Rapid purification and crystallization of yeast phosphofructokinase

A model is described for the ion equilibria between the main salt constituents of bovine milk diffusate. A mass balance equation is constructed for each of the strongly interacting components, consisting of the sum of the concentrations of free and complexed forms of that substance, and an efficient algorithm is given for solving the set of mass balance equations. The model gives calculated free calcium ion concentrations which lie between experimental values determined by ion-selective electrode and murexide methods. Calculated free calcium and magnesium ion concentrations are in general agreement with values determined by a resin equilibrium procedure. The calculated concentrations of ions and complexes in a typical milk diffusate are tabulated.     

In vivo regulation of phosphorylation level and activity of phosphofructokinase by serotonin in Fasciola hepatica

The level of phosphorylation and activation of phosphofructokinase by serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) was studied in intact liver flukes Fasciola hepatica. The enzyme was immunoprecipitated with antiserum prepared against pure enzyme from the liver flukes. The resuspended immunoprecipitated enzyme retained most of its original activity and its kinetic properties. The level of phosphorylation was determined by a "back phosphorylation" technique. According to this technique, the immunoprecipitated phosphofructokinase was phosphorylated with the catalytic subunit of pure cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Incubation of intact liver flukes with serotonin caused an increase in the level of enzyme phosphorylation which was concomitant with an increase in enzyme activity. The level of phosphorylation was increased by 0.08 mol per protomer as a result of maximal activation by serotonin. It is proposed that phosphorylation plays, at least in part, a functional role in the regulation of phosphofructokinase from the liver fluke F. hepatica under in vivo conditions.     

Hormone-stimulated phosphorylation of liver phosphofructokinase in vivo.

The effect of glucagon on the phosphorylation and the enzymic activity of phosphofructokinase in rat liver in vivo was investigated. Glucagon stimulated the phosphorylation of liver phosphofructokinase approximately 3- to 5-fold and increased cAMP levels 5-fold and blood glucose levels 2-fold over the values obtained for control animals. The specific radioactivity of ATP isolated from liver was the same in both control and hormone-treated animals. During the purification of the 32P-labeled enzyme from both animals, no difference was observed in the total or specific enzyme activities of the enzymes from the various fractions. Thus, phosphofructokinase appears to be phosphorylated in vivo by a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Although phosphorylation does not affect the maximum catalytic activity of the enzyme, it does render the enzyme significantly more sensitive to ATP inhibition. Thus, at a given concentration of ATP, the phosphorylated phosphofructokinase exhibits considerably lower activity than the unphosphorylated enzyme. The possible relationship between our observations and glucagon-mediated control of glycolysis is discussed.     

Conservation of phosphorylation state of cardiac phosphofructokinase during in vitro hypothermic hypoxia

We investigated the metabolic effects of buffering agents alpha-amino-4-imidazole-propionic acid (Histidine), N, N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)glycine (bicine), N, N-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)-2-aminoethanesulfonic acid (BES) on anaerobic energy production (via glycolysis) and conservation of key regulatory enzyme activity, and phosphofructokinase (PFK) throughout prolonged hypothermic hypoxia in porcine hearts. Hearts from 35 to 40 kg pigs were flushed with one of the following five solutions: St. Thomas' Hospital solution (STHS); modified University of Wisconsin (UW) solution; and three solutions containing modified UW plus 90 mM of histidine, bicine, or BES. The hearts were then stored at 4 degrees C for 10 h. After 10 h of hypothermic hypoxia, lactate values were 6.7-12.9 micromol/g higher than control; this reflected an increase in anaerobic end product of 35-67%. The consequences of enhanced anaerobic metabolism were higher ATP, total adenylate, Energy Charge, and ATP/ADP ratios in most of the buffered groups after 4-10 h cold storage; effectiveness of the buffers employed correlated with buffering capacity (BES proved to be the most effective). PFK remained activated throughout most of the 10-h period in hearts stored with buffers and did not undergo the rapid inactivation experienced by hearts stored in STHS. Conservation of PFK integrity with buffering agents was not related to a pH-mediated event; changes in kinetic parameters suggested that this protection was due to an irreversible posttranslational modification, specifically a dephosphorylation event.     

Protein-induced inactivation and phosphorylation of rabbit muscle phosphofructokinase.

Several previously untested proteins promote the reversible inactivation of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphofructokinase. Grouped in decreasing order of effectiveness, they include the following: skeletal muscle troponin C greater than troponin, the two smooth muscle myosin light chains, alpha-actinin, and S-100 much greater than parvalbumin and soybean trypsin inhibitor. The efficiency of troponin C in this process may even exceed that previously reported for calmodulin. Sequences near calcium binding site III are apparently involved in the troponin C-phosphofructokinase interaction. Troponin C and calmodulin exert calcium-dependent effects on the physical and chemical properties of muscle phosphofructokinase. When calcium is present, comigration with either protein allows the enzyme to enter the stacking gel during urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Both enhance the phosphorylation of phosphofructokinase catalyzed by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, with phosphate incorporations approaching 2 mol of P/mol of protomer. Reaction occurs at Ser774 and at Ser376--a novel site whose phosphorylation is highly sensitive to troponin C and less so to calmodulin. Maximum phosphorylation has slight effect on the catalytic activity of the enzyme under standard assay conditions. The troponin C induced or calmodulin-induced phosphorylation of phosphofructokinase requires calcium and is strongly inhibited by either fructose 2,6-bisphosphate or fructose 1,6-bisphosphate. Inactivation occurs in the presence or absence of calcium, with generally higher concentrations of effectors required for protection in the latter case. Liver and yeast phosphofructokinases shows little activity loss in the presence of either calmodulin or troponin C. We have developed and tested a general mathematical model for the protein-induced inactivation of phosphofructokinase which may find application to other systems.     

Rapid modulation of adipocyte phosphofructokinase activity by noradrenaline and insulin.

1. Alterations in phosphofructokinase properties can be reproducibly seen in tissue extracts prepared and rapidly assayed after exposure of rat adipocytes to hormones. 2. Noradrenaline, corticotropin or isoprenaline (isoproterenol; beta-adrenergic agonist) decreased the activity measured with high fructose 6-phosphate concentrations (3--6 mM), but increased activity measured with lower concentrations of this substrate (0.3--0.9 mM). Noradrenaline decreased the Vmax. and the concentration of fructose 6-phosphate that gave half the Vmax.. 3. Insulin opposed the actions of noradrenaline and itself increased phosphofructokinase activity. 4. The effect of noradrenaline appeared to be exerted through a beta- rather than an alpha-type of adrenoceptor. 5. The effects of noradrenaline to decrease phosphofructokinase activity at high [fructose 6-phosphate] and to increase activity at low [fructose 6-phosphate] could be rapidly reversed in cells by addition of the beta-blocker propranolol. 6. The effect of noradrenaline seen at low [fructose 6-phosphate] could be abolished by homogenization of cells in buffer containing albumin or reversed by brief incubation of tissue extracts with albumin, suggesting that this effect of the hormone is due to the association of some ligand with the enzyme.     

Aspects on the phosphorylation of muscle phosphofructokinase by protein kinase C--inhibition by phosphofructokinase stabilisers

Our report presents data on the phosphorylation of muscle phosphofructokinase by Ca2+-activated, phospholipid-dependent protein kinase. We have found a stoichiometrical phosphorylation (about 1.5 mol per mol subunit), and a low apparent Km (about 0.7 microM). These data speak in favor of a physiological role for the reaction, as does the fact that phosphofructokinase from a new species (rat) was successfully phosphorylated. On the other hand we present the hitherto unpublished circumstance that the phosphorylation is inhibited by conditions that stabilise the activity of phosphofructokinase. This fact makes us question the true significance of this reaction.     

Rapid and bi-directional regulation of AMPA receptor phosphorylation and trafficking by JNK

Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) are implicated in various neuropathological conditions. However, physiological roles for JNKs in neurons remain largely unknown, despite the high expression level of JNKs in brain. Here, using bioinformatic and biochemical approaches, we identify the AMPA receptor GluR2L and GluR4 subunits as novel physiological JNK substrates in vitro, in heterologous cells and in neurons. Consistent with this finding, GluR2L and GluR4 associate with specific JNK signaling components in the brain. Moreover, the modulation of the novel JNK sites in GluR2L and GluR4 is dynamic and bi-directional, such that phosphorylation and de-phosphorylation are triggered within minutes following decreases and increases in neuronal activity, respectively. Using live-imaging techniques to address the functional consequence of these activity-dependent changes we demonstrate that the novel JNK site in GluR2L controls reinsertion of internalized GluR2L back to the cell surface following NMDA treatment, without affecting basal GluR2L trafficking. Taken together, our results demonstrate that JNK directly regulates AMPA-R trafficking following changes in neuronal activity in a rapid and bi-directional manner.     

The purification and properties of pig spleen phosphofructokinase.

Pig spleen phosphofructokinase has been purified 800-fold with a yield of 17%. Two isoenzymes that appear to be kinetically identical can be separated by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. In common with the enzyme from other mammalian sources, the spleen enzyme has a pH optimum of 8.2. At pH 7.0 it displays sigmoidal kinetics with respect to fructose 6-phosphate concentration but its co-operative behaviour is very dependent on pH, protein concentration and the concentration of MgATP. MgGTP and MgITP can replace MgATP as phosphate donors but, unlike MgATP, these nucleotides do not cause significant inhibition. Mn2+ and Co2+ (as the metal ion-ATP complexes) act as cofactors and in the free form are far more inhibitory than free Mg2+. The spleen enzyme responds to a wide variety of potential effector molecules: ADP, AMP, cyclic AMP, aspartate, NH4+, fructose 6-phosphate, fructose 1,6-diphosphate and Pi all act as either activators or protectors, whereas Mg-ATP, Mg2+, citrate, phosphoenol-pyruvate and the phosphoglucerates are inhibitors.     

Regulation of rat liver phosphofructokinase by glucagon-induced phosphorylation

In perfused rat liver, the effects of various hormones on the stimulation of phosphorylation and allosteric properties of purified phosphorfructokinase were investigated. Rat livers were perfused with [³²P]phosphate followed with various hormones or cyclicAMP, and ³²P-labeled phosphofructokinase was isolated. ³²P incorporation into the enzyme and enzyme inhibition by ATP or citrate were determined. Only glucagon increased the ³²P incorporation into phosphofructokinase and this increase was approximately threefold. The cyclicAMP level was increased simultaneously approximately four- to fivefold compared to the control perfused liver. Similar results were obtained by perfusing the liver with cyclicAMP (0.1 mm). The phosphorylated phosphofructokinase showed a decrease in the K_i values for ATP (from 0.4 to 0.2 mm) and citrate (from 2 to 0.6 mm). Neither epinephrine nor insulin affected the extent of phosphorylation or the allosteric properties of the enzyme. The half-maximal concentration of glucagon required for phosphorylation of phosphofructokinase and modification of its allosteric properties was approximately 6 × 10^?11m. It is concluded that glucagon increases the inhibition of liver phosphofructokinase by ATP and citrate through phosphorylation of the enzyme involving a β-receptor-mediated cyclicAMP-dependent mechanism.     

Identification of the phosphorylated sites of phosphofructokinase from skeletal muscle after in vivo and in vitro phosphorylation.

Phosphofructokinase from mice muscle was radioactively labelled either in vivo by the injection of [³²P]-phosphate or in vitro by the incubation with cAMP-dependent protein kinase and [γ-³²P]-ATP. Two labelled peptides were obtained after tryptic digestion in either case showing that at least two sites were phosphorylated. Independent of the labelling method, the labelled peptides showed an analogous pattern on the peptide maps, indicating that both methods led to the phosphorylation of the same sites.     

The regulation of pea-seed phosphofructokinase by phosphoenolpyruvate

1. Pea-seed phosphofructokinase was purified 27-fold by a combination of fractionation with ethanol and ammonium sulphate. Under the conditions of assay, the enzyme was strongly inhibited by phosphoenolpyruvate. This inhibition was reversed by increasing the concentration of fructose 6-phosphate or magnesium chloride, or by lowering the ATP concentration. 2. Citrate, ADP and AMP inhibited phosphofructokinase and increased the sensitivity to phosphoenolpyruvate inhibition. Sulphate and inorganic phosphate stimulated the enzyme activity and decreased the sensitivity to phosphoenolpyruvate. 3. In the presence of inorganic phosphate and low concentrations of ATP, inhibition by phosphoenolpyruvate ceased and phosphoenolpyruvate became stimulatory. 4. The possible significance of these results in the control of plant carbohydrate metabolism is discussed.     

The purification and in vitro phosphorylation of vitellogenin from Drosophila melanogaster

Two methods for the purification of vitellogenin from Drosophila melanogaster are described. The first method is a bulk purification starting with approximately 500 g of adult flies reared in population cages. Dimethylformamide and ammonium sulfate fractionations are the bases of this method, and the final yields of purified vitellogenin are on the order of 30 mg. The second method starts with approximately 25 g of adults. Vitellogenin is first enriched by ammonium sulfate fractionation, and then purified by affinity chromatography using rabbit anti-yolk protein (anti-vitellin). Final yields are on the order of 150–200 μg of highly purified vitellogenin. Finally, we show that this purified vitellogenin may be phosphorylated in vitro with the catalytic subunit of protein kinase.     

Metabolite-controlled phosphorylation of hepatic phosphofructokinase proceeds by cAMP-dependent protein kinase

In hepatocytes 32P-incorporation into rat liver phosphofructokinase is stimulated by glucose as well as by glucagon, the effects of both stimuli being prevented by L-alanine [Eur. J. Biochem. (1982) 122, 175]. The phosphopeptides of the enzyme derived from limited proteolysis by subtilisin and from exhaustive tryptic digestion were analyzed either by one-dimensional mapping on sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide slab gels and by fingerprint mapping, respectively. It is shown that in vivo stimulation of 32P-incorporation by glucose or by glucose plus glucagon results in identical phosphopeptide maps, and that these maps were identical with those obtained from phosphofructokinase phosphorylated in vitro with catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. It is concluded that in the intact liver cell phosphofructokinase is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase but that the state of phosphorylation is modified by metabolite control.     

Studies on glycolysis in vitro: role of glucose phosphorylation and phosphofructokinase activity on total velocity

An in vitro glycolysis system has been developed to study the regulation of glycolysis on kinetic structure basis, in order to determine the extent of regulatory effects on the whole system of individual enzymes according to their kinetic data, in rat liver and muscle. Hexokinase or glucose-6-phosphate addition to the system with glucose as substrate increases lactate production rate by 2.5 in liver and by 10 in muscle, which suggest glucose phosphorylation step is a limiting step in this system. Fructose 2,6-bisphosphate addition to the system increases lactate production rate in liver only when glucose is the substrate, but not with glucose-6-phosphate as substrate. There is a linear relationship between glycolytic activity, as lactate produced per min and protein quantity, which suggests that this system can also be used to assay glycolytic activity in tissue extracts. Specific glycolytic activity found, as mumol of L-lactate produced per min, per protein mg was 0.1 for muscle and 0.01 for liver.