Crystal structure of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 3 bound to lipoyl domain 2 of human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex

The human pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is regulated by reversible phosphorylation by four isoforms of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK). PDKs phosphorylate serine residues in the dehydrogenase (E1p) component of PDC, but their amino-acid sequences are unrelated to eukaryotic Ser/Thr/Tyr protein kinases. PDK3 binds to the inner lipoyl domains (L2) from the 60-meric transacetylase (E2p) core of PDC, with concomitant stimulated kinase activity. Here, we present crystal structures of the PDK3-L2 complex with and without bound ADP or ATP. These structures disclose that the C-terminal tail from one subunit of PDK3 dimer constitutes an integral part of the lipoyl-binding pocket in the N-terminal domain of the opposing subunit. The two swapped C-terminal tails promote conformational changes in active-site clefts of both PDK3 subunits, resulting in largely disordered ATP lids in the ADP-bound form. Our structural and biochemical data suggest that L2 binding stimulates PDK3 activity by disrupting the ATP lid, which otherwise traps ADP, to remove product inhibition exerted by this nucleotide. We hypothesize that this allosteric mechanism accounts, in part, for E2p-augmented PDK3 activity.     

Cell adhesion-dependent inactivation of a soluble protein kinase during fertilization in Chlamydomonas.

Within seconds after the flagella of mt+ and mt- Chlamydomonas gametes adhere during fertilization, their flagellar adenylyl cyclase is activated several fold and preparation for cell fusion is initiated. Our previous studies indicated that early events in this pathway, including control of adenylyl cyclase, are regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. Here, we describe a soluble, flagellar protein kinase activity that is regulated by flagellar adhesion. A 48-kDa, soluble flagellar protein was consistently phosphorylated in an in vitro assay in flagella isolated from nonadhering mt+ and mt- gametes, but not in flagella isolated from mt+ and mt- gametes that had been adhering for 1 min. Although the 48-kDa protein was present in the flagella isolated from adhering gametes, we demonstrate that its protein kinase was inactivated by flagellar adhesion. Immunoblot analysis and inhibitor studies indicate that the 48-kDa protein in nonadhering gametes is phosphorylated by a protein tyrosine kinase. In vivo experiments showing that the protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor sodium orthovanadate inhibits fertilization suggest that protein dephosphorylation may be required for signal transduction. The 48-kDa protein and its protein kinase may be among the first elements of a novel signalling pathway that couples interaction of flagellar adhesion molecules to gamete activation.     

Detailed evaluation of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex inhibition in simulated exercise conditions

The mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) is a mitochondrial multienzyme complex that connects glycolysis to the tricarboxylic acid cycle by catalyzing pyruvate oxidation to produce acetyl-CoA, NADH, and CO₂. This reaction is required to aerobically utilize glucose, a preferred metabolic fuel, and is composed of three core enzymes: pyruvate dehydrogenase (E1), dihydrolipoyl transacetylase (E2), and dihydrolipoyl dehydrogenase (E3). The pyruvate-dehydrogenase-specific kinase (PDK) and pyruvate-dehydrogenase-specific phosphatase (PDP) are considered the main control mechanism of mammalian PDC activity. However, PDK and PDP activity are allosterically regulated by several effectors fully overlapping PDC substrates and products. This collection of positive and negative feedback mechanisms confounds simple predictions of relative PDC flux, especially when all effectors are dynamically modulated during metabolic states that exist in physiologically realistic conditions, such as exercise. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first globally fitted, pH-dependent kinetic model of the PDC accounting for the PDC core reaction because it is regulated by PDK, PDP, metal binding equilibria, and numerous allosteric effectors. The model was used to compute PDH regulatory complex flux as a function of previously determined metabolic conditions used to simulate exercise and demonstrates increased flux with exercise. Our model reveals that PDC flux in physiological conditions is primarily inhibited by product inhibition (～60%), mostly NADH inhibition (～30–50%), rather than phosphorylation cycle inhibition (～40%), but the degree to which depends on the metabolic state and PDC tissue source.     

Distribution of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex Activities between Chloroplasts and Mitochondria from Leaves of Different Species

Protoplasts from barley (Hordeum vulgare), pea (Pisum sativum), wheat (Triticum aestivum), and spinach (Spinacia oleracea) leaves were fractionated into chloroplast- and mitochondrion-enriched fractions. Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex capacities in mitochondria (mtPDC) and chloroplasts (cpPDC) were measured in appropriate fractions under conditions optimal for each isozyme. The total cellular capacity of PDC was similar in barley and pea but about 50% lower in wheat and spinach. In pea a distribution of 87% mtPDC and 13% cpPDC was found on a cellular basis. In barley, wheat, and spinach the subcellular distribution was the opposite, with about 15% mtPDC and 85% cpPDC. cpPDC activity was constant at about 0.1 nmol cell-1 h-1 in cells from different regions along the developing barley leaf and showed no correlation with developmental patterns of photosynthetic parameters, such as increasing Chl and NADP-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase activity. Similarly, the capacity of the mitochondrial isoform did not change during barley leaf development and had a developmental pattern similar to that of citrate synthase and fumarase. Differences in subcellular distribution of PDCs in barley and pea are proposed to be due to differences in regulation, not to changes in isozyme proportions during leaf development or to species-specific differences in phosphorylation state of mtPDC after organelle separation.     

The Regulation of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Activity in Pea Leaf Mitochondria (The Effect of Respiration and Oxidative Phosphorylation)

The regulation of the pea (Pisum sativum) leaf mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex by respiratory rate and oxidative phosphorylation has been investigated by measuring the respiratory activity, the redox poise of the quinone pool (Q-pool), and mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (mtPDC) activity under various metabolic conditions. It was found that, under state 4 conditions, mtPDC activity was unaffected by either the addition of succinate, 2-oxoglutarate, or glycine or the overall respiratory rate and redox poise of the Q-pool but was partially inhibited by NADH due to product inhibition. In the presence of ADP significant inactivation of PDC, which was sensitive to oligomycin, was observed with all substrates, apart from pyruvate, suggesting that inactivation was due to ATP formation. Inactivation of PDC by ADP addition was observed even in the presence of carboxyatractyloside, an inhibitor of the ATP/ADP translocator, suggesting that other mechanisms to facilitate the entry of adenylates, in addition to the adenylate carrier, must exist in plant mitochondria.     

Light regulation of leaf mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex : role of photorespiratory carbon metabolism

Light-dependent inactivation of mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (mtPDC) in pea (Pisum sativum L.) leaves was further characterized, and this phenomenon was extended to several monocot and dicot species. The light-dependent inactivation of mtPDC in vivo was rapidly reversed in the dark, even after prolonged illumination. The mtPDC can be efficiently cycled through the inactivated-reactivated status by rapid light-dark cycling. Light-dependent inactivation of mtPDC was shown to be suppressed by inhibitors of photorespiratory carbon metabolism, including 2-pyridylhydroxymethane sulfonate, isonicotinic acid hydrazide, and aminoacetonitrile, and by an inhibitor of photosynthesis, 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea. Glycine fed to pea leaf strips in the dark yielded partially inactivated leaf mtPDC, and this inactivation was blocked by inhibitors of glycine oxidation. It is concluded that the photorespiratory glycine to serine conversion that occurs in C₃ leaf mitochondria can provide the NADH to drive oxidative phosphorylation and subsequent inactivation of mtPDC. Glycine oxidation also produces ammonium ion, which has been shown to enhance the inactivation of mtPDC in vitro by stimulating the pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase that catalyzes the phosphorylation (inactivation) of the mtPDC. Thus, light-dependent, photorespiration-stimulated inactivation of the mtPDC can regulate carbon entry into the Krebs cycle during C₃ photosynthesis.     

Distinct structural mechanisms for inhibition of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase isoforms by AZD7545, dichloroacetate, and radicicol

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK) isoforms are molecular switches that downregulate the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) by reversible phosphorylation in mitochondria. We have determined structures of human PDK1 or PDK3 bound to the inhibitors AZD7545, dichloroacetate (DCA), and radicicol. We show that the trifluoromethylpropanamide end of AZD7545 projects into the lipoyl-binding pocket of PDK1. This interaction results in inhibition of PDK1 and PDK3 activities by aborting kinase binding to the PDC scaffold. Paradoxically, AZD7545 at saturating concentrations robustly increases scaffold-free PDK3 activity, similar to the inner lipoyl domain. Good DCA density is present in the helix bundle in the N-terminal domain of PDK1. Bound DCA promotes local conformational changes that are communicated to both nucleotide-binding and lipoyl-binding pockets of PDK1, leading to the inactivation of kinase activity. Finally, radicicol inhibits kinase activity by binding directly to the ATP-binding pocket of PDK3, similar to Hsp90 and Topo VI from the same ATPase/kinase superfamily.     

Reversible tyrosine protein phosphorylation regulates large conductance voltage- and calcium-activated potassium channels via cortactin

Large conductance calcium- and voltage-activated potassium (BK) channels assemble as macromolecular signaling complexes and are potently regulated by reversible protein phosphorylation. However, although numerous studies have revealed regulation of BK channels through changes in direct phosphorylation of the pore-forming alpha-subunits the functional role of changes in phosphorylation of defined adapter/signaling proteins within the complex on channel function are essentially not known. Here, we demonstrate that mammalian BK channels are potently regulated by endogenous protein-tyrosine kinase and protein-tyrosine phosphatase activity closely associated with the channel. BK channel regulation was not dependent upon direct phosphorylation of the BK alpha-subunit, rather channel function was controlled by the tyrosine phosphorylation status of the adapter protein cortactin that assembles directly with the BK channel. Our data thus reveal a novel mode for BK channel regulation by reversible tyrosine phosphorylation and strongly support the hypothesis that phosphorylation-dependent regulation of accessory proteins within the BK channel signaling complex represents an important target for control of BK channel function.     

Tyr-301 Phosphorylation Inhibits Pyruvate Dehydrogenase by Blocking Substrate Binding and Promotes the Warburg Effect

The mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) plays a crucial role in regulation of glucose homoeostasis in mammalian cells. PDC flux depends on catalytic activity of the most important enzyme component pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH). PDH kinase inactivates PDC by phosphorylating PDH at specific serine residues, including Ser-293, whereas dephosphorylation of PDH by PDH phosphatase restores PDC activity. The current understanding suggests that Ser-293 phosphorylation of PDH impedes active site accessibility to its substrate pyruvate. Here, we report that phosphorylation of a tyrosine residue Tyr-301 also inhibits PDH α 1 (PDHA1) by blocking pyruvate binding through a novel mechanism in addition to Ser-293 phosphorylation. In addition, we found that multiple oncogenic tyrosine kinases directly phosphorylate PDHA1 at Tyr-301, and Tyr-301 phosphorylation of PDHA1 is common in EGF-stimulated cells as well as diverse human cancer cells and primary leukemia cells from human patients. Moreover, expression of a phosphorylation-deficient PDHA1 Y301F mutant in cancer cells resulted in increased oxidative phosphorylation, decreased cell proliferation under hypoxia, and reduced tumor growth in mice. Together, our findings suggest that phosphorylation at distinct serine and tyrosine residues inhibits PDHA1 through distinct mechanisms to impact active site accessibility, which act in concert to regulate PDC activity and promote the Warburg effect.     

Effects of antisense repression of an Arabidopsis thaliana pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase cDNA on plant development⋆

Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDHK), a negative regulator of the mitochondrial pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) complex (mtPDC), plays a pivotal role in controlling mtPDC activity, and hence, the TCA cycle and cell respiration. This report describes the cloning of a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase cDNA (AtPDHK) from Arabidopsis thaliana and focuses on the effects of antisense down-regulation of its expression on plant growth and development. The deduced amino acid sequence of AtPDHK exhibits extensive similarity to other plant and mammalian PDHKs, containing conserved domains typical of two-component histidine protein kinases. The Escherichia coli expressed AtPDHK specifically phosphorylated mammalian PDH E1 in a time-dependent manner. Antisense expression of the AtPDHK cDNA led to marked elevation of mtPDC activity in transgenic plants with increases ranging from 137% to 330% compared to control plants. Immunoblot analyses performed with a monoclonal antibody to the E1 mtPDH component (the subunit phosphorylated by PDHK) indicated that the increased mtPDC activity was not the result of an increase in the level of PDH protein. MtPDC from transgenic plants showed a reduced sensitivity to ATP-dependent inactivation compared to that observed in wild-type plants. Collectively, these data suggest that the antisense partial silencing of the negative regulator, PDHK, was responsible for the increased mtPDC activity observed in the antisense PDHK plants. Transgenic plants with partially repressed AtPDHK also displayed altered vegetative growth with reduced accumulation of vegetative tissues, early flower development and shorter generation time. The potential role for AtPDHK gene manipulation in crop improvement is discussed.     

Flagellar adhesion-dependent regulation of Chlamydomonas adenylyl cyclase in vitro: a possible role for protein kinases in sexual signaling

Interactions between adhesion molecules, agglutinins, on the surfaces of the flagella of mt+ and mt- gametes in Chlamydomonas rapidly generate a sexual signal, mediated by cAMP, that prepares the cells for fusion to form a zygote. The mechanism that couples agglutinin interactions to increased cellular levels of cAMP is unknown. In previous studies on the adenylyl cyclase in flagella of a single mating type (i.e., non-adhering flagella) we presented evidence that the gametic form of the enzyme, but not the vegetative form, was regulated by phosphorylation and dephosphorylation (Zhang, Y., E. M. Ross, and W. J. Snell. 1991. J. Biol. Chem. 266:22954-22959; Zhang, Y., and W. J. Snell. 1993. J. Biol. Chem. 268:1786-1791). In the present report we describe studies on regulation of flagellar adenylyl cyclase during adhesion in a cell-free system. The results show that the activity of gametic flagellar adenylyl cyclase is regulated by adhesion in vitro between flagella isolated from mt+ and mt- gametes. After mixing mt+ and mt- flagella together for 15 s in vitro, adenylyl cyclase activity was increased two- to threefold compared to that of the non-mixed (non- adhering), control flagella. This indicates that the regulation of gametic flagellar adenylyl cyclase during the early steps of fertilization is not mediated by signals from the cell body, but is a direct and primary response to interactions between mt+ and mt- agglutinins. By use of this in vitro assay, we discovered that 50 nM staurosporine (a protein kinase inhibitor) blocked adhesion-induced activation of adenylyl cyclase in vitro, while it had no effect on adenylyl cyclase activity of non-adhering gametic flagella. This same low concentration of staurosporine also inhibited adhesion-induced increases in vivo in cellular cAMP and blocked subsequent cellular responses to adhesion. Taken together, our results indicate that flagellar adenylyl cyclase in Chlamydomonas gametes is coupled to interactions between mt+ and mt- agglutinins by a staurosporine- sensitive activity, probably a protein kinase.     

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from ribbed mussel gill mitochondria

The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex has been demonstrated in high speed pellet preparations from sonicated ribbed mussel gill mitochondria. The activity of the complex is inhibited by low chloride (less than 100 mM) concentrations, EDTA (1 mM), succinate, ATP, and NAD/NADH ratios below 4. Inhibition by EDTA is relieved by addition of 10 mM MgCl2-1 mM CaCl2. ATP inhibition was enhanced by NaF and reversed by high Mg++ concentrations in the absence of NaF. Pyruvate and thiamine pyrophosphate inhibited the inactivation by ATP. The nonhydrolyzable ATP analog AMP-PNP caused inhibition of the overall catalytic activity that was identical to ATP. Factors involved in the ATP inhibition and Mg++ reversal are lost with freezing or cold storage. Preliminary results using gamma-32P-ATP indicate that a protein kinase that phosphorylates the alpha subunit of E1 (pyruvate dehydrogenase) from the mammalian PDC is associated with the gill PDC. The activity of the complex may be regulated by a phosphorylation/dephosphorylation mechanism and by the relative levels of substrates, products, and other metabolites in the mitochondria.     

Regulation of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity in human fibroblasts by reversible phosphorylation: modulation of enzymatic activity by low density lipoprotein, sterols, and mevalonolactone

3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase exists in interconvertible active and inactive forms in cultured fibroblasts from normal and familial hypercholesterolemic subjects. The inactive form can be activated by endogenous or added phosphoprotein phosphatase. Active or partially active HMG-CoA reductase in cell extracts was inactivated by a ATP-Mg-dependent reductase kinase. Incubation of phosphorylated (inactive) HMG-CoA reductase with purified phosphoprotein phosphatase was associated with dephosphorylation (reactivation) and complete restoration of HMG-CoA reductase activity. Low density lipoprotein, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 7-ketocholesterol, and mevalonolactone suppressed HMG-CoA reductase activity by a short-term mechanism involving reversible phosphorylation. 25-Hydroxycholesterol, which enters cells without the requirement of low density lipoprotein-receptor binding, inhibited the HMG-CoA reductase activity in familial hypercholesterolemic cells by reversible phosphorylation. Measurement of the short-term effects of inhibitors on the rate of cholesterol synthesis from radiolabeled acetate revealed that HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylation was responsible for rapid suppression of sterol synthesis. Reductase kinase activity of cultured fibroblasts was also affected by reversible phosphorylation. The active (phosphorylated) reductase kinase can be inactivated by dephosphorylation with phosphatase. Inactive reductase kinase can be reactivated by phosphorylation with ATP-Mg and a second protein kinase from rat liver, designated reductase kinase kinase. Reductase kinase kinase activity has been shown to be present in the extracts of cultured fibroblasts. The combined results represent the initial demonstration of a short-term regulation of HMG-CoA reductase activity and cholesterol synthesis in normal and receptor-negative cultured fibroblasts involving reversible phosphorylation of both HMG-CoA reductase and reductase kinase.     

Activation of a histone H1 kinase by tyrosine phosphorylation in v-src-transformed fibroblasts.

Using anti-phosphotyrosine immunoaffinity chromatography, we have searched for serine/threonine kinases that are directly regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation in v-src-transformed rat 3Y1 fibroblasts. Tyrosine phosphoprotein preparations from v-src-transformed cells contain a kinase activity that phosphorylates histone H1 in vitro on serine residues and this activity is present at a 20-fold greater level than that in parental cell preparations. This activity elutes from a MonoQ FPLC column as a single peak and gel filtration chromatography suggests that the kinase has a molecular mass of approximately 55 kDa. Tyrosine phosphatase treatment inactivates the histone H1 kinase and this result indicates that the specific activity of the kinase is regulated by tyrosine phosphorylation. Experiments with cells transformed with a temperature-sensitive mutant of the v-src oncogene demonstrate that the tyrosine phosphorylation of the histone H1 kinase is an early event in v-src transformation. The kinase is distinct from known cdc2 family members that contain the PSTAIR motif, because the kinase can be separated almost completely from these proteins by immunoprecipitation with an antibody against p34cdc2. The profile of antibody reactivity and sensitivity to modulators of protein kinases suggests that this activity is distinct from known second messenger-regulated kinases and from previously characterized MAP kinases.     

Identification of Xenopus S6 protein kinase homologs (pp90rsk) in somatic cells: phosphorylation and activation during initiation of cell proliferation.

We have identified human, mouse, and chicken homologs to Xenopus S6 protein kinase II (S6KII). In quiescent cells, the apparent molecular mass of the Xenopus homologs (referred to as pp90rsk) increased from a range of 81 to 91 to a range of 85 to 92 kilodaltons following serum addition, which is consistent with an increase in protein phosphorylation. Indeed, serum growth factors stimulated pp90rsk phosphorylation at multiple serine and threonine residues. Furthermore, pp90rsk activity was stimulated within seconds of serum addition. Distinct molecular sizes, chromatographic properties, phosphopeptide maps, and kinetics of activation, the lack of immunological cross-reactivity, and analysis of S6 kinase activities in cells that overexpressed pp90rsk suggest that pp90rsk and pp70-S6 protein kinase, a previously identified mitogen- and oncogene-regulated S6 kinase in cultured cells, are distinct and differentially regulated. The notion that both enzymes are regulated by protein phosphorylation was supported by the ability to inactivate their S6 phosphotransferase activities with potato acid phosphatase. These data demonstrate that homologs to the Xenopus S6 protein kinases are produced and regulated by protein phosphorylation in somatic cells and that, in addition to a proposed role in Xenopus oocyte maturation, these homologs may participate in the initiation of animal cell proliferation.     

Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript>-independent effects of spermine on pyruvate dehydrogenase complex activity in energized rat liver mitochondria incubated in the absence of exogenous Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript> and Mg<Superscript>2</Superscript><Superscript>+</Superscript>

In the absence of exogenous Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ and in the presence of EGTA, which favours the release of endogenous Ca²⁺, the polyamine spermine is able to stimulate the activity of pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) of energized rat liver mitochondria (RLM). This stimulation exhibits a gradual concentration-dependent trend, which is maximum, about 140%, at 0.5 mM concentration, after 30 min of incubation. At concentrations higher than 0.5 mM, spermine still stimulates PDC, when compared with the control, but shows a slight dose-dependent decrease. Changes in PDC stimulation are very close to the phosphorylation level of the E_1α subunit of PDC, which regulates the activity of the complex, but it is also the target of spermine. In other words, progressive dephosphorylation gradually enhances the stimulation of RLM and progressive phosphorylation slightly decreases it. These results provide the first evidence that, when transported in RLM, spermine can interact in various ways with PDC, showing dose-dependent behaviour. The interaction most probably takes place directly on a specific site for spermine on one of the regulatory enzymes of PDC, i.e. pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphatase (PDP). The interaction of spermine with PDC may also involve activation of another regulatory enzyme, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK), resulting in an increase in E_1α phosphorylation and consequently reduced stimulation of PDC at high polyamine concentrations. The different effects of spermine in RLM are discussed, considering the different activities of PDP and PDK isoenzymes. It is suggested that the polyamine at low concentrations stimulates the isoenzyme PDP₂ and at high concentrations it stimulates PDK₂.     

How tyrosine phosphorylation affects the UDP-glucose dehydrogenase activity of Bacillus subtilis YwqF

The UDP-glucose dehydrogenase activity of Bacillus subtilis YwqF is regulated by reversible phosphorylation on a tyrosine residue. This reaction, which is catalyzed by the protein-tyrosine kinase YwqD, activates the enzyme, while dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine-YwqF by the phosphotyrosine-protein phosphatase YwqE reduces its enzyme activity. Our kinetic data indicate that the phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of YwqF differ in binding the substrates. The UDP-glucose dehydrogenase reaction catalyzed by YwqF is inhibited by one of its substrates, UDP-glucose, and the extent of this inhibition seems to be reduced upon YwqF phosphorylation. We propose that this effect could at least partly account for the observed activation of YwqF induced by tyrosine phosphorylation. Potential physiological implications of this finding are discussed.     

Identification of Ser-543 as the major regulatory phosphorylation site in spinach leaf nitrate reductase.

Spinach leaf NADH:nitrate reductase (NR) responds to light/dark signals and photosynthetic activity in part as a result of rapid regulation by reversible protein phosphorylation. We have identified the major regulatory phosphorylation site as Ser-543, which is located in the hinge 1 region connecting the cytochrome b domain with the molybdenum-pterin cofactor binding domain of NR, using recombinant NR fragments containing or lacking the phosphorylation site sequence. Studies with NR partial reactions indicated that the block in electron flow caused by phosphorylation also could be localized to the hinge 1 region. A synthetic peptide (NR6) based on the phosphorylation site sequence was phosphorylated readily by NR kinase (NRk) in vitro. NR6 kinase activity tracked the ATP-dependent inactivation of NR during several chromatographic steps and completely inhibited inactivation/phosphorylation of native NR in vitro. Two forms of NRk were resolved by using anion exchange chromatography. Studies with synthetic peptide analogs indicated that both forms of NRk had similar specificity determinants, requiring a basic residue at P-3 (i.e., three amino acids N-terminal to the phosphorylated serine) and a hydrophobic residue at P-5. Both forms are strictly calcium dependent but belong to distinct families of protein kinases because they are distinct immunochemically.     

Hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase activities during the starved-to-fed transition.

Starvation for 48 h elicited a 74% increase in hepatic pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase activity, measured directly by 32Pi-incorporation from [gamma-32P]ATP into a synthetic peptide corresponding to the major phosphorylation site on E1. The administration of chow ad libitum to previously-starved rats suppressed hepatic PDH kinase activity by only approx. 20% within 2 h of re-feeding, and the relatively high activity of PDH kinase was associated with continued suppression of PDC complex re-activation. Whereas there was no further decline in PDH kinase activity over the next 2 h, PDC re-activation to the fed value was observed during this time interval. PDH kinase activity decreased to fed values only after 8 h.     

Control of the phosphorylation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in higher plants

Phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase is regulated by reversible phosphorylation in higher plants. Recently several genes encoding PEP carboxylase kinase have been cloned. The purpose of this article is to assess the contribution that information on the structure and expression of these genes is making to our understanding of the posttranslational control of PEP carboxylase activity.