The ATPase activity of phosphorylase kinase is regulated in parallel with its protein kinase activity

Complete biosynthetic pathway to the antidiabetic drug acarbose

Acarbose is a bacterial-derived α-glucosidase inhibitor clinically used to treat patients with type 2 diabetes. As type 2 diabetes is on the rise worldwide, the market demand for acarbose has also increased. Despite its significant therapeutic importance, how it is made in nature is not completely understood. Here, we report the complete biosynthetic pathway to acarbose and its structural components, GDP-valienol and O-4-amino-(4,6-dideoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1→4)-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-D-glucopyranose. GDP-valienol is derived from valienol 7-phosphate, catalyzed by three cyclitol modifying enzymes, whereas O-4-amino-(4,6-dideoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl)-(1→4)-O-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-D-glucopyranose is produced from dTDP-4-amino-4,6-dideoxy-D-glucose and maltose by the glycosyltransferase AcbI. The final assembly process is catalyzed by a pseudoglycosyltransferase enzyme, AcbS, which is a homologue of AcbI but catalyzes the formation of a non-glycosidic C-N bond. This study clarifies all previously unknown steps in acarbose biosynthesis and establishes a complete pathway to this high value pharmaceutical.

The market demand for acarbose, a drug used for treatment of patients affected by type-2 diabetes, has increased. In this article, the authors report the acarbose complete biosynthetic pathway, clarifying previously unknown steps and identifying a pseudoglycosyltransferase enzyme, AcbS, a homologue of AcbI that catalyzes the formation of a non-glycosidic C-N bond.

Binding interactions in a kinase active site modulate background ATP hydrolysis

Kinases play central roles in many cellular processes, transferring the terminal phosphate groups of nucleoside triphosphates (NTPs) onto substrates. In the absence of substrates, kinases can also hydrolyse NTPs producing NDPs and inorganic phosphate. Hydrolysis is usually much less efficient than the native phosphoryl transfer reaction. This may be related to the fact that NTP hydrolysis is metabolically unfavorable as it unproductively consumes the cell's energy stores. It has been suggested that substrate interactions could drive changes in NTP binding pocket, activating catalysis only when substrates are present. Structural data show substrate-induced conformational rearrangements, however there is a lack of corresponding functional information. To better understand this phenomenon, we developed a suite of isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) kinetics methods to characterize ATP hydrolysis by the antibiotic resistance enzyme aminoglycoside-3'-phosphotransferase-IIIa (APH(3')-IIIa). We measured K_m, k_cat, and product inhibition constants and single-turnover kinetics in the presence and absence of non-substrate aminoglycosides (nsAmgs) that are structurally similar to the native substrates. We found that the presence of an nsAmg increased the chemical step of cleaving the ATP γ-phosphate by at least 10- to 20-fold under single-turnover conditions, supporting the existence of interactions that link substrate binding to substantially enhanced catalytic rates. Our detailed kinetic data on the association and dissociation rates of nsAmgs and ADP shed light on the biophysical processes underlying the enzyme's Theorell-Chance reaction mechanism. Furthermore, they provide clues on how to design small-molecule effectors that could trigger efficient ATP hydrolysis and generate selective pressure against bacteria harboring the APH(3')-IIIa.

Novel Substrates for Kinases Involved in the Biosynthesis of Inositol Pyrophosphates and Their Enhancement of ATPase Activity of a Kinase

IP6K and PPIP5K are two kinases involved in the synthesis of inositol pyrophosphates. Synthetic analogs or mimics are necessary to understand the substrate specificity of these enzymes and to find molecules that can alter inositol pyrophosphate synthesis. In this context, we synthesized four scyllo-inositol polyphosphates-scyllo-IP₅, scyllo-IP₆, scyllo-IP₇ and Bz-scyllo-IP₅-from myo-inositol and studied their activity as substrates for mouse IP6K1 and the catalytic domain of VIP1, the budding yeast variant of PPIP5K. We incubated these scyllo-inositol polyphosphates with these kinases and ATP as the phosphate donor. We tracked enzyme activity by measuring the amount of radiolabeled scyllo-inositol pyrophosphate product formed and the amount of ATP consumed. All scyllo-inositol polyphosphates are substrates for both the kinases but they are weaker than the corresponding myo-inositol phosphate. Our study reveals the importance of axial-hydroxyl/phosphate for IP6K1 substrate recognition. We found that all these derivatives enhance the ATPase activity of VIP1. We found very weak ligand-induced ATPase activity for IP6K1. Benzoyl-scyllo-IP₅ was the most potent ligand to induce IP6K1 ATPase activity despite being a weak substrate. This compound could have potential as a competitive inhibitor.

One-Time Acute Heat Treatment Is Effective for Attenuation of the Exaggerated Exercise Pressor Reflex in Rats With Femoral Artery Occlusion

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of one-time acute heat treatment (HT) on the exaggerated exercise pressor reflex in a model of peripheral arterial insufficiency induced by ligation of the femoral artery and was to further examine the underlying mechanism of ATP-P2X₃ signal activity during this process. The blood pressure (BP) response to static muscle contraction and muscle tendon stretch was recorded to determine the exercise pressor reflex. Also, αβ-methylene ATP (αβ-me ATP) was injected into the arterial blood supply of the hindlimb muscles to stimulate P2X₃ receptors in the muscle afferent nerves. To process one-time acute HT, a heating pad was placed locally on the hindlimb and the muscle temperature (Tm) was increased by ~1.5°C and maintained for 5 min. Compared with control rats, a greater mean arterial pressure (MAP) response to muscle contraction was observed in rats with femoral occlusion in a pre-heat control session (28 ± 2 mmHg in occluded rats/n = 12 vs. 18 ± 2 mmHg in control rats/n = 9; p < 0.05). The one-time acute HT attenuated the amplification of the BP response in rats with femoral artery occlusion (MAP response: 19 ± 8 mmHg in occluded rats + HT/n = 11; p < 0.05 vs. occluded rats). In contrast, HT did not significantly attenuate amplification of MAP response to muscle stretch and αβ-me ATP injection in rats with femoral artery occlusion and controls (all p > 0.05). Our data suggest that one-time acute HT selectively attenuates the amplified pressor response induced by activation of the metabolic and mechanical components of the reflex in rats after femoral artery occlusion. The suppressing effects of acute HT on the exaggerated exercise pressor reflex are likely mediated through a reduction in metabolites (e.g., ATP) stimulating the muscle afferent nerves in contracting muscle, but unlikely through direct alteration of P2X receptors per se.

Application of a Substrate-Mediated Selection with c-Src Tyrosine Kinase to a DNA-Encoded Chemical Library

As aberrant activity of protein kinases is observed in many disease states, these enzymes are common targets for therapeutics and detection of activity levels. The development of non-natural protein kinase substrates offers an approach to protein substrate competitive inhibitors, a class of kinase inhibitors with promise for improved specificity. Also, kinase activity detection approaches would benefit from substrates with improved activity and specificity. Here, we apply a substrate-mediated selection to a peptidomimetic DNA-encoded chemical library for enrichment of molecules that can be phosphorylated by the protein tyrosine kinase, c-Src. Several substrates were identified and characterized for activity. A lead compound (SrcDEL10) showed both the ability to serve as a substrate and to promote ATP hydrolysis by the kinase. In inhibition assays, compounds displayed IC_50's ranging from of 8-100 µM. NMR analysis of SrcDEL10 bound to the c-Src:ATP complex was conducted to characterize the binding mode. An ester derivative of the lead compound demonstrated cellular activity with inhibition of Src-dependent signaling in cell culture. Together, the results show the potential for substrate-mediated selections of DNA-encoded libraries to discover molecules with functions other than simple protein binding and offer a new discovery method for development of synthetic tyrosine kinase substrates.

The E3 ligase tripartite motif 8 targets TAK1 to promote insulin resistance and steatohepatitis

Tripartite motif 8 (TRIM8), an E3 ligase ubiquitously expressed in various cells, is closely involved in innate immunity. However, its role in nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is largely unknown. Here, we report evidence that TRIM8 is a robust enhancer of steatohepatitis and its complications induced by a high-fat diet or a genetic deficiency (ob/ob). Using gain-of-function and loss-of-function approaches, we observed dramatic exacerbation of insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and fibrosis by hepatocyte-specific TRIM8 overexpression, whereas deletion or down-regulation of TRIM8 in hepatocytes led to a completely opposite phenotype. Furthermore, investigations of the underlying mechanisms revealed that TRIM8 directly binds to and ubiquitinates transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1, thus promoting its phosphorylation and the activation of downstream c-Jun N-terminal kinase/p38 and nuclear factor κB signaling. Importantly, the participation of TRIM8 in human nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis was verified on the basis of its dramatically increased expression in the livers of these patients, suggesting a promising development of TRIM8 disturbance for the treatment of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis-related metabolic disorders.

CONCLUSION

The E3 ligase TRIM8 is a potent regulator that exacerbates steatohepatitis and metabolic disorders dependent on its binding and ubiquitinating capacity on transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1. (Hepatology 2017;65:1492-1511).

Substrate independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening

Inorganic phosphate release, [Pi], is often measured in an enzymatic reaction in a high throughput setting. Based on the published mechanism, we designed a protocol for our screening for inhibitors of SAICAR synthetase (PurC), and we found a gradual increase in [Pi] in positive control samples over the course of the day. Further investigation indicated that hydrolysis of ATP catalyzed by PurC, rather than substrate-related phosphate release, was responsible for a partial contribution to the signals in the control samples. Thus substrate-independent ATPase activity may complicate high throughput screening.

An evaluation of indirubin analogues as phosphorylase kinase inhibitors

Phosphorylase kinase (PhK) has been linked with a number of conditions such as glycogen storage diseases, psoriasis, type 2 diabetes and more recently, cancer (Camus et al., 2012 [6]). However, with few reported structural studies on PhK inhibitors, this hinders a structure based drug design approach. In this study, the inhibitory potential of 38 indirubin analogues have been investigated. 11 of these ligands had IC50 values in the range 0.170-0.360μM, with indirubin-3'-acetoxime (1c) the most potent. 7-Bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (13b), an antitumor compound which induces caspase-independent cell-death (Ribas et al., 2006 [20]) is revealed as a specific inhibitor of PhK (IC50=1.8μM). Binding assay experiments performed using both PhK-holo and PhK-γtrnc confirmed the inhibitory effects to arise from binding at the kinase domain (γ subunit). High level computations using QM/MM-PBSA binding free energy calculations were in good agreement with experimental binding data, as determined using statistical analysis, and support binding at the ATP-binding site. The value of a QM description for the binding of halogenated ligands exhibiting σ-hole effects is highlighted. A new statistical metric, the 'sum of the modified logarithm of ranks' (SMLR), has been defined which measures performance of a model for both the "early recognition" (ranking earlier/higher) of active compounds and their relative ordering by potency. Through a detailed structure activity relationship analysis considering other kinases (CDK2, CDK5 and GSK-3α/β), 6'(Z) and 7(L) indirubin substitutions have been identified to achieve selective PhK inhibition. The key PhK binding site residues involved can also be targeted using other ligand scaffolds in future work.

Evolutionarily conserved structural changes in phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate 4-kinase (PI5P4K) isoforms are responsible for differences in enzyme activity and localization

Mammals have genes coding for three PI5P4Ks (PtdIns5P 4-kinases), and these have different cellular localizations, tissue distributions and lipid kinase activities. We describe in the present paper a detailed molecular exploration of human PI5P4Ks α, β and γ, as well as their fly and worm homologues, to understand how and why these differences came to be. The intrinsic ATPase activities of the three isoforms are very similar, and we show that differences in their G-loop regions can account for much of their wide differences in lipid kinase activity. We have also undertaken an extensive in silico evolutionary study of the PI5P4K family, and show experimentally that the single PI5P4K homologues from Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster are as widely different in activity as the most divergent mammalian isoforms. Finally we show that the close association of PI5P4Ks α and γ is a true heterodimerization, and not a higher oligomer association of homodimers. We reveal that structural modelling is consistent with this and with the apparently random heterodimerization that we had earlier observed between PI5P4Kα and PI5P4Kβ [Wang, Bond, Letcher, Richardson, Lilley, Irvine and Clarke (2010), Biochem. J. 430, 215–221]. Overall the molecular diversity of mammalian PI5P4Ks explains much of their properties and behaviour, but their physiological functionality remains elusive.

Characterization of thermophilic archaeal isopentenyl phosphate kinases

Archaea synthesize isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl diphosphate (DMAPP), the essential building blocks of isoprenoid compounds, from mevalonate (MVA). However, an analysis of the genomes of several members of the Archaea failed to identify genes for the enzymes required to convert phosphomevalonate (PM) to IPP in eukaryotes. The recent discovery of an isopentenyl kinase (IPK) in Methanocaldococcus jannaschii (MJ) suggests a new variation of the MVA pathway where PM is decarboxylated to give isopentenyl phosphate (IP), which is phosphorylated to produce IPP. A blast search using the MJ protein as a probe revealed a subfamily of amino acid kinases that include the fosfomycin resistance protein fomA, which deactivates the antibiotic by phosphorylation of its phosphonate residue in a reaction similar to the conversion of IP to IPP. IPK genes were cloned from two organisms identified in the search, Methanothermobacter thermautotrophicus (MTH) and Thermoplasma acidophilum (THA), and the His-tagged recombinant proteins were purified by Ni-NTA chromatography. The enzymes catalyze the reversible phosphorylation of IP by ATP, K(eq) = 6.3 +/- 1. The catalytic efficiencies (V/K) of the proteins were approximately 2 x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1). In the reverse direction, ADP was a substrate inhibitor for THA IPK, K(i)(ADP) = 58 +/- 6 microM, but not for MTH IPK. Both enzymes were active over a broad range of pH and temperature. Five compounds, dimethylallyl phosphate, isopentenyl thiolophosphate, 1-butyl phosphate, 3-buten-1-yl phosphate, and geranyl phosphate, were evaluated as alternative substrates for the MTH and THA IP kinases. All of the compounds were phosphorylated, although the catalytic efficiency was low for geranyl phosphate.

Crystal structure and functional analysis identify the P-loop containing protein YFH7 of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as an ATP-dependent kinase

Genome sequencing projects have revealed that P-loop proteins are highly represented in all organisms and that many of them have no attributed function. They are characterized by a conserved nucleotide-binding domain and carry different activities implicated in many cellular processes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae YFH7 is one of these P-loop proteins of unknown function. In this work we tried to integrate bioinformatics, structure, and enzymology to discover the function of YFH7. Sequence analysis revealed that yeast YFH7 is a yeast-specific protein showing weak similarity with the phosphoribulokinase/uridine kinase/bacterial pantothenate kinase (PRK/URK/PANK) subfamily of P-loop containing kinases. A large insertion of about 100 residues distinguishes YFH7 from other members of the family. The 1.95 A resolution crystal structure of YFH7 solved using the SAD method confirmed that YFH7 has a fold similar to the PRK/URK/PANK family, with the characteristic core, lid, and NMP(bind) domains. An additional alpha/beta domain of novel topology corresponds to the large sequence insertion. Structural and ligand binding analysis combined with enzymatic assays suggest that YFH7 is an ATP-dependent small molecule kinase with new substrate specificity.

An intrinsic ATPase activity of phospho-MEK-1 uncoupled from downstream ERK phosphorylation

We have developed a highly sensitive assay of MEK-mediated ATP hydrolysis by coupling the formation of ADP to NADH oxidation through the enzymes pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. Robust ATP hydrolysis is catalyzed by phosphorylated MEK in the absence of the protein substrate ERK. This ERK-uncoupled ATPase activity is dependent on the phosphorylation status of MEK and is abrogated by the selective MEK kinase inhibitor U0126. ADP production is concomitant with Raf-mediated phosphorylation of MEK. Based on this finding, a coupled Raf/MEK assay is developed for measuring the Raf activity. A kinetic treatment derived under steady-state assumptions is presented for the analysis of the reaction progress curve generated by this coupled assay. We have shown that inhibitory potency of selective Raf inhibitors can be determined accurately by this assay.

An essential role of Glu-243 and His-239 in the phosphotransfer reaction catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase

This study was undertaken to examine the mechanistic significance of two highly conserved residues positioned in the active site of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase, Glu-243 and His-239. We used site-directed mutagenesis to convert Glu-243 to Ala, Asp, or Gln and His-239 to Ala. The resulting mutant kinases demonstrated a greatly reduced capacity for phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase. The Glu-243 to Asp mutant had approximately 2% residual activity, whereas the Glu-243 to Ala or Gln mutants exhibited less than 0.5 and 0.1% residual activity, respectively. Activity of the His-239 to Ala mutant was decreased by approximately 90%. Active-site titration with [alpha-(32)P]ATP revealed that neither Glu-243 nor His-239 mutations affected nucleotide binding. All mutant kinases showed similar or even somewhat greater affinity than the wild-type kinase toward the protein substrate, pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Furthermore, neither of the mutations affected the inter-subunit interactions. Finally, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase was found to possess a weak ATP hydrolytic activity, which required Glu-243 and His-239 similar to the kinase activity. Based on these observations, we propose a mechanism according to which the invariant glutamate residue (Glu-243) acts as a general base catalyst, which activates the hydroxyl group on a serine residue of the protein substrate for direct attack on the gamma phosphate. The glutamate residue in turn might be further polarized through interaction with the neighboring histidine residue (His-239).

Catalytic mechanism of phosphorylase kinase probed by mutational studies

The contributions to catalysis of the conserved catalytic aspartate (Asp149) in the phosphorylase kinase catalytic subunit (PhK; residues 1-298) have been studied by kinetic and crystallographic methods. Kinetic studies in solvents of different viscosity show that PhK, like cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase, exhibits a mechanism in which the chemical step of phosphoryl transfer is fast and the rate-limiting step is release of the products, ADP and phosphoprotein, and possibly viscosity-dependent conformational changes. Site-directed mutagenesis of Asp149 to Ala and Asn resulted in enzymes with a small increase in K(m) for glycogen phosphorylase b (GPb) and ATP substrates and dramatic decreases in k(cat) (1.3 x 10(4) for Asp149Ala and 4.7 x 10(3) for Asp149Asn mutants, respectively). Viscosometric kinetic measurements with the Asp149Asn mutant showed a reduction in the rate-limiting step for release of products by 4.5 x 10(3) and a significant decrease (possibly as great as 2.2 x 10(3)) in the rate constant characterizing the chemical step. The date combined with the crystallographic evidence for the ternary PhK-AMPPNP-peptide complex [Lowe et al. (1997) EMBO J. 6, 6646-6658] provide powerful support for the role of the carboxyl of Asp149 in binding and orientation of the substrate and in catalysis of phosphoryl transfer. The constitutively active subunit PhK has a glutamate (Glu182) residue in the activation segment, in place of a phosphorylatable serine, threonine, or tyrosine residue in other protein kinases that are activated by phosphorylation. Site-directed mutagenesis of Glu182 and other residues involved in a hydrogen bond network resulted in mutant proteins (Glu182Ser, Arg148Ala, and Tyr206Phe) with decreased catalytic efficiency (approximate average decrease in k(cat)/K(m) by 20-fold). The crystal structure of the mutant Glu182Ser at 2.6 A resolution showed a phosphate dianion about 2.6 A from the position previously occupied by the carboxylate of Glu182. There was no change in tertiary structure from the native protein, but the activation segment in the region C-terminal to residue 182 showed increased disorder, indicating that correct localization of the activation segment is necessary in order to recognize and present the protein substrate for catalysis.

Phosphorylation sensitizes microtubule-associated protein tau to Al(3+)-induced aggregation

In Alzheimer's disease the microtubule-associated protein tau becomes hyperphosphorylated and aggregates into paired helical filaments (PHFs). Although the biochemical basis of the aggregation of tau into PHFs is not very clear, Al3+ has been suggested to play some role. Previous studies have shown that Al3+ alters the phosphorylation state and causes aggregation of tau in experimental animals and cultured neurons. In this study Al3+ inhibited phosphorylation of tau by neuronal cdc2-like kinase and dephosphorylation of phosphorylated tau by phosphatase 2B. These inhibitions are very likely due to Al(3+)-induced aggregations of various proteins present in phosphorylation/dephosphorylation assay mixtures since Al3+ caused aggregations of all proteins examined. Furthermore, compared to other proteins, tau displayed only an average sensitivity towards Al(3+)-induced aggregation. However upon phosphorylation, tau's sensitivity towards Al3+ increased 3.5 fold. In the presence of the metal chelator EDTA, Al(3+)-induced aggregates of tau became soluble, whereas Al(3+)-induced phosphorylated tau aggregates were insoluble in the buffer containing EDTA and remained insensitive to proteolysis. Our data suggest that phosphorylation sensitizes tau to Al3+ and phosphorylated tau transforms irreversibly into a phosphatase and protease resistant aggregate in presence of this metal ion.

A tyrosine kinase assay using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Reverse-phase HPLC can be used as a very precise and accurate routine assay for peptide phosphorylation by protein kinases that has advantages over other methods. In particular, peptides with native amino acid sequences can be used without the need for radioisotopes. However, reaction conditions that are employed can often present difficulties in recovery and quantitation of phospho- and apo-peptides. Two general problems were encountered; First, variation in the retention times of peptides and an increasing width of the injection front which can interfere with quantitation both resulted from repeated sample injections. These were caused mostly by the presence of carrier bovine serum albumin used to reduce loss of peptides during the reaction and by high concentrations of ATP used to study the kinetics of enzyme catalyzed reactions. These problems were solved by regular washing of the reverse-phase column, thus allowing a broad range of peptide and ATP concentrations to be used. Second, the stability of peptides used in the assay was affected by dithiothreitol in combination with manganese. The former is a common reagent of kinase purifications and the latter is often the metal cofactor used in kinase reactions. Minimizing the concentration of dithiothreitol or using magnesium resolved these difficulties. Consideration of these factors is therefore important when using reverse-phase HPLC to monitor peptide phosphorylation in protein tyrosine kinase assays.

Divalent cations but not other activators enhance phosphorylase kinase's affinity for glycogen phosphorylase

To better understand the physical interaction between glycogen phosphorylase-b (P-b) and its only known kinase, phosphorylase kinase (PbK) and the relationship of this interaction to the activation of PbK, direct binding studies are necessary. By utilizing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, a method was developed for measuring the binding of PbK to immobilized P-b under a variety of experimental conditions. A monoclonal antibody specific for the alpha subunit of PbK that had no effect on the phosphorylation of P-b by PbK or on the interaction of PbK with known effectors was used to detect PbK bound to plated P-b. Hyperbolic binding curves were obtained regardless of whether the concentration of Pbk or P-b was varied, and the assay detected changes in relative affinity caused by certain effectors of the kinase. The allosteric effector ADP, alkaline pH, and phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, all activators of PbK, did not cause significant changes in its relative affinity for P-b; however, Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions, which also stimulate PbK, increased its affinity for P-b, with Mg2+ being more effective. Mn2+, which inhibits the P-b conversion activity of PbK, was found to be the most potent enhancer of its affinity for P-b, although divalent cations may enhance binding. Inclusion of ATP analogs in the binding assay with Ca2+ and Mg2+ to stimulate catalytic assay conditions did not further affect the apparent affinity for P-b, which is consistent with the previously reported rapid equilibrium random bi-bi kinetic mechanism for P-b conversion.

Two structures of the catalytic domain of phosphorylase kinase: an active protein kinase complexed with substrate analogue and product

BACKGROUND

Control of intracellular events by protein phosphorylation is promoted by specific protein kinases. All the known protein kinase possess a common structure that defines a catalytically competent entity termed the 'kinase catalytic core'. Within this common structural framework each kinase displays its own unique substrate specificity, and a regulatory mechanism that may be modulated by association with other proteins. Structural studies of phosphorylase kinase (Phk), the major substrate of which is glycogen phosphorylase, may be expected to shed light on its regulation.

RESULTS

We report two crystal structures of the catalytic core (residues 1-298; Phk gamma trnc) of the gamma-subunit of rabbit muscle phosphorylase kinase: the binary complex with Mn2+/beta-gamma-imidoadenosine 5'-triphosphate (AMPPNP) to a resolution of 2.6 A and the binary complex with Mg2+/ADP to a resolution of 3.0 A. The structures were solved by molecular replacement using the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK) as a model.

CONCLUSIONS

The overall structure of Phk gamma trnc is similar to that of the catalytic core of other protein kinases. It consists of two domians joined on one edge by a 'hinge', with the catalytic site located in the cleft between the domains. Phk gamma trnc is constitutively active, and lacks the need for an activatory phosphorylation event that is essential for many kinases. The structure exhibits an essentially 'closed' conformation of the domains which is similar to that of cAPK complexed with substrates. The phosphorylated residue that is located at the domain interface in many protein kinases and that is believed to stabilize an active conformation is substituted by a glutamate in Phk gamma trnc. The glutamate, in a similar manner to the phosphorylated residue in other protein kinases, interacts with an arginine adjacent to the catalytic aspartate but does not participate in interdomain contacts. The interactions between the enzyme and the nucleotide product of its activity, Mg2+/ADP, explain the inhibitory properties of the nucleotides that are observed in kinetic studies.

Protein kinases

The structures of four serine/threonine protein kinases have been determined recently. By comparing these structures with that of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAPK), it is now possible to see how the activity of these regulatory enzymes is controlled. Low activity is maintained through the conformation of the phosphorylation lip, domain rotations, and binding of substrate analog inhibitors and autoinhibitory domains.

Curcumin is a non-competitive and selective inhibitor of phosphorylase kinase

Recently, we reported that curcumin (diferuloylmethane) inhibits the growth of several different kinds of tumor cells. In order to investigate the mechanism of this inhibition, we examined the effects of curcumin on different protein kinases: highly purified protein kinase A (PkA), protein kinase C (PkC), protamine kinase (cPK), phosphorylase kinase (PhK), autophosphorylation-activated protein kinase (AK) and pp60c-src tyrosine kinase. While all kinases tested were inhibited by curcumin, only PhK was completely inhibited at relatively lower concentrations. At around 0.1 mM curcumin, PhK, pp60c-src, PkC, PkA, AK, and cPK were inhibited by 98%, 40%, 15%, 10%, 1%, and 0.5%, respectively. Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis indicated that curcumin is a non-competitive inhibitor of PhK with a Ki of 0.075 mM. Overall, our results indicate that curcumin is a potent and selective inhibitor of phosphorylase kinase, a key regulatory enzyme involved in the metabolism of glycogen. This has important implications for the anti-proliferative effects of curcumin.

Expression, purification, characterization, and deletion mutations of phosphorylase kinase gamma subunit: identification of an inhibitory domain in the gamma subunit

A catalytic fragment, gamma 1-298, derived from limited chymotryptic digestion of phosphorylase b kinase (Harris, W.R. et al., J. Biol. Chem., 265: 11740-11745, 1990), is reported to have about six-fold greater specific activity than does the gamma subunit-calmodulin complex. To test whether there is an inhibitory domain located outside the catalytic core of the gamma subunit, full-length wild-type and seven truncated forms of gamma were expressed in E. coli. Recombinant proteins accumulate in the inclusion bodies and can be isolated, solubilized, renatured, and purified further by ammonium sulfate precipitation and Q-Sepharose column. Four out of seven truncated mutants show similar (gamma 1-353 and gamma 1-341) or less (gamma 1-331 and gamma 1-276) specific activity than does the full-length wild-type gamma, gamma 1-386. Three truncated forms, gamma 1-316, gamma 1-300, and gamma 1-290 have molar specific activities approximately twice as great as those of the full-length wild-type gamma and the nonactivated holoenzyme. All recombinant gamma s exhibit similar Km values for both substrates, i.e., about 18 microM for phosphorylase b and about 75 microM for MgATP. Three truncated gamma s, gamma 1-316, gamma 1-300, and gamma 1-290, have a 1.9- to 2.5-fold greater catalytic efficiency (Vmax/Km) than that of the full-length wild-type gamma and a 3.5- to 4.5-fold greater efficiency than that of the truncated gamma 1-331. This evidence suggests that there is at least one inhibitory domain in the C-terminal region of gamma, which is located at gamma 301-331. gamma 1-290, but not gamma 1-276, which contains the highly conserved kinase domain, is the minimum sequence required for the gamma subunit to exhibit phosphotransferase activity. Both gamma 1-290 and gamma 1-300 have several properties similar to full-length wild-type gamma, including metal ion responses (activation by free Mg2+ and inhibition by free Mn2+), pH dependency, and substrate specificities.

The intrinsic ATPase activity of protein kinase C is catalyzed at the active site of the enzyme

We recently reported that autophosphorylated protein kinase C (PKC) has an intrinsic Ca(2+)- and phospholipid-dependent ATPase activity and that the ATPase and histone kinase activities of PKC have similar metal-ion cofactor requirements and Km,app(ATP) values. We hypothesized that the intrinsic ATPase activity of PKC may represent the bond-breaking step of its protein kinase activity. The rate of the ATPase reaction is several times slower than the histone kinase reaction rate. At subsaturating concentrations, various peptide and protein substrates stimulate the ATPase reaction by as much as 1.5-fold. In contrast, non-phosphorylatable substrate analogs are not stimulatory. These observations support a mechanism of PKC catalysis in which the productive binding of phosphoacceptor substrates enhances the rate of phosphodonor substrate (ATP) hydrolysis at the active site of PKC. However, this mechanism contains an assumption that the ATPase activity of PKC is catalyzed at the active site. In fact, sequence analysis indicates that PKC contains a potential second nucleotide binding site outside of its active site. In this report, we provide a detailed analysis of the relationship between the active site of PKC and the intrinsic ATPase activity of the enzyme. We show that the regulatory and catalytic properties of the ATPase reactions of three PKC isozymes are similar, despite critical differences among the isozymes in their consensus sequences for the potential non-active-site nucleotide binding site in their catalytic domains. We also show that the ATPase and histone kinase reactions of each isozyme have similar Km,app(ATP) values.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)