Purification and properties of the glucose-6-phosphate-dependent form of human placental glycogen synthase.

Glycogen synthase in the glucose-6-phosphate (glucose-6-P)-dependent form was purified over 10,000-fold from an extract of term human placenta. The purified enzyme shows a single protein band on polyacry1amide-gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. The enzyme activity in the presence of glucose-6-P is increased by the single addition of Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, or Mn²⁺ and is reduced by the addition of either sulfate or phosphate. Addition of either Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, or Mn²⁺ relieves the inhibition by sulfate or phosphate. The enzyme activity in the absence of glucose 6-P is greatly increased by the addition of MnSO₄, CoSO₄, and NiSO₄ and is increased to a lesser extent by MgSO₄, CaSO₄, and FeSO₄. The activation of the glucose-6-P-dependent form of the enzyme by these metal sulfates in the absence of glucose-6-P has never been reported. MnSO₄, which shows homotropic cooperativity, is the best activator among the various metal sulfates tested. The human placental glucose-6-P-dependent form of glycogen synthase (D form) can be converted to the glucose-6-P-independent form (I form) of the enzyme by incubating the partially purified glycogen synthase, which is copurified with synthase phosphatase, with Mn²⁺. This conversion can be reversed by the addition of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The synthase D to synthase I converting system from human placenta is unique in its stringent requirement for Mn²⁺.     

Purification and characterization of rabbit liver calmodulin-dependent glycogen synthase kinase

A rabbit liver cAMP-independent glycogen synthase kinase has been purified 4500-fold to a specific activity of 2.23 mumol of 32P incorporated per min per mg of protein using ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephacel and phosphocellulose, gel filtration chromatography on Sepharose 6B, and affinity chromatography on calmodulin-Sepharose. This synthase kinase, which was completely dependent on the presence of calmodulin (apparent K0.5 = 0.1 microM) and calcium for activity, also catalyzed the phosphorylation of purified smooth muscle myosin light chain but not of smooth muscle myosin. Using 0.5 mM ATP, a maximal rate of phosphorylation of glycogen synthase was achieved in the presence of 10 mM magnesium acetate with a pH optimum of 7.8. Gel filtration experiments indicated a Stokes radius of about 70 A and sucrose density gradient centrifugation data gave a sedimentation coefficient of 10.6 S. A molecular weight of approximately 300,000 was calculated. A definitive subunit structure was not determined, but major bands observed after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate corresponded to a doublet at 50,000 to 53,000. The calmodulin-dependent glycogen synthase kinase incorporated about 1 mol of 32P per mol of synthase subunit into sites 2 and 1b associated with a decrease in the synthase activity ratio from 0.8 to about 0.4. The calmodulin-dependent glycogen synthase kinase may mediate the effects of alpha-adrenergic agonists, vasopressin, and/or angiotensin II on glycogen synthase in liver.     

Purification and properties of the enzyme 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase from Dicentrarchus labrax L. liver

The enzyme 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-phospho-D-gluconate: NADP+ oxidoreductase, decarboxylating EC 1.1.1.44) from bass liver has been purified to over 95% of homogeneity by gel filtration, affinity and ion exchange chromatographies. The apparent molecular weight was estimated by gel filtration chromatography to about 100,000. Analysis of the enzyme on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed to be a dimeric protein. The effect of pH and kinetic properties were studied.     

Rabbit liver glycogen synthase kinases. Characterization of a protein kinase (PC0.7) able to phosphorylate glycogen synthase and phosvitin

A rabbit liver protein kinase (PC0.7), able to phosphorylate glycogen synthase and phosvitin, has been extensively purified. The enzyme had apparent Mr = 170,000-190,000 as judged by gel filtration and was associated with two major polypeptide species, alpha (Mr = 43,000) and beta (Mr = 25,000). Two other polypeptides, Mr = 38,000 and Mr = 35,000, were also detected. Treatment with trypsin led to an enzyme composed only of polypeptides of Mr = 35,000 and Mr = 25,000. The beta-polypeptide underwent autophosphorylation when incubated with Mg2+ and ATP or GTP. The protein kinase was effective in utilizing both ATP and GTP as the phosphoryl donor (apparent Km values 5-11 microM and 9-19 microM, respectively). The enzyme phosphorylated phosvitin, casein, and glycogen synthase but not histone or phosphorylase and was inhibited by heparin. Phosphorylation of glycogen synthase proceeded to approximately 0.5 phosphate/subunit with little inactivation of the glycogen synthase. The phosphorylation occurred predominantly in a 21,000-dalton CNBr fragment of glycogen synthase that had been previously shown to reside toward the COOH terminus of the molecule. The liver PC0.7 appeared very similar to an analogous enzyme isolated from rabbit muscle (DePaoli-Roach, A. A., Ahmad, Z., and Roach, P. J. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 8955-8962). The present work, therefore, provides a point of contact between the Ca2+ and cyclic nucleotide-independent glycogen synthase kinases of rabbit liver and muscle.     

Purification of cerebral glucose-6-phosphatase. An enzyme involved in sleep.

An insoluble phosphoprotein of rat brain acquires radioactivity from inorganic phosphate more rapidly during sleep than during wakefulness. It was purified in two ways. The first was solvent delipidation of brain tissue followed by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The second was sucrose gradient centrifugation of a brain homogenate to remove myelin, and gel filtration on Sephadex G-100 and adsorption chromatography on DEAE-Sephadex in the presence of sodium deoxycholate. The products were homogeneous within the limits of the analytical methods used. The apparent molecular weight of the phosphoprotein was 28,000 on sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gels, but was much higher in the presence of sodium deoxycholate. The protein had a high content of aspartic and glutamic acids compared to basic amino acids. Analysis of a base hydrolysate, as well as studies of the kinetics of hydrolysis, showed that the radioactive phosphorus was attached to histidine. The NH2-terminal residue was identified as isoleucine. The phosphoprotein purified by the second method was enzymatically active. When it was incubated in vitro with a 32P-labeled supernatant fraction from rat brain (and later with glucose [6-32P]phosphate), a radioactive phosphorylated protein intermediate was formed. Exploration of the several enzymatic activities of the preparation indicated close correspondence to those reported for the glucose-6-phosphatases of liver and kidney. Glucose-6-phosphatase activity was found in all parts of the brain in the membranous subcellular fractions of neurons. It was shown to be co-purified with the sleep-related phosphoprotein. This report constitutes, we believe, the first complete purification of glucose-6-phosphatase from any tissue and an instance in which a change in the state of a cerebral enzyme has been linked to a normal change in the physiological state of the brain.     

Biosynthesis of glycogen in Neurospora crassa. Purification and properties of the branching enzyme

A branching enzyme was extracted from the mycelia of Neurospora crassa and was purified to electrophoretic homogeneity by procedures including DEAE-Sephacel column chromatography, 6-aminohexyl-Sepharose 4B column chromatography and gel filtration on Toyopearl HW-55S. The final yield of the branching enzyme activity was 15.1%, and the final purified enzyme preparation showed a specific activity of 702 units per mg of protein. The molecular weight of this enzyme was estimated to be 80,000 by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel. The amino acid composition and the carbohydrate content of this enzyme were analyzed. The isoelectric point of this enzyme determined by polyacrylamide gel isoelectrofocusing was 5.6. The branching activity of the enzyme was confirmed by its action on amylopectin as well as by the combined action of this enzyme and N. crassa glycogen synthase. The action of this enzyme on amylopectin decreased the wavelength of the absorption maximum of the glucan-iodine complex, and increased the amount of the short unit chains of the debranched product. The product obtained by the combined action yielded beta-limit dextrin upon hydrolysis with beta-amylase. No multiplicity was found for the branching activity either by chromatography or by electrophoresis.     

Separation of the glucose-6-phosphate independent and dependent forms of glycogen synthetase from yeast

The glucose-6-P independent (I) and dependent (D) forms of yeast glycogen synthetase were separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Transformation of the I form into the D form with the appropriate kinase led to the expected shift in position of the eluted synthetase peak, without effect on other proteins. The apparent molecular weights of the D and I forms as obtained from sucrose density gradient centrifugation were 270,000 and 230,000, respectively.     

In vivo glucose-, glucagon-, and cAMP-induced changes in liver glycogen synthase phosphatase activity.

In normal fed rats, glycogen synthase D phosphatase activity in a glycogen pellet preparation was only partially inhibited (approximately 50%) by high concentrations of EDTA. However, the proportion of phosphatase activity inhibited by EDTA was markedly and rapidly (15 s) increased following glucagon or cAMP administration. Epinephrine administration did not alter the proportion of activity inhibited by EDTA. Glucose administration rapidly (2 min) reduced the proportion of synthase phosphatase activity inhibitable by EDTA. That is, the effect of glucose was just the opposite of that produced by glucagon or cAMP. Insulin administration had no effect on phosphatase activity. Synthase phosphatase activity assayed in the absence of EDTA was similar in all groups except for a moderate increase after glucose administration. Addition of Mg2+ completely reversed EDTA inhibition. Phosphorylase phosphatase activity in each group was not modified by addition of EDTA, although the percentage of phosphorylase in the alpha form was higher in glucagon-treated and lower in the glucose-treated animals as expected. These data suggest the presence of rapidly interconvertible forms of either synthase phosphatase or its substrate synthase D, detectable as a change in EDTA inhibitability and subject to glucose and glucagon control.     

Purification and properties of glycogen synthase I from bovine polymorphonuclear leucocytes

Glycogen synthase I was purified from bovine polymorphonuclear leucocytes (PMNs) by a procedure involving concanavalin A-Sepharose affinity chromatography. The purified glycogen-bound glycogen synthase I had a specific activity of 9.83 U/mg protein and the glycogen free enzyme 21 U/mg protein. Molecular ratio of the native enzyme and the subunit were 340 K and 85 K respectively. After phosphorylation by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase the phosphorylated sites were studied using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of the tryptic 32P-peptides. The enzyme was phosphorylated at three different sites with retention times identical to site 1a, site 1b, and site 2 from rabbit skeletal muscle glycogen synthase.     

Purification and partial characterization of glycogen synthase kinase-3 from rabbit liver

Summary Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) was purified from rabbit liver to homogeneity by ultracentrifugation, ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose, Cellulose phosphate, CM-Sephadex and Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography (FPLC) on Mono-S column. The enzyme was purified approximately 20,000 fold with an approximate 2% recovery. The purified enzyme showed a single band on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. GSK-3 is a monomeric enzyme with a molecular weight of 50,000–52,000 as derived from SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and gel filtration. The purified enzyme was indeed a GSK-3 since it phosphorylated three sites, i.e., 3a, 3b, and 3c on liver glycogen synthase. GSK-3 incorporated up to 2.6 mol Pi/mol glycogen synthase subunit with a concomitant inactivation of glycogen synthase activity.