Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent inhibition of IL-5 from human T lymphocytes is not mediated by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A

IL-5 is implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma and is predominantly released from T lymphocytes of the Th2 phenotype. In anti-CD3 plus anti-CD28-stimulated PBMC, albuterol, isoproterenol, rolipram, PGE2, forskolin, cholera toxin, and the cAMP analog, 8-bromoadenosine cAMP (8-Br-cAMP) all inhibited the release of IL-5 and lymphocyte proliferation. Although all of the above compounds share the ability to increase intracellular cAMP levels and activate protein kinase (PK) A, the PKA inhibitor H-89 failed to ablate the inhibition of IL-5 production mediated by 8-Br-cAMP, rolipram, forskolin, or PGE2. Similarly, H-89 had no effect on the cAMP-mediated inhibition of lymphocyte proliferation. Significantly, these observations occurred at a concentration of H-89 (3 microM) that inhibited both PKA activity and CREB phosphorylation in intact cells. Additional studies showed that the PKA inhibitors H-8, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio) adenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphorothioate Rp isomer, and a myristolated PKA inhibitor peptide also failed to block the 8-Br-cAMP-mediated inhibition of IL-5 release from PBMC. Likewise, a role for PKG was considered unlikely because both activators and inhibitors of this enzyme had no effect on IL-5 release. Western blotting identified Rap1, a downstream target of the cAMP-binding proteins, exchange protein directly activated by cAMP/cAMP-guanine nucleotide exchange factors 1 and 2, in PBMC. However, Rap1 activation assays revealed that this pathway is also unlikely to be involved in the cAMP-mediated inhibition of IL-5. Taken together, these results indicate that cAMP-elevating agents inhibit IL-5 release from PBMC by a novel cAMP-dependent mechanism that does not involve the activation of PKA.     

Heterogeneity of protein kinase C expression and regulation in T lymphocytes

The purpose of the present study was to examine protein kinase C (PKC) isotype expression in T lymphoblasts derived from peripheral blood and the T leukaemic cell Jurkat. Using antisera reactive with PKC alpha, beta 1, and beta 2 and gamma, it was observed that T cells expressed two PKC isotypes, PKC alpha and beta 1. No PKC gamma was detected in T lymphocytes. In lymphoblasts, high levels of PKC beta compared to PKC alpha were found whereas Jurkat cells expressed high levels of alpha compared to PKC beta. Differences in the calcium sensitivity of phorbol ester-induced phosphorylation were observed in Jurkat and T lymphoblasts which correlated with the relative levels of PKC alpha and beta isotypes expressed by the cells.     

Interaction of the regulatory subunit (RII) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase with RII-anchoring proteins occurs through an amphipathic helix binding motif

The type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase is localized to specific subcellular environments through the binding of the regulatory subunit (RII) dimer to RII-anchoring proteins. Computer-aided analysis of secondary structure, performed on four RII-anchoring protein sequences (the microtubule-associated protein 2, P150, and two thyroid proteins Ht 21 and Ht 31), has identified common regions of approximately 14 residues which display high probabilities of forming amphipathic helices. The potential amphipathic helix region of Ht 31 (Leu-Ile-Glu-Glu-Ala-Ala-Ser-Arg-Ile-Val-Asp-Ala-Val-Ile) lies between residues 494 and 507. A bacterially expressed 318-amino acid fragment, Ht 31 (418-736), containing the amphipathic helix region, was able to bind RII alpha. Site-directed mutagenesis designed to disrupt the secondary structure in the putative binding helix reduced binding dramatically. Specifically, substitution of proline for Ala-498 significantly diminished RII alpha binding, and similar mutation of Ile-502 or Ile-507 abolished interaction. Mutation of Ala-522 to proline, which is located outside the predicted amphipathic helix region, had no effect on RII alpha binding. These data suggest that anchoring proteins interact with RII alpha via an amphipathic helix binding motif.     

A point mutation abolishes binding of cAMP to site A in the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase

Each regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase has two tandem cAMP-binding sites, A and B, at the carboxyl terminus. Based on sequence homologies with the cAMP-binding domain of the Escherichia coli catabolite gene activator protein, a model has been constructed for each cAMP-binding domain. Two of the conserved features of each cAMP-binding site are an arginine and a glutamic acid which interact with the negatively charged phosphate and with the 2'-OH on the ribose ring, respectively. In the type I regulatory subunit, this arginine in cAMP binding site A is Arg-209. Recombinant DNA techniques have been used to change this arginine to a lysine. The resulting protein binds cAMP with a high affinity and associates with the catalytic subunit to form holoenzyme. The mutant holoenzyme also is activated by cAMP. However, the mutant R-subunit binds only 1 mol of cAMP/R-monomer. Photoaffinity labeling confirmed that the mutant R-subunit has only one functional cAMP-binding site. In contrast to the native R-subunit which is labeled at Trp-260 and Tyr-371 by 8-N3cAMP, the mutant R-subunit is convalently modified at a single site, Tyr-371, which correlates with a functional cAMP-binding site B. The lack of functional cAMP-binding site A also was confirmed by activating the mutant holoenzyme with analogs of cAMP which have a high specificity for either site A or site B. 8-NH2-methyl cAMP which preferentially binds to site B was similar to cAMP in its ability to activate both mutant and wild type holoenzyme whereas N6-monobutyryl cAMP, a site A-specific analog, was a very poor activator of the mutant holoenzyme. The results support the conclusions that 1) Arg-209 is essential for cAMP binding to site A and 2) cAMP binding to domain A is not essential for dissociation of the mutant holoenzyme.     

Prostaglandin E1 activates a chloride current in Jurkat T lymphocytes via cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Patch-clamp studies have identified a cAMP-dependent Cl- conductance in lymphocytes that is defectively regulated in cystic fibrosis. In this study we used 125I efflux and whole-cell patch-clamp studies to investigate whether prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), an agonist that generates intracellular cAMP in Jurkat T lymphocytes, activates a Cl- conductance. Stimulation of T cells by externally applied PGE1 stimulated 125I efflux and activated a slowly developing membrane current. When external and internal Cl- were about equal, the current reversed at about zero mV, but when external Cl- was lowered from 157 to 7 mM the reversal potential shifted 75 mV in the positive direction, demonstrating that the current carrier was Cl-. In addition, the current was blocked by 10 microM 5-nitro-2(3-phenylpropylamino) benzoic acid (NPPB), a potent Cl- channel blocker. A membrane-permeable cAMP analog mimicked the effect of PGE1, whereas intracellular application of a cAMP antagonist Rp-cAMP blocked the effect of PGE1. Addition of purified catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) plus ATP to the recording pipette also activated a similar current, whereas internally applied Walsh inhibitor, the synthetic peptide inhibitor of PKA, blocked the PGE1 effect. These results suggest that PGE1, acting through PKA, activates a Cl- current in Jurkat T cells.     

The roles of cAMP and cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the regulation of adrenocortical functions: analysis using DNA-mediated gene transfer

DNA-mediated gene transfer was used to evaluate the cause and effect relationship between mutations in cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and cellular resistance of adrenocortical tumor cells to ACTH and cAMP. Protein kinase defective, Kin 8 adrenocortical tumor cells were transformed with genomic DNA from an ACTH- and cAMP-responsive adrenocortical cell line and screened for the recovery of morphological responses to the cAMP analog 8-bromo-cAMP (8BrcAMP). 8BrcAMP-responsive transformants were recovered with a frequency of approximately 0.5 per 10(3) transformation-competent cells. These transformants recovered the ability to round up in the presence of ACTH and were able to respond to both ACTH and 8BrcAMP with increased steroidogenesis. They also recovered cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. The transformants, however, were unstable and concomitantly lost cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and steroidogenic and morphological responses to ACTH and 8BrcAMP. These observations suggest that a single gene, probably the gene encoding the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, is responsible for the resistance of the Kin 8 mutant to ACTH and cAMP.     

Substrate enhances the sensitivity of type I protein kinase a to cAMP

The functional significance of the presence of two major (types I and II) isoforms of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) is still enigmatic. The present study showed that peptide substrate enhanced the activation of PKA type I at low, physiologically relevant concentrations of cAMP through competitive displacement of the regulatory RI subunit. The effect was similar whether the substrate was a short peptide or the physiological 60-kDa protein tyrosine hydroxylase. In contrast, substrate failed to affect the cAMP-sensitivity of PKA type II. Size exclusion chromatography confirmed that substrate acted to physically enhance the dissociation of the RIalpha and Calpha subunits of PKA type I, but not the RIIalpha and Calpha subunits of PKA type II. Substrate availability can therefore fine-tune the activation of PKA type I by cAMP, but not PKA type II. The cAMP-dissociated RII and C subunits of PKA type II reassociated much faster than the PKA type I subunits in the presence of substrate peptide. This suggests that only PKA type II is able to rapidly reverse its activation after a burst of cAMP when exposed to high substrate concentration. We propose this as a possible reason why PKA type II is preferentially found in complexes with substrates undergoing rapid phosphorylation cycles.     

Role of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the regulation of platelet procoagulant activity

The membrane microparticle (MP) formation and phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure evoked by platelet activation provide catalytic surfaces for thrombin generation. Several reports have indicated the effects of cAMP-elevating agents on agonist-induced MP formation and PS exposure; however, the mechanism still remains unclear. Here we show that inhibition of basal cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) activity incurred platelet MP formation and PS exposure. Pretreatment of platelets with cAMP-elevating agent, forskolin, abolished thrombin plus collagen-induced MP formation and PS exposure, and obviously decreased calcium ionophore-evoked MP shedding. Moreover, the inhibitory effects of forskolin on agonists-induced MP formation and PS exposure were reversed by the PKA inhibitor H89. PKA inhibitor-induced MP formation was dose-dependently inhibited by calpain inhibitor MDL28170, and forskolin abrogated thrombin plus collagen-induced calpain activation. In conclusion, PKA plays key roles in the regulation of platelet MP formation and PS exposure. PKA-mediated MP shedding is dependent on calpain activation.     

Melanophore pigment dispersion responses to agonists show two patterns of sensitivity to inhibitors of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C

Melanophore pigment dispersion is a sensitive bioassay for activation of the adenylyl cyclase and phospholipase C second-messenger pathways. The necessity of protein kinase activation in causing pigment dispersion was confirmed for eight agonists of endogenous melanophore receptors and for two transfected receptors. All agonists and receptors previously shown to elevate intracellular cAMP in melanophores—melanocyte stimulating hormone, light, (−) norepinephrine, 5-hydroxytrptamine, and the β₂-adrenergic receptor—were able to stimulate pigment dispersion in the presence of Ro31-8220, a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C, but were blocked in the presence of H89, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The bombesin receptor, which elevates intracellular IP₃ in melanophores, was unable to stimulate pigment dispersion in the presence of Ro31-8220 or H89. Agonists whose mechanism of activation of pigment dispersion are unknown were also tested. Endothelin 3 responses were blocked by both H89 and Ro31-8220, predicting coupling to phospholipase C. Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, oxytocin, and calcitonin gene-related peptide β responses were blocked only by H89, predicting coupling to adenylyl cyclase. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Involvement of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein phosphorylation in regulation of mouse oocyte maturation

We report the results of experiments which support the hypothesis that, in mouse oocytes, a decrease in intraoocyte cyclic AMP (cAMP) initiates meiotic maturation; oocytes microinjected with cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) underwent germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) in the presence of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), which inhibited GVBD both in oocytes not injected with PDE and in oocytes injected with heat-inactivated PDE. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PK) has been proposed to mediate maintenance of meiotic arrest by cAMP. In support of this hypothesis is the observation that 2'-deoxy cAMP, which does not activate PK, did not maintain meiotic arrest as did cAMP; this result was obtained both by microinjection of these compounds and by incubating oocytes in the presence of their membrane-permeable N6-monobutyryl derivatives. Furthermore, microinjection into oocytes of the heat-stable inhibitor of PK, PKI, induced GVBD in the presence of either dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP) or IBMX. Meiotic arrest was maintained in the absence of dbcAMP or IBMX, however, by microinjected catalytic subunit of PK, but not by catalytic subunit coinjected with PKI. In addition, specific changes in oocyte phosphoproteins that preceded resumption of meiosis were induced, in the presence of dbcAMP, by microinjected PKI; these changes were also tightly coupled with commitment of oocytes to resume meiosis. These results are discussed in terms of our model for regulation of meiotic arrest and maturation.     

The conformationally dynamic C helix of the RIalpha subunit of protein kinase A mediates isoform-specific domain reorganization upon C subunit binding

Different isoforms of the full-length protein kinase A (PKA) regulatory subunit homodimer (R2) and the catalytic (C) subunit-bound holoenzyme (R2C2) have very different global structures despite similar molecular weights and domain organization within their primary sequences. To date, it has been the linker sequence between the R subunit dimerization/docking domain and cAMP-binding domain A that has been implicated in modulating domain interactions to give rise to these differences in global structure. The small angle solution scattering data presented here for three different isoforms of PKA heterodimer (deltaR-C) complexes reveal a role for another conformationally dynamic sequence in modulating inter-subunit and domain interactions, the C helix that connects the cAMP-binding domains A and B of the R subunit. The deltaR-C heterodimer complexes studied here were each formed with a monomeric N-terminal deletion mutant of the R subunit (deltaR) that contains the inhibitor sequence and both cAMP-binding domains. The scattering data show that type IIalpha and type IIbeta deltaR-C heterodimers are relatively compact and globular, with the C subunit contacting the inhibitor sequence and both cAMP-binding domains. In contrast, the type Ialpha heterodimer is significantly more extended, with the C subunit interacting with the inhibitor sequence and cAMP-binding domain A, whereas domain B extends out such that its surface is almost completely solvent exposed. These data implicate the C helix of RIalpha in modulating isoform-specific interdomain communication in the PKA holoenzyme, adding another layer of structural complexity to our understanding of signaling dynamics in this multisubunit, multidomain protein kinase.     

Definition of an electrostatic relay switch critical for the cAMP-dependent activation of protein kinase A as revealed by the D170A mutant of RIalpha

The Regulatory (R) subunit of Protein Kinase A (PKA) inhibits its kinase activity by shielding the Catalytic (C) subunit from physiological substrates. This inhibition is reversed in response to extra-cellular signals that increase cAMP levels in the cytoplasm. Upon cAMP binding to R, C is allosterically released from R, activating a spectrum of downstream signaling cascades. Crystallographic data indicated that a series of distinct conformational changes within CBD-A must occur to relay the cAMP signal from the cAMP binding site to the R:C interaction interface. One critical cAMP relay site within the CBD-A of R has been identified as Asp170 because the D170A mutation selectively reduces the negative cooperativity between the cAMP- and C-recognition sites (i.e. the KD for the R:C complex in the presence of cAMP is reduced by more than 12-fold), without significantly compromising the high affinity of R for both binding partners. Here, utilizing an integrated set of comparative NMR analyses we have elucidated how this critical electrostatic switch is able to control the interaction network which transmits the cAMP signal within CBD-A. The D170A-induced variations in backbone chemical shifts as well as in hydrogen-deuterium and hydrogen-hydrogen exchange profiles show that Asp170 not only plays a pivotal role in controlling the local conformation of the phosphate binding cassette (PBC), where cAMP docks, but also significantly affects the long-range cAMP-dependent interaction network that extends from the PBC to the three major sites of C-recognition. We also found that the D170A mutation promotes partial unfolding, thus assisting the uncoupling of the alpha- and beta-subdomains of CBD-A as required for the major alpha-helical conformational re-arrangement necessary for C-binding. Overall, the emerging map of allosteric networks features Asp170 as an essential component of an electrostatic switch mechanism that stabilizes the conformation of the PBC region for optimal interaction with cAMP and that is also crucial for relaying allosteric effects leading to C subunit activation. Taken together, our results consolidate the interdependence between the Asp170 relay site and the R:C interaction interface. Furthermore, they provide insight into the driving forces for the in vivo formation of intermediate PKA ternary complexes. Finally, our current study is relevant for elucidating the antagonistic properties of Rp-cAMPS on PKA by providing a detailed picture of the long-range effects of the altered interaction between this analog and the PBC.