The roles of macromolecular synthesis and phosphorylation in the regulation of a protein kinase activity transiently stimulated by nerve growth factor

Past work identified and characterized an apparently novel protein kinase activity (designated HMK) that is highly and transiently stimulated in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells by nerve growth factor (NGF). In vitro, HMK phosphorylates both high molecular weight microtubule-associated proteins and myelin basic protein. This study investigates the potential mechanisms of HMK regulation in intact PC12 cells and reveals the following. 1) HMK activation is independent of macromolecular synthesis while the subsequent post-induction suppression requires both RNA and protein synthesis. 2) Neither cAMP-dependent nor Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinases appear to play a role in regulation of HMK activity by NGF. 3) In vitro, HMK activity is inactivated by protein phosphatase 2A. 4) In vivo, HMK activation by NGF is inhibited by the kinase inhibitor, K-252a. (5) Vanadate, a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor, induces HMK activity in intact cells, while okadaic acid, a serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, is much less efficacious. 6) Application of okadaic acid to vanadate-pretreated cells synergistically stimulates HMK activity to a level comparable to that achieved with NGF. (7) Activation of HMK by NGF is not significantly affected when cells are pretreated with okadaic acid. However, the subsequent NGF-promoted deactivation of HMK is greatly accelerated by okadaic acid. (8) NGF down-regulated HMK activity can be heterologously restimulated by exposure to vanadate and okadaic acid. These data suggest that phosphorylation plays a critical role in both the up- and down-regulation of HMK activity in NGF-treated cells. Moreover, suppression of HMK activity requires ongoing macromolecular synthesis and appears to occur by inactivation rather than degradation.     

Protein phosphorylation in rat cardiac microsomes: Effects of inhibitors of protein kinase A and of phosphatases

The phosphorylation of rat cardiac microsomal proteins was investigated with special attention to the effects of okadaic acid (an inhibitor of protein phosphatases), inhibitor 2 of protein phosphatase 1 and inhibitor of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A). The results showed that okadaic acid (5 µM) modestly but reproducibly augmented the protein kinase A-catalyzed phospholamban (PLN) phosphorylation, although exerted little effect on the calcium/calmodulin kinase-catalyzed PLN phosphorylation. Microsomes contained three other substrates (M_r 23, 19 and 17 kDa) that were phosphorylated by protein kinase A but not by calcium/calmodulin kinase. The protein kinase A-catalyzed phosphorylation of these three substrates was markedly (2-3 fold) increased by 5 µM okadaic acid. Calmodulin was found to antagonize the action of okadaic acid on such phosphorylation. Protein kinase A inhibitor was found to decrease the protein kinase A-catalyzed phosphorylation of microsomal polyp eptides. Unexpectedly, inhibitor 2 was also found to markedly decrease protein kinase A-catalyzed phosphorylation of phospholamban as well these other microsomal substrates. These results are consistent with the views that protein phosphatase 1 is capable of dephosphorylating membrane-associated phospholamban when it is phosphorylated by protein kinase A, but not by calcium/calmodulin kinase, and that under certain conditions, calcium/calmodulin-stimulated protein phosphatase (protein phosphatase 2B) is also able to dephosphorylate PLN phosphorylated by protein kinase A. Additionally, the observations show that protein phosphatase 1 is extremely active against the three protein kinase A substrates (M_r 23, 19 and 17 kDa) that were present in the isolated microsomes and whose state of phosphorylation was particularly affected in the presence of dimethylsulfoxide. Protein phosphatase 2B is also capable of dephosphorylating these three substrates. (Mol Cell Biochem 175: 109–115, 1997     

Okadaic acid suppresses calcium regulation of mitosis onset in sea urchin embryos.

We show that a phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, induces premature and persistent mitosis during the first cell cycle in sea urchin embryos. Okadaic acid-induced mitosis requires protein synthesis, suggesting that it activates the protein synthesis-requiring mitotic H1 kinase. By microinjecting the calcium chelators BAPTA and EGTA and by measuring Cai using fura-2, an indicator dye, we show that okadaic acid-induced mitosis is independent of the calcium signal that usually triggers mitosis onset in sea urchin embryos. Disabling the calmodulin kinase II that is thought to respond to the mitotic Cai signal using a peptide inhibitor fails to prevent mitosis in response to okadaic acid. These data suggest that okadaic acid bypasses calcium regulation of mitosis by inducing constitutive phosphorylation of a site on the H1 kinase that is normally under the control of the calmodulin-regulated kinase.     

Identification of a 42 kDa protein as a substrate of protein phosphatase 1 in cilia from Paramecium.

Okadaic acid, a specific inhibitor of protein phosphatase 1 in Paramecium causes sustained backward swimming in response to depolarising stimuli (S. Klumpp et al. (1990) EMBO J. 9, 685). Here, we employ okadaic acid, tautomycin, microcystin LR and inhibitor 1 as phosphatase inhibitors to identify a 42 kDa protein in the excitable ciliary membrane that is dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase 1. Identification of the 42 kDa protein was facilitated by the finding that the protein kinase responsible for its phosphorylation uses Ca-ATP as a substrate just as effectively as Mg-ATP. Notably, dephosphorylation of the 42 kDa protein is specifically inhibited by cyclic AMP; cyclic GMP has no effect.     

Okadaic acid stimulates the activity of microtubule associated protein kinase in PC-12 pheochromocytoma cells

PC-12 pheochromocytoma cells contain a growth factor-sensitive protein kinase that phosphorylates microtubule associated protein 2 (MAP-2). This MAP kinase is also activated by the protein phosphatase inhibitor okadaic acid (OA). Additionally, OA potentiates the NGF-dependent activation of MAP kinase, but causes only a modest potentiation (20%) of the maximal activation observed with EGF. Since OA is a specific serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor, these results suggest that serine/threonine phosphorylation may be involved in the hormonal regulation of MAP kinase.     

cAMP-dependent protein kinase control of plasma membrane lipid architecture in boar sperm

Bicarbonate/CO(2), a physiological effector of sperm capacitation, has been shown to induce a rapid and reversible change in the lipid architecture of the plasma membrane of live boar sperm: the change is detectable as an increase in the cells' ability to bind the fluorescent dye merocyanine, a characteristic which implied an increase in lipid packing disorder (Harrison et al. 1996. Mol Reprod Dev 45:378-391). Evidence suggested that cAMP may act as a second messenger in the system, and we have therefore investigated this cAMP-dependency in more detail. Bicarbonate stimulates cAMP levels within 1 min in a dose-dependent fashion, prior to parallel increases in merocyanine binding. Although the potent somatic cell adenylyl cyclase activator forskolin is unable to induce significant increases in cAMP or merocyanine binding, increases in merocyanine binding are inducible in a dose-dependent fashion by 5, 6-dichloro-1-beta-D-ribofuranosylbenzimidazole 3',5'-cyclic monophosphothioate, a cAMP analogue highly specific in its ability to stimulate protein kinase A; moreover, the bicarbonate-induced membrane change is inhibited by H89, a specific protein kinase A inhibitor. Neither bisindolylmaleimide I (protein kinase C inhibitor) nor lavendustin A (protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor) are inhibitory. In the presence of low levels of the potent phosphodiesterase inhibitor papaverine, increases in merocyanine binding are enhanced by okadaic acid and (more effectively) by calyculin (both protein phosphatase inhibitors). We conclude that boar sperm plasma membrane lipid architecture is controlled via a target protein that is dynamically phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase type 1. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 55:220-228, 2000.     

Regulation of LFA-1 avidity in human B cells. Requirements for dephosphorylation events for high avidity ICAM-1 binding.

Regulation of the avidity of LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18, alpha L beta 2) for its ligand ICAM-1 (CD54) was studied in human B cells by evaluating the effects of a phorbol ester, anti-IgM antibodies, staurosporine, and okadaic acid. We monitored changes in LFA-1 avidity by quantifying binding of cells to an immobilized rICAM-1 fusion protein. In this assay, the protein kinase C-activating phorbol ester PDB and anti-IgM antibodies, as well as the protein kinase inhibitor, staurosporine, were able to induce LFA-1-dependent binding to ICAM-1. This demonstrates that the high avidity state of LFA-1 can be induced by a protein kinase C-dependent and by a protein kinase C-independent pathway. Furthermore, treatment of the cells with the protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, inhibited binding to ICAM-1. Treatment with staurosporine before addition of okadaic acid not only induced enhanced binding of cells to ICAM-1, but also dramatically reduced the ability of okadaic acid to inhibit binding. These results suggest a critical role for a protein phosphatase in inducing the high avidity state of LFA-1 as well as a role for a protein kinase in inducing the low avidity state of LFA-1.     

Okadaic acid mimics the action of insulin in stimulating protein kinase activity in isolated adipocytes. The role of protein phosphatase 2a in attenuation of the signal

Treatment of adipocytes with okadaic acid (a specific inhibitor of type 1 and 2a protein phosphatases) resulted in a rapid 8-10-fold stimulation of cell extract myelin basic protein (MBP) kinase activity (t1/2 = 10 min) and kinase activity toward a synthetic peptide RRLSSLRA (S6 peptide) (t1/2 = 5 min). Insulin brought about a smaller stimulation of these two activities (t1/2 = 2.5 min). MBP kinase activity from cells treated with okadaic acid or insulin was resolved by anion exchange chromatography into two well defined peaks; S6 peptide kinase activity was less well resolved. The two partially purified MBP kinases were inactivated by the protein tyrosine phosphatase CD45 or by protein phosphatase 2a (PP-2a). In contrast, partially purified S6 peptide kinase activity was inactivated only by PP-2a or protein phosphatase 1 (PP-1). Furthermore, a 38-kDa protein which co-eluted with one peak of MBP kinase and a 42-kDa protein which co-eluted with the other peak of MBP kinase were phosphorylated on tyrosine after treatment with okadaic acid. These findings illustrate several important points concerning regulation of MBP and S6 peptide kinases. First, these protein kinases are regulated by phosphorylation, and, second, in the absence of hormonal stimuli their activities are strongly suppressed by protein phosphatases. Lastly, the increased tyrosine phosphorylation accompanying the activation of MBP kinases following okadaic acid treatment suggests a role for PP-2a in events that are mediated by tyrosine phosphorylation.     

Purification and characterization of multiple S6 phosphatases from the rat parotid gland

S6 phosphatase activities, which dephosphorylate the phosphorylated S6 synthetic peptide, RRLSSLRASTSKSESSQK, were purified to near homogeneity from the membrane and cytosolic fractions of the rat parotid gland. Multiple S6 phosphatases were fractionated on Mono Q and gel filtration columns. In the cytosolic fraction, at least three forms of S6 phosphatase, termed peaks I, II, and III, were differentially resolved. The three forms had different sizes and protein compositions. The peak I enzyme, which had an approximately Mr of 68 kDa on gel filtration, appears to represent a dimeric form of the 39 kDa protein. This S6 phosphatase showed the high activity in the presence of EGTA and was completely inhibited by nanomolar concentrations of either okadaic acid or inhibitor 2. The peak II S6 phosphatase enzyme, with an Mr of 35 kDa, was activated by Mn²⁺. This form could be a proteolytic product of the catalytic subunit of type 1 phosphatase, due to its sensitivities to okadaic acid and inhibitor 2. The peak III enzyme, with an Mr of 55 kDa, is a Mn²⁺-dependent S6 phosphatase. This S6 phosphatase can be classified as a type 1 phosphatase, due to its sensitivity to okadaic acid, since the IC₅₀ of okadaic acid is 4 nM. However, the molecular mass of this S6 phosphatase differs from that of the type 1 catalytic subunit (37 kDa) and showed less sensitivity to inhibitor 2. On the other hand, the membrane fraction contained one form of the S6 phosphatases, termed peak V (Mr 34 and 28 kDa), which could be classified as a type 1 phosphatase. This S6 phosphatase activity was greatly stimulated by Mn²⁺.Abbreviations PP1-C catalytic subunit of type 1 protein phosphatase - SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate - Hepes 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethane sulfonic acid - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride - Mops 4-morpholine propanesulfonic acid - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetate - EGTA [ethylenbis (oxyethylenenitrilo)]-tetra acetic acid     

Protein phosphatases regulate DNA-dependent protein kinase activity

DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) is a complex of DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and the DNA end-binding Ku70/Ku80 heterodimer. DNA-PK is required for DNA double strand break repair by the process of nonhomologous end joining. Nonhomologous end joining is a major mechanism for the repair of DNA double strand breaks in mammalian cells. As such, DNA-PK plays essential roles in the cellular response to ionizing radiation and in V(D)J recombination. In vitro, DNA-PK undergoes phosphorylation of all three protein subunits (DNA-PK catalytic subunit, Ku70 and Ku80) and phosphorylation correlates with inactivation of the serine/threonine protein kinase activity of DNA-PK. Here we show that phosphorylation-induced loss of the protein kinase activity of DNA-PK is restored by the addition of the purified catalytic subunit of either protein phosphatase 1 or protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) and that this reactivation is blocked by the potent protein phosphatase inhibitor, microcystin. We also show that treating human lymphoblastoid cells with either okadaic acid or fostriecin, at PP2A-selective concentrations, causes a 50-60% decrease in DNA-PK protein kinase activity, although the protein phosphatase 1 activity in these cells was unaffected. In vivo phosphorylation of DNA-PKcs, Ku70, and Ku80 was observed when cells were labeled with [(32)P]inorganic phosphate in the presence of the protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid. Together, our data suggest that reversible protein phosphorylation is an important mechanism for the regulation of DNA-PK protein kinase activity and that the protein phosphatase responsible for reactivation in vivo is a PP2A-like enzyme.