Phosphorylation and inactivation of protein phosphatase 1 by cyclin-dependent kinases.

Protein phosphatase 1 and protein phosphatase 2A contain potential phosphorylation sites for cyclin-dependent kinases. In the present study we found that rabbit skeletal muscle protein phosphatase 1, as well as recombinant protein phosphatase 1 alpha and protein phosphatase 1 gamma 1, but not protein phosphatase 2A, was phosphorylated and inhibited by cdc2/cyclin A and cdc2/cyclin B. Phosphopeptide mapping and phospho amino acid analysis suggested that the phosphorylation site was located at a C-terminal threonine. Neither cdc2/cyclin A nor cdc2/cyclin B phosphorylated an active form of protein phosphatase 1 alpha in which Thr-320 had been mutated to alanine, indicating that the phosphorylation occurred at this threonine residue. Furthermore, protein phosphatase 1, but not protein phosphatase 2A, activity was found to change during the cell cycle of human MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. The observed oscillations in protein phosphatase 1 activity during the cell cycle may be due, at least in part, to phosphorylation of protein phosphatase 1 by cyclin-dependent kinases. Together, the results suggest a mechanism for direct regulation of protein phosphatase 1 activity.     

Heat-shock protein hsp90 governs the activity of pp60v-src kinase.

During or immediately after synthesis in vertebrate cells, the oncogenic protein-tyrosine kinase pp60v-src associates with the approximately 90-kDa heat-shock protein (hsp90). In this complex, pp60v-src is not functional as a kinase. When pp60v-src is subsequently found inserted into the plasma membrane, it is active as a kinase and is no longer associated with hsp90. We have taken advantage of genetic manipulations possible in Saccharomyces cerevisiae to investigate the function and specificity of the association between hsp90 and pp60v-src. Expression of pp60v-src is known to be toxic to S. cerevisiae cells. We find that this toxicity is due to a very specific effect on growth, arrest at a particular point in the cell cycle. In cells expressing v-src, a mutation that lowers the level of hsp90 expression (i) relieves cell cycle arrest and rescues growth, (ii) reduces the level of tyrosine phosphorylation mediated by pp60v-src, (iii) changes the pattern of tyrosine phosphorylation, and (iv) reduces the concentration of pp60v-src. We conclude that hsp90 does not simply suppress pp60v-src kinase activity during transit to the plasma membrane, as previously suggested, but also stabilizes the protein and affects both its activity and specificity. This function of hsp90 is highly selective for pp60v-src: the same hsp90 mutation has no effect on the activity or specificity of the exogenous pp160v-abl tyrosine kinase; similarly, it does not affect the specificity and has only a very small effect on the activity of the exogenous pp60c-src kinase.     

Transit of pp60v-src to the plasma membrane.

The protein kinase (pp60v-src) encoded by the transforming gene (v-src) of Rous sarcoma virus is synthesized on free polyribosomes and then translocated to the plasma membrane of infected cells. Neither the mechanism of the translocation nor the physiological significance of the membrane localization has been elucidated. We have explored these problems by pursuing previous observations of a complex between pp60v-src and two cellular proteins with molecular weights of 50,000 and 89,000. We found the complex located entirely in the cytoplasm, where it appears to form immediately after the synthesis of pp60v-src. While in the complex, pp60v-src has little detectable kinase activity and is phosphorylated predominantly on serine. After transfer from the complex to the plasma membrane, pp60v-src becomes phosphorylated on tyrosine as well as serine and acquires kinase activity. Under restrictive conditions, temperature-sensitive pp60v-src is produced in normal quantities, but translocation to the plasma membrane is diminished. As an apparent consequence, the cytoplasmic complex accumulates to abnormal abundance. Alternatively, temperature-sensitive pp60v-src that has been synthesized and translocated to the plasma membrane under permissive conditions appears to be released from the membrane and returns to the cytoplasmic complex when the infected cells are shifted to the restrictive temperature. We conclude that the cytoplasmic complex may be the vehicle by which pp60v-src reaches the plasma membrane. It is possible that other proteins may follow a similar route to the membrane. Binding to plasma membrane appears to be a discrete step in the biogenesis of pp60v-src and may be essential to the function of the protein.     

Stimulation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase activity by pp60v-src or by serum: dissociation from phorbol ester-stimulated activity.

Ribosomal protein S6 kinase activity was measured in lysates prepared from serum-deprived chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) treated for various times with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Maximal activity was observed within 15 min, and it declined to the initial level by 4 hr. Incubation of these cells with PMA 4-60 hr after the initial treatment did not result in an additional increase in S6 protein kinase activity. These results are consistent with down-regulation of the PMA receptor, protein kinase C, and the dependence of PMA-stimulated S6 kinase activity on this enzyme. Long-term pretreatment of CEF with PMA only partially attenuated the stimulation of the S6 protein kinase activity by serum or by expression of the Rous sarcoma virus transforming gene product, pp60v-src. A similar protein kinase activity also was stimulated in cells treated with cycloheximide or sodium vanadate. Pretreatment with PMA had little effect on this response. These data indicate that it is likely that there are at least two mechanisms through which S6 kinase activity can be regulated, one of which apparently utilizes protein kinase C whereas the other(s) does not. Additional experiments show PMA-stimulated glucose transport was not attenuated by long-term incubation with phorbol ester, suggesting that another mechanism, which is not dependent on the presence of protein kinase C, maintains this response after the proposed down-regulation of the PMA receptor.     

Coinfection of insect cells with recombinant baculovirus expressing pp60v-src results in the activation of a serine-specific protein kinase pp90rsk.

A recombinant baculovirus was constructed for the production of the serine-specific protein kinase, pp90rsk (where rsk is ribosomal S6 kinase), in insect cells. The Xenopus pp90rsk expressed in the infected cells had nearly undetectable enzyme activity in contrast to the same enzyme coproduced with the v-src oncogene product pp60v-src. The transforming gene product pp60v-src very effectively activated pp90rsk, whereas the products of c-src and the myristoylation-minus nontransforming virus NY315 were markedly less effective. Only a fraction of the total pp90rsk population was activated, and it could be partially separated from unactivated protein by ion-exchange chromatography. When compared to the unactivated form, the activated enzyme displayed about a 4000-fold increase in the capacity to phosphorylate the ribosomal protein S6. The enhanced enzymatic activity appeared to be due to phosphorylation of pp90rsk.     

Phosphorylation and inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3 by protein kinase A

Glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3) is implicated in multiple biological processes including metabolism, gene expression, cell fate determination, proliferation, and survival. GSK-3 activity is inhibited through phosphorylation of serine 21 in GSK-3 alpha and serine 9 in GSK-3 beta. These serine residues of GSK-3 have been previously identified as targets of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt), a serine/threonine kinase located downstream of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Here, we show that serine 21 in GSK-3 alpha and serine 9 in GSK-3 beta are also physiological substrates of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A. Protein kinase A physically associates with, phosphorylates, and inactivates both isoforms of GSK-3. The results indicate that depending on the stimulatory context, the activity of GSK-3 can be modulated either by growth factors that work through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B cascade or by hormonal stimulation of G protein-coupled receptors that link to changes in intracellular cAMP levels.     

A protein kinase antigenically related to pp60v-src possibly involved in yeast cell cycle control: positive in vivo regulation by sterol.

The effects of ergosterol, yeast's natural sterol, on cell cycling and a protein kinase antigenically related to pp60v-src were examined in a sterol auxotroph of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Sterol-depleted cells accumulate in an unbudded, G1 state. Cell budding and proliferation are reinitiated upon addition of nonlimiting ergosterol or cholesterol with trace ergosterol, whereas cholesterol or trace ergosterol alone is less effective. Stimulation of a protein kinase associated with immune complexes of yeast protein and anti-pp60v-src shows a positive correlation with exit from the G1 phase following ergosterol addition. Ergosterol-stimulated cells also demonstrate an increase in phosphatidylinositol kinase activity. The data suggest that hormonal levels of ergosterol (effective concentration, approximately equal to 1 nM) participate in a signaling process associated with a protein kinase possibly involved in yeast cell cycle control.     

Phosphorylation and inactivation of glycogen synthase by phosphorylase kinase.

Skeletal muscle glycogen a4-synthase (EC 2.4.1.11) has been purified free of all synthase kinase and phosphatase activities by chromatography on a Glc-N-6-P-Sepharose affinity column and then on a phosphocellulose column. This preparation of glycogen synthase was tested as a substrate for purified skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase (ATP:phosphorylase-b phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.38). Phosphorylase kinase (1-10 microgram/ml or 0.03-0.3 microM) catalyzes rapid phosphorylation of glycogen synthase (4.5 microM) associated with conversion of the active a form to the less active b form. In the reaction, greater than 95% of the 32P incorporation from [gamma-32P]ATP goes into the synthase subunit almost exclusively in the trypsin-insensitive region which is responsible for synthase a-to-b conversion. Synthase phosphorylation or inactivations catalyzed by phosphorylase kinase is blocked by ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, is ATP dependent, is 10-fold more rapid at pH 8.6 than at pH 6.8, and is increased 10-fold by prior activation of the phosphorylase kinase with MgATP and cyclic AMP. With activated phosphorylase kinase at pH 8.2 the apparent Km and Vmax are approximately 70 microM and 4 mumol/min per mg with glycogen synthase and 70 microM and 9 mumol/min per mg with phosphorylase as substrate. It is concluded that glycogen synthase is a substrate in vitro for phosphorylase kinase, a Ca2+-dependent enzyme. The possible physiological significance of this reaction is discussed.     

Characterization of sites for tyrosine phosphorylation in the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus (pp60v-src) and its normal cellular homologue (pp60c-src).

The transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus (pp60v-src) and its normal cellular homologue (pp60c-src) appear to be protein kinases that phosphorylate tyrosine in a variety of protein substrates. In addition, pp60v-src and pp60-c-src are themselves phosphorylated on serine and tyrosine. It is likely that these phosphorylations serve to regulate the function(s) of pp60v-src and pp60c-src. We have therefore characterized the sites of tyrosine phosphorylation in the two proteins. Tyrosine phosphorylation of pp60v-src in infected cells occurs mainly (if not entirely) at residue 419 in the deduced amino acid sequence of the protein. Surrounding this residue is the sequence Leu-Ile-Glu-Asp-Asn-Glu-Tyr(P)-Thr-Ala-Arg. This peptide is distinguished by the fact that three out of the four amino acids that precede the phosphorylated tyrosine are acidic in nature. These results define what may prove to be a widely used site for tyrosine phosphorylation in the regulation of cellular function. The same site was phosphorylated when partially purified pp60v-src was used in a phosphotransfer reaction in vitro. The results with pp60c-src were more complex. The site of tyrosine phosphorylation in vitro appeared to be the same as that found in pp60v-src. By contrast, phosphorylation of pp60c-src in vivo apparently occurred at a different, and currently unidentified, tyrosine residue. It is therefore possible that pp60v-src and pp60c-src respond differently to regulatory influences in the intact cell.     

Phosphorylation of tyrosine in the carboxyl-terminal tryptic peptide of pp60c-src.

The major site of tyrosine phosphorylation of the transforming protein of Rous sarcoma virus, pp60v-src (tyrosine-416), is different from the major site of tyrosine phosphorylation of its nontransforming normal cellular counterpart, pp60c-src. We have shown that antibodies against a synthetic peptide modeled on the carboxyl-terminal 13 residues of pp60c-src specifically immunoprecipitate the major phosphotyrosine tryptic peptide of pp60c-src from both chicken and rat fibroblasts. These experiments localize the major site of tyrosine phosphorylation to one or more of the three tyrosine residues in the carboxyl-terminal tryptic peptide at positions 511, 519, and 527 of the amino acid sequence of chicken pp60c-src. Tyrosines-519 and -527 are in the carboxyl-terminal 19-amino acid segment of pp60c-src that is deleted and replaced by an unrelated sequence in pp60v-src. It is possible that phosphorylation of tyrosine in the carboxyl-terminal tryptic peptide may be involved in the normal regulation of pp60c-src. The absence of this phosphorylation site in pp60v-src may, in part, contribute to its oncogenic properties.     

EB1 promotes Aurora-B kinase activity through blocking its inactivation by protein phosphatase 2A

EB1 (end-binding protein 1) is a key player in the regulation of microtubule dynamics. In concert with its binding partners, adenomatous polyposis coli and p150(glued), EB1 plays a crucial role in a variety of microtubule-based cellular processes. In this study we have identified in a yeast two-hybrid screen the mitotic kinase and chromosome passenger protein Aurora-B as a binding partner of EB1. GST pull-down and immunoprecipitation experiments reveal a specific interaction between Aurora-B and EB1 both in cells and in vitro. Immunofluorescence microscopy shows that these two proteins colocalize on the central spindle in anaphase and in the midbody during cytokinesis. Kinase assays using both immunoprecipitated and purified Aurora-B demonstrate that EB1 is not a substrate of Aurora-B. Rather, EB1 positively regulates Aurora-B kinase activity. EB1 overexpression remarkably enhances Aurora-B activity and knockdown of its expression impairs Aurora-B activity. Our data further show that EB1 is able to protect Aurora-B from dephosphorylation/inactivation by protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) by blocking PP2A binding to Aurora-B. These findings establish Aurora-B as an EB1-interacting protein and suggest that EB1 stimulates Aurora-B activity through antagonizing its dephosphorylation/inactivation by PP2A.     

Tyrosine phosphorylation of G protein alpha subunits by pp60c-src.

A number of lines of evidence suggest that cross-talk exists between the cellular signal transduction pathways involving tyrosine phosphorylation catalyzed by members of the pp60c-src kinase family and those mediated by guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G proteins). In this study, we explore the possibility that direct interactions between pp60c-src and G proteins may occur with functional consequences. Preparations of pp60c-src isolated by immunoprecipitation phosphorylate on tyrosine residues the purified G-protein alpha subunits (G alpha) of several heterotrimeric G proteins. Phosphorylation is highly dependent on G-protein conformation, and G alpha(GDP) uncomplexed by beta gamma subunits appears to be the preferred substrate. In functional studies, phosphorylation of stimulatory G alpha (G alpha s) modestly increases the rate of binding of guanosine 5'-[gamma-[35S]thio]triphosphate to Gs as well as the receptor-stimulated steady-state rate of GTP hydrolysis by Gs. Heterotrimeric G proteins may represent a previously unappreciated class of potential substrates for pp60c-src.     

A nuclear protein tyrosine phosphatase is required for the inactivation of Stat1

The Stat1 activation-inactivation cycle involves phosphorylation of Stat1 in the cytoplasm, translocation to the nucleus, and then a return of the protein to the cytoplasm in a dephosphorylated state. However, the intracellular site of Stat1 dephosphorylation has not been determined. As receptor signaling declines, the flow of activated Stat1 molecules should be to the site of their dephosphorylation. We found that upon receptor-Janus kinase inactivation, either gradual or abruptly induced by staurosporine treatment, the flow of Stat1 was from cytoplasm to the nucleus and the nucleus was the final compartment in which phosphorylated Stat1 was detected. N-terminal mutants of Stat1, previously shown to remain phosphorylated for a longer time than wild-type Stat1, were able to enter the nucleus and were not inactivated in the presence of staurosporine, directly demonstrating that these mutations affect phosphatase access and/or activity during the normal dephosphorylation of Stat1. In the presence of sodium vanadate, a phosphatase inhibitor, phosphorylated Stat1 accumulated in the nucleus as the total amount of Stat1 in the cytoplasm declined to low levels. We conclude that the nucleus is the site of Stat1 inactivation and that dephosphorylation is required for the rapid nuclear export of Stat1.     

pp60v-src tyrosine kinase is expressed and active in sarcoma-free avian embryos microinjected with Rous sarcoma virus.

Early embryonic avian tissue is resistant to transformation by Rous sarcoma virus. To determine the nature of this resistance, we examined the expression and properties of the Rous sarcoma virus transforming protein pp60v-src, in infected embryonic chicken limbs in ovo. Lysates from Rous sarcoma virus-infected limbs contained the viral structural protein p19gag, as detected by immunoblot analysis, and showed pp60v-src kinase activity in vitro. Immunoblot analysis of lysates with anti-phosphotyrosine antibodies revealed a number of phosphotyrosine-containing proteins present in lysates of Rous sarcoma virus-infected embryos but not in lysates of control, uninfected embryos. Anti-phosphotyrosine immunoreactivity was observed in frozen sections in the same cell types that expressed pp60v-src and p19gag. These studies demonstrate that pp60v-src is co-expressed with viral structural determinants in infected embryonic avian tissue. Furthermore, pp60v-src is active in ovo as a tyrosine-specific phosphotransferase, despite the apparent lack of sarcoma induction. The localization pattern of the major src gene substrate p36 (calpactin I) was compared with that of p19gag by double-label immunofluorescence and found to be generally nonoverlapping. These observations are consistent with the concept that the induction of tumors in ovo requires complementation between viral determinants and host factors. These host factors, which may be critical substrates of pp60v-src, are subject to developmental regulation in the avian embryo.     

Both p21ras and pp60v-src are required, but neither alone is sufficient, to activate the Raf-1 kinase.

The raf genes encode a family of cytoplasmic proteins with intrinsic protein-serine/threonine kinase activity. The c-raf gene is the cellular homolog of v-raf, the transforming gene of murine sarcoma virus 3611. The constitutive kinase activity of the v-Raf protein has been implicated in transformation and mitogenesis. The activity of Raf-1, the protein product of the c-raf gene, is normally suppressed by a regulatory N-terminal domain. Activation of various tyrosine-kinase growth factor receptors results in activation of Raf-1 and its hyperphosphorylation. Further, Raf-1 has been shown to act either downstream or independently of the p21ras protein, as indicated by experiments involving microinjection of anti-Ras antibodies. To investigate the potential role of p21ras in the activation of Raf-1 by tyrosine kinases, we have used the baculovirus/Sf9 cell system to overproduce various wild-type and mutant forms of pp60src, p21ras, and Raf-1 proteins. We show that either pp60v-src or p21c-ras can independently activate the autokinase activity of Raf-1, but only to a limited extent. Surprisingly, both pp60v-src and p21c-ras are required to fully activate Raf-1. Analysis of the Raf-1 autokinase activity in vitro shows that Raf-1 autophosphorylation sites are distributed equally on serine and threonine residues. When Raf-1 is analyzed by immunoblotting, as previously reported for mammalian cell experiments, a marked increase in the apparent molecular weight of Raf-1 is seen only when it is coexpressed with both pp60v-src and p21ras.     

Cytosolic inactivation of translocated neutrophil plasma membrane protein tyrosine phosphatase

Phosphotyrosine phosphatases (PTPases) regulate cellular metabolic activation by reversing the effects of tyrosine kinases activated earlier in intracellular signaling pathways. We coupled fluorescence- activated cell sorter analysis using anti-CD45 monoclonal antibody with direct measurements of enzyme activity in resolved subcellular fractions to define mechanisms that potentially regulate the availability and activity of CD45-PTPase on neutrophil plasma membranes. Neutrophils in freshly obtained blood as well as neutrophils freshly isolated from blood were found to possess detectable levels of plasma membrane CD45 as assessed by immunofluorescence. However, plasma membranes from these cells were essentially devoid of PTPase catalytic activity, which was largely confined to the specific granules. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) upregulated both the catalytic and antigenic components of CD45-PTPase on the plasma membrane of these cells. Upregulation was associated with a shift in the particulate subcellular PTPase catalytic activity from the specific granule fraction to the plasma membrane fraction. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein abrogated GM-CSF-promoted upregulation of plasma membrane CD45 PTPase but did not prevent the GM-CSF-dependent decrease in specific granule catalytic activity. Anti-CD45 antibody immunoprecipitated PTPase activity from both specific granules of resting cells and plasma membranes of GM-CSF-treated cells. However, antiphosphotyrosine immunoprecipitated only activity that had translocated to the plasma membrane, suggesting a role for CD45 phosphorylation in translocation. Western analysis confirmed the tyrosine phosphorylation of CD45 in plasma membranes of GM-CSF-treated neutrophils. Preincubation of plasma membranes of GM-CSF-stimulated neutrophils with cytosol from resting cells resulted in a time- and temperature-dependent loss in membrane PTPase as a consequence of the effects of a cytosolic inactivator. Cytosol obtained from stimulated neutrophils possessed substantially reduced levels of this PTPase inactivator. We conclude that activity of the catalytic component of membrane PTPase in circulating neutrophils is regulated by a cytosolic inactivator. Upon stimulation, intact CD45 PTPase is incorporated into the plasma membrane by a process that requires tyrosine phosphorylation. As a result of inhibition of the cytosolic inactivator, the translocated PTPase expresses full activity, thereby amplifying the potential regulatory influence of the enzyme on the cells' functional response.     

Phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein by cdk2.

The retinoblastoma gene product (the RB protein) is phosphorylated in a cell cycle-dependent manner and this modification is believed to be important for cells to progress through the cell cycle. We found that purified cdk2 (cyclin-dependent kinase/cell division kinase 2) can phosphorylate the RB protein in vitro at the sites phosphorylated in the cell. The timing of activation of cdk2 in the cell cycle was similar to that of the onset of phosphorylation of the RB protein. The kinase coprecipitated with the RB protein also exhibited a similar substrate specificity to cdk2 and a similar time course of activation during the cell cycle. We further showed that cdk2 formed a complex with the RB protein in vitro and that its formation was not competitively inhibited by the simian virus 40 large T antigen. These observations suggest that cdk2 or a cdk2-related protein is involved in the cell cycle-dependent phosphorylation of the RB protein.     

Phosphorylation and microtubule association of the Opitz syndrome protein mid-1 is regulated by protein phosphatase 2A via binding to the regulatory subunit alpha 4

Opitz syndrome (OS) is a human genetic disease characterized by deformities such as cleft palate that are attributable to defects in embryonic development at the midline. Gene mapping has identified OS mutations within a protein called Mid1. Wild-type Mid1 predominantly colocalizes with microtubules, in contrast to mutant versions of Mid1 that appear clustered in the cytosol. Using yeast two-hybrid screening, we found that the alpha4-subunit of protein phosphatases 2A/4/6 binds Mid1. Epitope-tagged alpha4 coimmunoprecipitated endogenous or coexpressed Mid1 from COS7 cells, and this required only the conserved C-terminal region of alpha4. Localization of Mid1 and alpha4 was influenced by one another in transiently transfected cells. Mid1 could recruit alpha4 onto microtubules, and high levels of alpha4 could displace Mid1 into the cytosol. Metabolic (32)P labeling of cells showed that Mid1 is a phosphoprotein, and coexpression of full-length alpha4 decreased Mid1 phosphorylation, indicative of a functional interaction. Association of green fluorescent protein-Mid1 with microtubules in living cells was perturbed by inhibitors of MAP kinase activation. The conclusion is that Mid1 association with microtubules, which seems important for normal midline development, is regulated by dynamic phosphorylation involving MAP kinase and protein phosphatase that is targeted specifically to Mid1 by alpha4. Human birth defects may result from environmental or genetic disruption of this regulatory cycle.     

Differentiation of myeloid cells is accompanied by increased levels of pp60c-src protein and kinase activity.

We have detected a significant increase in the levels of pp60c-src kinase activity associated with the differentiation of myeloid cell lines HL-60 and U-937. The induction of pp60c-src kinase activity becomes apparent approximately 14 hr after the addition of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and increases 20-fold by 72 hr. The enhanced kinase activity can be accounted for by elevated levels of c-src protein in the differentiated cells. When nonleukemic bone marrow cells were examined, myeloid progenitor cells exhibited a low level of pp60c-src kinase activity. As these cells are allowed to differentiate in culture, the resulting adherent monocytes are as high in pp60c-src kinase activity as HL-60 cells induced to differentiate into monocytes. A strong correlation is found between the levels of pp60c-src kinase activity and the degree of monocytic differentiation of the cells from patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Our findings suggest that the activation of pp60c-src kinase activity is a normal physiological event associated with myeloid differentiation.