghrabi, M.R., Kountz, P.D., Lukas, T.J., Soderling, T.R., and Pilkis, S.J. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 7673-7681) as substrates. The peptide Val-Leu-Gln-Arg-Arg-Arg-Gly-Ser-Ser-Ile-Pro-Gln was phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase on predominantly the first of its 2 seryl residues. The Km (4 microM) and Vmax (14 mumol/min/mg) values were comparable to those for the phosphorylation of this site within native 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/Fru-2,6-P2ase. An analog peptide containing only two arginines was phosphorylated with poorer kinetic constants than was the parent peptide. These results suggest that the amino acid sequence at its site of phosphorylation is a major determinant that makes 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/Fru-2,6-P2ase an excellent substrate for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Although 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/Fru-2,6-P2ase was not phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase, the synthetic peptide corresponding to the cAMP-dependent phosphorylation site was a relatively good substrate (Km = 33 microM, Vmax = 1 mumol/min/mg). Thus, structures other than the primary sequence at the phosphorylation site must be responsible for the inability of cGMP-dependent protein kinase to phosphorylate native 6-phosphofructo-2-kinase/Fru-2,6-P2ase. Peptides containing either a -Ser-Ser- or -Thr-Ser- moiety were all phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent kinase to 1.0 mol of phosphate/mol of peptide, but the phosphate was distributed between the two hydroxyamino acids. Substitution of a proline in place of the glycine between the three arginines and these phosphorylatable amino acids caused the protein kinase selectively to phosphorylate the threonyl or first seryl residue and also enhanced the Vmax values by 4-6-fold. These results are consistent with a role for proline in allowing an adjacent threonyl residue to be readily phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Regulation of the interaction of actin filaments with microtubule-associated protein 2 by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II

Phosphorylation of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP 2) by Ca²⁺-, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (protein kinase II) inhibited the actin filament cross-linking activity of MAP 2. This inhibition required the presence of ATP, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺ and calmodulin. The minimal concentration of MAP 2 required for gel formation of actin filaments was increased with increasing amounts of phosphate incorporated into MAP 2, and the phosphorylated MAP 2, into which 10.3 mol of phosphate/mol of protein had been incorporated, did not cause actin filaments to gel under the experimental conditions used. The phosphorylation of MAP 2 by Ca²⁺-, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase also inhibited the actin filament cross-linking activity of MAP 2. The extent and rate of phosphorylation of MAP 2 by protein kinase II were higher than those of the phosphorylation by protein kinase C and cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The interaction of actin filaments with MAP 2 was inhibited more by the actions of protein kinase II and protein kinase C than by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The actin filament cross-linking activity of MAP 2 phosphorylated either by protein kinase II, cAMP-dependent protein kinase or protein kinase C was retrieved when phosphorylated MAP 2 was treated by protein phosphatase. These results indicate that the interaction of actin filaments with MAP 2 is regulated by the phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of MAP 2.     

Smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase. Amino acid sequence at the site phosphorylated by adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate-dependent protein kinase whether or not calmodulin is bound

Turkey gizzard smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase is a calmodulin-dependent enzyme containing 2 serine residues that can be phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. One of these sites can be phosphorylated only when calmodulin is not bound to the enzyme; the amino acid sequence around this site has been reported recently (Lukas, T. J., Burgess, W. H., Prendergast, F. G., Lau, W., and Watterson, D. M. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 1458-1464). Here we report the sequence around the site that is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase whether or not calmodulin is bound: Lys-Ala-Ser(P)-Gly-Ser-Ser-Pro-Thr-Ser-Pro-Ile-Asn-Ala-Asp-Lys-Val-Glu-A sn-Glu- . This sequence conforms to the previously defined criteria for substrates of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Differential phosphorylation of multiple sites in purified protein I by cyclic AMP-dependent and calcium-dependent protein kinases

Protein I, a specific neuronal phosphoprotein, has previously been shown, using rat brain synaptosome preparations, to contain multiple sites of phosphorylation which were differentially regulated by cAMP and calcium. In the present study, Protein I was purified to homogeneity from rat brain and its phosphorylation was investigated using homogeneous cAMP-dependent protein kinase and a partially purified calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase from rat brain. Employing various peptide mapping techniques, a minimum of three phosphorylation sites could be distinguished in Protein I; the phosphorylated amino acid of each site was serine. One phosphorylation site was located in the collagenase-resistant portion of Protein I and was the principal target for phosphorylation by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. This site was also phosphorylated by calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. The other two phosphorylation sites were located in the collagenase-sensitive portion of Protein I. These latter sites were markedly phosphorylated by calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, but not by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in concentrations sufficient to phosphorylate maximally the site in the collagenase-resistant portion. Thus, the phosphorylation of purified Protein I by purified cAMP-dependent and calcium-calmodulin-dependent protein kinases provides an enzymological explanation for the regulation of phosphorylation of endogenous Protein I in synaptosome preparations by cAMP and by calcium observed previously. The studies suggest that certain of the synaptic actions of two distinct second messengers, cAMP and calcium, are expressed through the distinct specificities of cAMP- and calcium-dependent protein kinases for the multiple phosphorylation sites in one neuron-specific protein, Protein I.     

Selective phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of the sodium channel by cAMP-dependent protein kinase

The alpha subunit of the sodium channel purified from rat brain is rapidly and selectively phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase to a level of 3 to 4 mol of 32P/mol of saxitoxin-binding activity. The rate of phosphorylation is comparable to that of the synthetic peptide analog of the phosphorylation site of pyruvate kinase, one of the best substrates for cAMP-dependent protein kinase. An endogenous cAMP-dependent protein kinase that is present in the partially purified sodium channel preparations also selectively phosphorylates the alpha subunit. The specificity and rapidity of the phosphorylation reaction are consistent with the hypothesis that the alpha subunit is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vivo.     

Different effects on activity caused by phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase at serine 40 by three multifunctional protein kinases.

Tyrosine hydroxylase was maximally phosphorylated by protein kinase C, with a stoichiometry of 0.43 mol of phosphate/mol of tyrosine hydroxylase subunit at Ser40, and by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, with stoichiometries of 0.43 mol/mol at Ser40 and 0.76 mol/mol at Ser19, respectively, without undergoing any significant direct activation. In contrast, the enzyme was maximally phosphorylated with a stoichiometry of 0.78 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit at Ser40 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, which resulted in a large activation of the enzyme (about 3-fold activation under the assay conditions). Incubation of the enzyme, which had previously been maximally phosphorylated by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, with protein kinase C under phosphorylating conditions resulted in no additional incorporation of phosphate into the enzyme, suggesting that both protein kinases phosphorylated Ser40 of the same subunits of the enzyme. Since tyrosine hydroxylase is thought to be composed of four identical subunits, the results may indicate that calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II or protein kinase C phosphorylates only two of the four subunits of the enzyme at Ser40 without affecting the enzyme activity and that cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates Ser40 of all four subunits of the enzyme molecule, causing a marked activation. Based on a linear relationship between phosphorylation and the resulting activation of the enzyme by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, possible mechanisms for the activation of the enzyme by the protein kinase are discussed.     

Expression in Escherichia coli of BCY1, the regulatory subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Purification and characterization

The regulatory (R) subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae was expressed in Escherichia coli by engineering the gene for yeast R, BCY1, into an E. coli expression vector that contained a promoter from phage T7. Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was used to create an NdeI restriction site at the natural ATG of the yeast R. This facilitated construction of the T7 expression vector so that the sequence of the protein produced was identical to the natural R subunit. Yeast R was highly expressed in a soluble form. 20 mg of purified yeast R was obtained from 4 liters of E. coli. N-terminal amino acid sequencing revealed that the expressed protein began with the natural sequence. 60% of the molecules contained an N-terminal methionine, and 40% initiated with valine, the second amino acid of yeast R. The protein produced in E. coli migrated on a sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel with an Mr of 52,000. The yeast R bound 2 mol of cAMP/mol of R monomer with a Kd of 76 nM. The protein was treated with urea to remove bound cAMP. Sedimentation values before and after the urea treatment were identical (s20,w = 5.1). Addition of purified R subunit to a preparation of yeast C subunit (TPK1) rendered catalytic activity cAMP-dependent with an activity ratio of 4.6. The yeast R was autophosphorylated by yeast C to a level of 0.8 mol of phosphate/mol of R monomer. By these criteria, the R subunit produced in E. coli was structurally and functionally identical to the natural yeast R subunit and similar to mammalian type II R subunits.     

In vitro phosphorylation of type I collagen by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase

Both the triple-helical and denatured forms of nonfibrillar bovine dermal type I collagen were tested as substrates for the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in an in vitro reaction. Native, triple-helical collagen was not phosphorylated, but collagen that had been thermally denatured into individual alpha chains was a substrate for the protein kinase. Catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylated denatured collagen to between 3 to 4 mol of phosphate/mol of (alpha 1(I)2 alpha 2(I). Pepsin-solubilized and intact collagens were phosphorylated similarly, as long as each was in a nonhelical conformation. The first 2 mol of phosphate incorporated into type I collagen by the protein kinase were present in the alpha 2(I) chain. The alpha 1(I) chain was only phosphorylated during long incubations in which the stoichiometry exceeded 2 mol of phosphate/mol of (alpha 1(I)2 alpha 2(I). Phosphoserine was the only phosphoamino acid identified in collagen that had been phosphorylated to any degree by the protein kinase. The 2 mol of phosphate incorporated into the alpha 2(I) chain were localized to the alpha 2(I)CB4 cyanogen bromide fragment. The catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylated denatured pepsin-solubilized collagen with a Km of 8 microM and a Vmax of approximately 0.1 mumol/min/mg of enzyme. Denatured, but not triple-helical, type I collagen was also phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase, although it was a poorer substrate for this enzyme than for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Collagen was not a substrate for phospholipid-sensitive Ca2+-dependent protein kinase. These results suggest the potential for nascent alpha chains of type I collagen to be susceptible to phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vivo prior to triple-helix formation. Such a phosphorylation of collagen could be relevant to the action of cAMP to increase the intracellular degradation of newly synthesized collagen.     

Phosphorylation of chicken cardiac C-protein by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II.

Chicken cardiac C-protein was readily phosphorylated by purified calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II). Maximum incorporation was about 4 mol of 32P/mol of C-protein subunit. Peptide mapping indicated that some of the sites phosphorylated by CaM-kinase II were located on the same phosphopeptides obtained when C-protein was phosphorylated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (peptides T1, T2, and T3). There was a fourth peptide (T3a) which was unique to CaM-kinase II phosphorylation. 32P-Amino acid analysis showed that essentially all of the 32P of peptides T1, T2, and T3a was in phosphoserine. cAMP-dependent protein kinase incorporated 32P only into threonine of peptide T3. Threonine was the preferred site of phosphorylation by CaM-kinase II, but there was significant phosphorylation of a serine in peptide T3. Partially purified C-protein preparations contained an associated calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Peptide maps obtained from C-protein phosphorylated by the endogenous kinase were similar to those obtained from C-protein phosphorylated by CaM-kinase II. However, the ratio of phosphothreonine to phosphoserine in peptide T3 was lower. This was due to a contaminating phosphatase in the partially purified C-protein which preferentially dephosphorylated the phosphothreonine of peptide T3. It is suggested that the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase associated with C-protein is similar or identical to CaM-kinase II and that CaM-kinase II may play a role in the phosphorylation of C-protein in the heart.     

Structural organization of the lens fiber cell plasma membrane protein MP18

The 18,000-dalton bovine lens fiber cell intrinsic membrane protein MP18 was phosphorylated on a serine residue by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C. In addition, this protein bound calmodulin and was recognized by a monoclonal antibody (2D10). These different regions were localized using enzymatic and chemical fragmentation of electrophoretically purified MP18 that had been phosphorylated with either cAMP-dependent protein kinase or protein kinase C. Partial digestion of 32P-labeled MP18 with protease V8 resulted in a Mr = 17,000 peptide that bound calmodulin, but neither contained 32P or was recognized by the monoclonal antibody 2D10. Furthermore, the 17-kDa peptide had the same N-terminal amino acid sequence as MP18. Thus, the monoclonal antibody 2D10 recognition site and the protein kinase phosphorylation site(s) are close together and confined to a small region in the C terminus of MP18. This conclusion was confirmed in experiments where MP18 was fragmented with trypsin, endoproteinase Lys-C, or CNBr. The location of the phosphorylation site was confirmed by sequencing the small 32P-labeled, C-terminal peptide that resulted from protease V8 digestion of 32P-labeled MP18. This peptide contained a consensus sequence for cAMP-dependent protein kinase.