Immunological and molecular characterization of the cAMP-dependent protein kinases in AtT20 cells

The properties of the cAMP-dependent protein kinases in AtT20 mouse pituitary tumor cells were characterized by a combination of immunological and biochemical techniques. Ninety per cent of the total cAMP-dependent protein kinase was in the 40,000 X g supernatant fraction. Protein kinases I and II were immunoprecipitated with specific antisera directed against their regulatory subunits. The immunoprecipitated kinases bound [3H]cAMP and were catalytically active when incubated with [gamma-32P]ATP-Mg and protamine or histone H2B. Immunoprecipitated protein kinases I and II bound [3H]cAMP with apparent Kb values of 1.5 and 15 nM, respectively. Regulatory subunit concentrations in AtT20 cells were measured by immunoprecipitation of [3H]cAMP-R complexes. R-I and R-II levels were 2.7 and 3.0 pmol of [3H]cAMP binding activity per mg of cytosolic protein, respectively, however, the ratio of protein kinase II to protein kinase I was 2.5 indicating the presence of a significant amount of free R-I. This was confirmed by DEAE-cellulose chromatography and the isolation of immunoreactive R-I devoid of protein kinase activity. A significant amount of R-I also coeluted with protein kinase II when AtT20 cell extracts were subjected to DEAE-cellulose chromatography. In quantitative immunoprecipitation experiments, 0.1 microliter of anti-brain R-II serum complexed up to 0.5 pmol of the [3H]cAMP-binding activity of protein kinase II prepared from bovine and rat brain, and AtT20 cells while 2 microliter of anti-brain R-II serum was required to precipitate an equal amount of protein kinase II from bovine skeletal muscle showing that the protein kinase II in AtT20 cells contained the neural-specific R-II subunit.     

Circadian clock regulation of the bimodal rhythm of cyclic AMP in wild-type Euglena

Cell-cycle traverse is associated with fluctuations in the cellular content of cAMP; artificial alterations of these levels phase-shift cell division in free-running cultures of achlorophyllous Euglena maintained in constant darkness (DD). The phase shifts observed, however, are only transient: the cell division rhythm rephases to that of unperturbed controls. This implies that the second messenger functions downstream of the circadian oscillator. Further, the level of cAMP is known to indicate carbon nutrient status and the competency of cells to traverse various restriction points in the cell cycle of other eukaryotes. We wished to determine the profile of cAMP content in free-running, dividing and non-dividing cultures of green, wild-type cells, which survive well during prolonged growth arrest. We monitored cAMP content in photoautothropic cultures of E. gracilis (strain Z) at 25 degrees C under either an entraining light-dark cycle comprising 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness (LD:12,12) or free-running (LD:1/2,1/2) regimes. cAMP content in rhythmically dividing, light-phased or free-running cells exhibited bimodality [peaks at CT (circadian time) 9-14 and CT 19-22). Expression of cAMP content on a per milligram total cellular protein basis caused the day trough (CT 1-3) to be even more distinct. Non-dividing, free-running, photoautotrophic cultures displayed a similarly phased bimodality in cAMP content. These findings in wild-type Euglena confirm that the bimodal rhythm of cAMP content is regulated by the circadian oscillator that underlies division rhythmicity but is not dependent on the cell division cycle. We will now determine the effect of the fluctuating cAMP levels on the phosphorylation status and activity of cell-cycle regulatory proteins.     

Soluble protein kinase fractions from DEAF-cellulose chromatography

Summary The cytosol fraction from rat midbrain was chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose with a linear NaCl gradient (0–0.3 M). Two peaks of protein kinase activity were obtained when assayed with either historic or casein. A similar elution profile of the kinase activity was obtained from rat heart. The first peaks from midbrain and heart were compared in terms of their dependency upon cAMP and sensitivity to the endogenous protein kinase inhibitor. Neither of the two substances had an effect on the activity of the brain kinase. Furthermore, the dissociability of the midbrain and heart enzymes in the presence of cAMP or histone was compared by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The heart enzyme was dissociated into a catalytic subunit characteristic of a cAMP-dependent protein kinase, whereas the brain kinase was totally unaffected by the cAMP or histone. The results of these tests indicate that although the elution profiles from DEAE-cellulose are similar between midbrain and heart, the first peak from brain contains a protein kinase that appears to be cAMP independent.     

Reduced levels of cardiac cAMP-dependent protein kinase in spontaneously hypertensive rat

Cardiac cAMP-dependent protein kinases were compared between the spontaneously hypertensive rat and the age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rat by DEAE-cellulose chromatography, photoaffinity labeling with 8-N3[32P]cAMP, and Western blots using the antiregulatory and 125I-anticatalytic subunit antibodies. DEAE-cellulose chromatography revealed that the ratio of type I to type II cAMP-dependent protein kinase was 3:1 in the cytoplasmic soluble proteins from the heart of normotensive rat. In contrast, the ratio of type I to type II was 1:1 in the heart of hypertensive rat. Type I protein kinase was reduced by 3-fold in hypertensive rat compared to normotensive rat. The levels of type II protein kinase were similar in both normotensive and hypertensive rats. The ratio of regulatory subunits of type I (RI) to type II (RII) cAMP-dependent protein kinase was 2.5 in the soluble proteins from the heart of normotensive rat compared to a ratio of 0.62 for hypertensive rat. RI was reduced by 4-fold in hypertensive rat compared to normotensive rat. The decrease in RI from hypertensive rat was also demonstrated by photoaffinity labeling with 8-N3[32P] cAMP. Western blot analysis of the catalytic subunit revealed a 2-fold decrease in catalytic subunit (C) in the soluble proteins from the hypertensive rat compared to normotensive rat. These results show that the reduced level of activity of cardiac type I protein kinase in hypertensive rat was the result of a decrease in both the RI and C subunits, thus reducing the number of type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase holoenzyme molecules. Comparison of type I protein kinase from "prehypertensive" and "hypertensive" stages of hypertensive rat indicated that the type I protein kinase was reduced by 3-fold before an increase in the blood pressure was detectable. Cardiac type I protein kinase is predominantly associated with the cytoplasmic proteins in both the normotensive and hypertensive rats. The levels of RI, RII, and C associated with the membrane-solubilized proteins were not affected in the hypertensive rat. The levels of RII were similar in the brain tissue of normotensive and hypertensive rats, suggesting that the decrease in type I protein kinase is specific in hypertensive rat. In conclusion, a decrease in cardiac type I cAMP-dependent protein kinase may affect the degree of phosphorylation of cardiac regulatory proteins, thus impairing normal cardiac physiology in hypertensive rat.     

Intracellular cAMP binding proteins in Dictyostelium discoidium: differences in properties of the proteins from vegetative and differentiated cells.

Components responsible for intracellular cAMP binding from vegetative cells of Dictyostelium discoideum and from cells collected after 18 hr of differentiation were partially purified by DEAE-cellulose column chromatography. Their properties differ in a variety of aspects: The cAMP binding activity from vegetative cells is eluted at low ionic strength; it is inhibited by 5′-AMP; bound cAMP is not readily exchangeable, and finally, extensive dialysis of the crude extract enhances its cAMP binding activity. In contrast, the cAMP binding component from differentiated cells is not affected by dialysis and is not inhibited by 5′-AMP. It is eluted at higher ionic strength from DEAE and has a rapid dissociation rate for cAMP. The binding activity could be separated from protein kinase activity found in differentiated cells. A heat-stable dialyzable factor was found in both vegetative and differentiated cells which inhibited cAMP binding in vegetative cells but not in differentiated cells.     

Rhythmic changes in the activities of NAD kinase and NADP phosphatase in the achlorophyllous ZC mutant of Euglena gracilis Klebs (strain Z)

NAD kinase and NADP phosphatase activities were detected in the supernatant and the pellet fractions prepared by sonication and centrifugation of the achlorophyllous ZC mutant of the phytoflagellate Euglena gracilis. A detailed study of substrate concentration-velocity curves enabled us to define the saturating substrate concentrations that were used in the enzyme assays. An analysis of the reproducibility of the entire assay procedure indicated that the pooled standard error was about 14%. We report circadian variations in the activities of NAD kinase and NADP phosphatase in the soluble and membrane-bound fractions of both synchronously dividing and nondividing cultures maintained in constant darkness. Bimodal circadian rhythms in total NADP phosphatase activity were found in dividing cells (peaks at circadian times [CT] 00 and 12). The peak observed at CT 00-03 disappeared when the cells had ceased dividing, a result that suggests that it might be regulated by the cell division cycle. NAD kinase activity displayed unimodal circadian rhythms (peak at CT 12) in dividing cells, which persisted with the same phase after the culture entered the stationary phase of growth. Results are discussed with reference to a model (K. Goto, D. L. Laval-Martin, and L. N. Edmunds, Jr., 1985, Science 228, 1284-1288) in which we have proposed that the Ca2(+)-transport system, Ca2+, calmodulin, NAD kinase, and NADP phosphatase could represent clock "gears" that might constitute a self-sustained circadian oscillating loop.     

Protein kinases of retinal rod outer segments: identification and partial characterization of cyclic nucleotide dependent protein kinase and rhodopsin kinase

Protein kinase activity of dark-adapted bovine rod outer segments is partitioned by centrifugation into soluble and membrane-bound fractions. The soluble kinases are separated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography into three peaks of activity, which can be classified by substrate specificity and cyclic nucleotide dependence into two categories. One peak of protein kinase activity has the characteristics reported for rhodopsin kinase (category one); it phosphorylates only bleached rhodopsin, and its activity is not affected by light, exogenous adenosine cyclic 3',5'--monophosphate (cAMP), guanosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP), or a protein kinase inhibitor from skeletal muscle. Rhodopsin kinase has an apparent molecular weight of 68 000. The second category of kinase includes two peaks of activity which are stimulated severalfold by cAMP or cGMP but not by light. These protein kinases phosphorylate soluble proteins including histones and a protein kinase substrate prepared from rat intestine but not rhodopsin. The two peaks elute from DEAE-cellulose with 0.09 and 0.20 M KCl, suggesting that they are similar respectively to type I and type II cyclic nucleotide dependent protein kinases that have been characterized in other tissues. The activity of type I kinase is variable and much less than that of the type II enzyme; its molecular weight was not determined. The type II protein kinase has an apparent molecular weight of 165 000. This study confirms that different protein kinase enzymes catalyze selectively the phosphorylation of bleached rhodopsin and soluble proteins, and it repudiates the speculation in a previous publication [Farber, D. B., Brown, B. M., & Lolley, R. N. (1979) Biochemistry 18, 370-378] that a single protein kinase might catalyze both phosphorylation reactions.     

The distribution and dissociation of cyclic adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinases in adipose, cardiac, and other tissues.

In crude extracts of adipose tissue the protein kinase dissociates slowly at 30 degrees into regulatory and catalytic subunits in the presence of 700 mug per ml of histone or 0.5 M NaCl. If the kinase is first dissociated by adding 10 muM adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cAMP), reassociation occurs instantaneously after removal of the cAMP by Sephadex G-25 chromatography. In contrast, in crude xtracts of heart, the protein kinase dissociates rapidly in the presence of 700 mug per ml of histone or 0.5 M NaCl and reassociates slowly after removal of cAMP. These differences are accounted for by the existence of two types of protein kinases in these tissues, referred to as types I and II. DEAE-cellulose chromatography of extracts of adipose tissue produces only one peak of cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity (type II) which elutes between 0.15 and 0.25 M NaCl. Similar chromatography of heart extracts resolves enzyme activity into two peaks; a type I enzyme which elutes between 0.05 and 0.1 M and predominates (greater than 75% of total activity), and a type II enzyme which elutes between 0.15 and 0.25 M NaCl. The dissociation properties of the types I and II enzymes from heart and adipose tissue are retained after partial purification by DEAE-cellulose and Sepharose 6B chromatography. Rechromatography of the separated peaks of the cardiac enzymes does not change the elution pattern. Sucrose density gradient centrifugation and gel filtration studies indicate that the molecular weights of these enzymes are very similar. The type II enzyme isolated by DEAE-cellulose chromatography of heart extracts resembles the adipose tissue enzyme, i.e. it undergoes slow dissociation at 30 degrees in the presence of histone or 0.5 M NaCl. The adipose tissue kinase and the heart type II kinase are not identical, however, since they do not elute at exactly the same point on DEAE-cellulose columns. A survey of several tissues indicates the presence of type I and II protein kinases similar to the enzymes in adipose tissue and heart as determined by DEAE-cellulose chromatography of crude extracts and by dissociation of the enzymes with histone. The presence of MgATP prevents dissociation of type I enzyme from heart by 0.5 M NaCl or histone. The profile of the enzyme on DEAE-cellulose, however, is not changed...     

Elution of the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase Type I isozyme derived from epididymal fat within the type II isozyme chromatographic peak

No cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity is found upon DEAE-cellulose chromatography of mouse fat extracts at the low salt concentration characteristic of the Type I isozyme. The RI detected in fat extracts by photoincorporation of the analog, 8-N3 [32P]cAMP, elutes within the high salt Type II isozyme peak. The multiple charge variants of this photolabeled RI which can be resolved by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis are similar to those of the histoptypically-related cultured cells, SV3T3 and 3T6, which do contain Type I kinase isozyme activity peaks. This high salt-eluting RI may be part of a Type I holoenzyme whose elution properties are altered by interactions with other substances present in the extract.     

A role for cAMP in angiotensin II mediated inhibition of cell growth in AT1A receptor-transfected CHO-K1 cells

G-protein coupled Angiotensin II receptors (AT_1A), mediate cellular responses through multiple signal transduction pathways. In AT_1A receptor-transfected CHO-K1 cells (T3CHO/AT_1A), angiotensin II (AII) stimulated a dose-dependent (EC₅₀=3.3 nM) increase in cAMP accumulation, which was inhibited by the selective AT₁, nonpeptide receptor antagonist EXP3174. Activation of protein kinase C, or increasing intracellular Ca²⁺ with ATP, the calcium ionophore A23187 or ionomycin failed to stimulate cAMP accumulation. Thus, AII-induced cAMP accumulation was not secondary to activation of a protein kinase C- or Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent pathway. Since cAMP has an established role in cellular growth responses, we investigated the effect of the AII-mediated increase in cAMP on cell number and [³H]thymidine incorporation in T3CHOA/AT_1A cells. AII (1 M) significantly inhibited cell number (51% at 96 h) and [³H]thymidine incorporation (68% at 24 h) compared to vehicle controls. These effects were blocked by EXP3174, confirming that these responses were mediated through the AT₁ receptor. Forskolin (10 M) and the cAMP analog dibutyryl-cAMP (1 mM) also inhibited [³H]thymidine incorporation by 55 and 25% respectively. We extended our investigation on the effect of AII-stimulated increases in cAMP, to determine the role for established growth related signaling events, i.e., mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins. AII-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activity and phosphorylation of the 42 and 44 kD forms. These events were unaffected by forskolin stimulated increases in cAMP, thus the AII-stimulated mitogen-activated protein kinase activity was independent of cAMP in these cells. AII also stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of cellular proteins in T3CHO/AT_1A cells, in particular a 127 kD protein. The phosphorylation of the 127 kD protein was transient, reaching a maximum at 1 min, and returning to basal levels within 10 min. The dephosphorylation of this protein was blocked by a selective inhibitor of cAMP dependent protein kinase A, H89-dihydrochloride and preexposure to forskolin prevented the AII-induced transient tyrosine phosphorylation of the 127 kD protein. These data suggest that cAMP, and therefore protein kinase A can contribute to AII-mediated growth inhibition by stimulating the dephosphorylation of substrates that are tyrosine phosphorylated in response to AII.     

Specific binding proteins for cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP in Dictyostelium discoideum.

In Dictyostelium discoideum both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP are regulated by chemotactic stimuli. Binding proteins specific for cAMP and cGMP have been found in aggregation competent cells as well as in cells harvested during growth. The activity of binding proteins was, on the average, lower in the growth phase cells. cAMP binding proteins were separated into 3 fractions, whereas the cGMP binding activity appeared in 1 major peak both on DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-200. Protein kinase activity was present in most but not all cyclic necleotide binding fractions; evidence for a relationship is however missing.     

Insulin stimulates the activity of a protamine kinase in isolated rat hepatocytes

Treatment of isolated rat hepatocytes with 10-100 nM insulin for 5-10 min increased by about 2-fold the activity of a protamine kinase which exhibited properties similar to those of a protamine kinase from bovine kidney (Damuni, Z., Amick, G. D., and Sneed, T. R. (1989) J. Biol. Chem. 264, 6412-6416). Half-maximal increase in protamine kinase activity occurred at about 1 nM insulin. This effect of insulin was detected only when 25 mM NaF or 50 mM KPO4 were included in the homogenization buffers and was not prevented by preincubation of the hepatocytes with 10 microM cycloheximide. Insulin stimulation of protamine kinase was maintained following chromatography of extracts on protamine-agarose, DEAE-cellulose, and Sephacryl S-200 gel filtration. The apparent Mr of the protamine kinase from control and insulin-treated hepatocytes was 45,000 as estimated by gel permeation chromatography. Experiments utilizing partially purified protamine kinase from control and insulin-treated hepatocytes indicated that insulin did not affect the apparent Km for protamine, Mg2+, or ATP, but increased the Vmax for the protamine kinase reaction by 1.6-2-fold. Incubation with the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A completely inactivated the protamine kinase from control and insulin-treated cells. The results indicate that the insulin-stimulated increase in protamine kinase activity may be due to a covalent modification, possibly phosphorylation, of the protamine kinase.     

Protein phosphokinase activities of resting and proliferating human lymphocytes : Changes upon phytohemagglutinin stimulation and in acute lymphoblastic leukemic cells

Transformation of normal human peripheral lymphocytes by phytohemagglutinin (PHA) to blast-like cells is accompanied by an enhancement of the protein phosphokinase activity. This activity becomes maximal approx. 70 h after exposure to the mitogen and amounts to a 3- to 4-fold stimulation in the 10 000 g supernatant and 8- to 10-fold in the nuclear fraction. This augmented activity is due to the increased level of some of the multiple forms of lymphocyte protein kinase, specially the one which is active on exogenous casein and elutes from DEAE-cellulose at 125 mM phosphate (casein-kinase S-C₃ and N-C₂). Acute lymphoblastic leukemic cells have a protein kinase pattern upon chromatography on DEAE-cellulose which is similar, but not identical, to that of PHA-stimulated lymphocytes. The most remarkable difference is the presence in the 10 000 g supernatant of leukemic cells of a protein kinase form which was either absent or barely detectable in resting or PHA-treated normal lymphocytes. This protein kinase is active on casein and is not stimulated by cAMP. The results obtained are discussed in connection both with the known enhanced protein phosphorylation in PHA-stimulated cells and with the protein kinase changes observed in other cellular systems.     

Protein kinases of the chick oviduct: a study of the cytoplasmic and nuclear enzymes.

Subcellular fractionation of oviduct tissue from estrogen-treated chicks indicated that the bulk of the protein kinase activity of this tissue is located in the cytoplasmic and nuclear fractions, DEAE-cellulose chromatography of cytosol revealed a major peak of cAMP stimulatable activity eluting at 0.2 M KCl. This peak was further characterized and found to exhibit properties consistent with cytoplasmic cAMP dependent protein kinases isolated from other tissues; it had a Km for ATP of 2 X 10(-5) M, preferred basic proteins such as histones, as substrate, and had a M of 165 000. Addition of 10(-6) M cAMP caused the holoenzyme to dissociate into cAMP binding regulatory subunit and a protein kinase catalytic subunit. Extraction of purified oviduct nuclei with 0.3 M KCl released greater than 80% of the kinase activity in this fraction. Upon elution from phospho-cellulose, the nuclear extract was resolved into two equal peaks of kinase activity (designated I and II). Peak I had a sedimentation coefficient of 3S and a Km for ATP of 13 muM. while peak II had a sedimentation coefficient of 6S and a Km for ATP of 9 muM. Both enzymes preferred alpha-casein as a substrate over phosvitin or whole histone, although they exhibited different salt-activity profiles. The cytoplasmic and nuclear enzymes were well separated on phospho-cellulose and this resin was used to quantitate the amount of cAMP dependent histone kinase activity in the nucleus and the amount of casein kinase activity in the cytosol. Protein kinase activity in nuclei from estrogen-stimulated chicks was found to be 40% greater than hormone-withdrawn animals. This increase in activity was not due to translocation of the cytoplasmic protein kinase in response to hormone, but to an increase in nuclear (casein) kinase activity. During the course of this work, we observed small but significant amounts of cAMP binding activity very tightly bound to the nuclear fraction. Solubilization of the binding activity by sonication in high salt allowed comparison studies to be performed which indicated that the nuclear binding protein is identical with the cytoplasmic cAMP binding regulatory subunit. The possible role of the nuclear binding activity is discussed.     

A unique cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase

During the course of studying the soluble cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases of a developing insect, three different enzymes were isolated. Two of these were found to be cAMP-dependent enzymes eluting from DEAE-cellulose in a manner identical with protein kinases I and II found in vertebrate muscle. The third enzyme appears to be unique. It has high affinity for either cAMP or cGMP (KA of 43 nM and 25 nM, respectively), the only cyclic nucleotide-dependent kinase described, to have this property. The enzyme has lower affinity for cIMP and cCMP (KA of 160 nM and 340 nM, respectively). Binding to cyclic nucleotide does not alter enzyme size. The KM for ATP is 86 microM, and among several types of histones tried, the slightly lysine-rich subgroup f2a was the best phosphate acceptor. Maximum activity was obtained with 1 mM Mg2+ while Mn2+ was completely ineffective. This new enzyme was purified to homogeneity on a cAMP affinity column as judged by two-dimensional electrophoresis. On the basis of molecular sieving and sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoresis we have reached the preliminary conclusion that the native enzyme is a dimer of identical subunits with a molecular weight of 180,000. If the mammalian cAMP and cGMP enzymes are indeed homologous proteins, perhaps we have in this new kinase a species that represents a common ancestral protein.     

Modulatory function of protein kinase C in the activation of ornithine decarboxylase and in cAMP production in rat osteoblasts

The effect of activation of protein kinase C on stimulation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity and cAMP production was studied in fetal rat osteoblasts. Both phorbol 12-myristate, 13-acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C, and 4 alpha-phorbol, ineffective in activating protein kinase C, failed to stimulate ODC activity and cAMP production. We tested the effect of protein kinase C on stimulation of ODC activity by parathyroid hormone (PTH) and forskolin. In contrast to PTH-stimulated ODC activity, which was not affected by PMA, forskolin-stimulated (1 and 10 microM) ODC activity was dose dependently reduced. PMA (400 nM) reduced both 1 and 10 microM forskolin-stimulated ODC activity to the same level, approximately 3 nmol CO2/mg protein, which suggests a controlling role of protein kinase C in forskolin-stimulated ODC activity. The study of the effect of protein kinase C on PTH- and forskolin-stimulated cAMP production also revealed differences between PTH and forskolin. When PMA was added simultaneously with PTH (4 and 20 nM) or forskolin (1 and 10 microM) the PTH-stimulated cAMP production was dose-dependently potentiated by PMA, whereas forskolin-stimulated cAMP production was not affected. However, both PTH- and forskolin-stimulated cAMP production was dose-dependently augmented when PMA was added 3 min prior to PTH or forskolin. With increasing preincubation periods (up to 24 h) with PMA instead of a potentiation an inhibition was observed. This inhibition is not due to PTH receptor desensitization, although, on basis of the present results desensitization can not completely be excluded. In all cases 4 alpha-phorbol was without effect. The present results show that protein kinase C modulates stimulation of ODC activity and cAMP production in fetal rat osteoblasts. The modulation of both ODC activity and cAMP production appears to be dependent on the nature of the stimulator. The present data suggest a role for protein kinase C in limiting the cAMP-mediated stimulation of ODC activity in these cells. Furthermore, it is suggested that protein kinase C can interfere at more than one site in the cAMP-generating system.     

DNA-mediated transfer of cAMP resistance in CHO cells

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) strain 10215 carries a dominant mutation which confers resistant to cAMP by virtue of an altered catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (Evain et al., 1979). This mutation was transferred to wild-type CHO cells by DNA-mediated gene transfer. Based on the absence of cAMP growth inhibition, seven transformant colonies were isolated. One of these, 11586, was studied in detail. This transformant showed the same phenotype as the mutant, including resistance to the morphological changes and growth inhibitory effects of 1 mM 8-Br-cAMP, reduced total cAMP dependent protein kinase activity and lowered sensitivity of the kinase to cAMP activation. When the cAMP-dependent protein kinase was fractionated on a DEAE-cellulose column, the transformant was lacking in type II cAMP dependent protein activity, to the same degree as the mutant. The transformant and mutant, but not wild-type cells, also failed to phosphorylate a 52,000-dalton protein in a cAMP-dependent manner. These characteristics support the conclusion that the gene for the mutant cAMP-dependent protein kinase has been transferred. The ability to transfer this gene by DNA-mediated transfer suggests that this methodology may be useful for the molecular isolation of the gene encoding the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Induction of cAMP-dependent protein kinase I during human monocyte differentiation

Differentiation of human peripheral blood monocytes into macrophages was accompanied by induction of the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase I as determined by photoaffinity labeling of cytosol proteins with 8-N3-[32P]cAMP and DEAE-Sephacel chromatography. The appearance of cAMP-dependent protein kinase I in macrophages was not due to translocation from the particulate fraction of monocytes. The regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase II was present in both monocytes and in vitro-differentiated macrophages. Protein kinase I in macrophages demonstrated higher affinity for 8-N3-cAMP (KD = 0.7 nM) than did protein kinase II from either monocytes (KD = 14.5 nM) or macrophages (KD = 4.9 nM). These studies demonstrate induction of the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase I during the differentiation of a normal human cell and support the hypothesis that cAMP may regulate some stages of differentiation.     

ACTH-SENSITIVE PROTEIN KINASE FROM RAT BRAIN MEMBRANES

—The protein kinase which in rat brain synaptosomal plasma membranes is responsible for the phosphorylation of a protein band B-50 (MW 48, 000) was inhibited by the behaviorally active peptide ACTH_1–24 and not stimulated by cAMP. Treatment with 0.5% Triton X-100 in 75 mM-KCl solubilized 15% of the total B-50 protein kinase activity and preserved the sensitivity of the enzyme to ACTH_1–24. The rate of endogenous phosphorylation of protein band B-50 was different in intact SPM, solubilized fraction and residue. cAMP stimulated the endogenous phosphorylation of the solubilized fraction in a rather general manner. The solubilized membrane material also phosphorylated B-50 proteins which were previously extracted from membranes. Column chromatography of the solubilized material over DEAE-cellulose pointed to the presence of multiple protein kinase activities from rat brain synaptosomal plasma membranes, one of which was the ACTH-sensitive B-50 protein kinase.