scholarly journals Mutation of the Gs protein alpha subunit NH2 terminus relieves an attenuator function, resulting in constitutive adenylyl cyclase stimulation.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2931-2940 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Osawa ◽  
L E Heasley ◽  
N Dhanasekaran ◽  
S K Gupta ◽  
C W Woon ◽  
...  

G-proteins couple hormonal activation of receptors to the regulation of specific enzymes and ion channels. Gs and Gi are G-proteins which regulate the stimulation and inhibition, respectively, of adenylyl cyclase. We have constructed two chimeric cDNAs in which different lengths of the alpha subunit of Gs (alpha s) have been replaced with the corresponding sequence of the Gi alpha subunit (alpha i2). One chimera, referred to as alpha i(54)/s' replaces the NH2-terminal 61 amino acids of alpha s with the first 54 residues of alpha i. Within this sequence there are 7 residues unique to alpha s, and 16 of the remaining 54 amino acids are nonhomologous between alpha i and alpha s. The second chimera, referred to as alpha i/s(Bam), replaces the first 234 amino acids of alpha s with the corresponding 212 residues of alpha i. Transient expression of alpha i(54)/s in COS-1 cells resulted in an 18- to 20-fold increase in cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels, whereas expression of either alpha i/s(Bam) or the wild-type alpha s polypeptide resulted in only a 5- to 6-fold increase in cellular cAMP levels. COS-1 cells transfected with alpha i showed a small decrease in cAMP levels. Stable expression of the chimeric alpha i(54)/s polypeptide in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells constitutively increased both cAMP synthesis and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. CHO clones expressing transfected alpha i/s(Bam) or the wild-type alpha s and alpha i cDNAs exhibited cAMP levels and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activities similar to those in control CHO cells. Therefore, the alpha i(54)/s chimera behaves as a constitutively active alpha s polypeptide, whereas the alpha i/s(Bam) polypeptide is regulated similarly to wild-type alpha s. Expression in cyc-S49 cells, which lack expression of wild-type alpha s, confirmed that the alpha i(54)/s polypeptide is a highly active alpha s molecule whose robust activity is independent of any change in intrinsic GTPase activity. The difference in phenotypes observed upon expression of alpha i(54)/s or alpha i/s(Bam) indicates that the NH2-terminal moieties of alpha s and alpha i function as attenuators of the effector enzyme activator domain which is within the COOH-terminal half of the alpha subunit. Mutation at the NH2 terminus of alpha s relieves the attenuator control of the Gs protein and results in a dominant active G-protein mutant.

1990 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 2931-2940
Author(s):  
S Osawa ◽  
L E Heasley ◽  
N Dhanasekaran ◽  
S K Gupta ◽  
C W Woon ◽  
...  

G-proteins couple hormonal activation of receptors to the regulation of specific enzymes and ion channels. Gs and Gi are G-proteins which regulate the stimulation and inhibition, respectively, of adenylyl cyclase. We have constructed two chimeric cDNAs in which different lengths of the alpha subunit of Gs (alpha s) have been replaced with the corresponding sequence of the Gi alpha subunit (alpha i2). One chimera, referred to as alpha i(54)/s' replaces the NH2-terminal 61 amino acids of alpha s with the first 54 residues of alpha i. Within this sequence there are 7 residues unique to alpha s, and 16 of the remaining 54 amino acids are nonhomologous between alpha i and alpha s. The second chimera, referred to as alpha i/s(Bam), replaces the first 234 amino acids of alpha s with the corresponding 212 residues of alpha i. Transient expression of alpha i(54)/s in COS-1 cells resulted in an 18- to 20-fold increase in cyclic AMP (cAMP) levels, whereas expression of either alpha i/s(Bam) or the wild-type alpha s polypeptide resulted in only a 5- to 6-fold increase in cellular cAMP levels. COS-1 cells transfected with alpha i showed a small decrease in cAMP levels. Stable expression of the chimeric alpha i(54)/s polypeptide in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells constitutively increased both cAMP synthesis and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity. CHO clones expressing transfected alpha i/s(Bam) or the wild-type alpha s and alpha i cDNAs exhibited cAMP levels and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activities similar to those in control CHO cells. Therefore, the alpha i(54)/s chimera behaves as a constitutively active alpha s polypeptide, whereas the alpha i/s(Bam) polypeptide is regulated similarly to wild-type alpha s. Expression in cyc-S49 cells, which lack expression of wild-type alpha s, confirmed that the alpha i(54)/s polypeptide is a highly active alpha s molecule whose robust activity is independent of any change in intrinsic GTPase activity. The difference in phenotypes observed upon expression of alpha i(54)/s or alpha i/s(Bam) indicates that the NH2-terminal moieties of alpha s and alpha i function as attenuators of the effector enzyme activator domain which is within the COOH-terminal half of the alpha subunit. Mutation at the NH2 terminus of alpha s relieves the attenuator control of the Gs protein and results in a dominant active G-protein mutant.


1977 ◽  
Vol 162 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
S J Yeaman ◽  
P Cohen ◽  
D C Watson ◽  
G H Dixon

The known amino acid sequences at the two sites on phosphorylase kinase that are phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase were extended. The sequences of 42 amino acids around the phosphorylation site on the alpha-subunit and of 14 amino acids around the phosphorylation site on the beta-subunit were shown to be: alpha-subunit Phe-Arg-Arg-Leu-Ser(P)-Ile-Ser-Thr-Glu-Ser-Glx-Pro-Asx-Gly-Gly-His-Ser-Leu-Gly-Ala-Asp-Leu-Met-Ser-Pro-Ser-Phe-Leu-Ser-Pro-Gly-Thr-Ser-Val-Phe(Ser,Pro,Gly)His-Thr-Ser-Lys; beta-subunit, Ala-Arg-Thr-Lys-Arg-Ser-Gly-Ser(P)-VALIle-Tyr-Glu-Pro-Leu-Lys. The sites on histone H2B which are phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro were identified as serine-36 and serine-32. The amino acid sequence in this region is: Lys-Lys-Arg-Lys-Arg-Ser32(P)-Arg-Lys-Glu-Ser36(P)-Tyr-Ser-Val-Tyr-Val- [Iwai, K., Ishikawa, K. & Hayashi, H. (1970) Nature (London) 226, 1056-1058]. Serine-36 was phosphorylated at 50% of the rate at which the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase was phosphorylated, and it was phosphorylated 6-7-fold more rapidly than was serine-32. The amino acid sequences when compared with those at the phosphorylation sites of other physiological substrates suggest that the presence of two adjacent basic amino acids on the N-terminal side of the susceptible serine residue may be critical for specific substrate recognition in vivo.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2332-2341
Author(s):  
R A Steinberg ◽  
R D Cauthron ◽  
M M Symcox ◽  
H Shuntoh

We recently found, using cultured mouse cell systems, that newly synthesized catalytic (C) subunits of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase undergo a posttranslational modification that reduces their electrophoretic mobilities in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gels and activates them for binding to a Sepharose-conjugated inhibitor peptide. Using an Escherichia coli expression system, we now show that recombinant murine C alpha subunit undergoes a similar modification and that the modification results in a large increase in protein kinase activity. Threonine phosphorylation appears to be responsible for both the enzymatic activation and the electrophoretic mobility shift. The phosphothreonine-deficient form of C subunit had reduced affinities for the ATP analogs p-fluorosulfonyl-[14C]benzoyl 5'-adenosine and adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) as well as for the Sepharose-conjugated inhibitor peptide; it also had markedly elevated Kms for both ATP and peptide substrates. Autophosphorylation of C-subunit preparations enriched for this phosphothreonine-deficient form reproduced the changes in enzyme activity and SDS-gel mobility that occur in intact cells. A mutant form of the recombinant C subunit with Ala substituted for Thr-197 (the only C-subunit threonine residue known to be phosphorylated in mammalian cells) was similar in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis mobility and activity to the phosphothreonine-deficient form of wild-type C subunit. In contrast to the wild-type subunit, however, the Ala-197 mutant form could not be shifted or activated by incubation with the phosphothreonine-containing wild-type form. We conclude that posttranslational autophosphorylation of Thr-197 is a critical step in intracellular expression of active C subunit.


1996 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Neal Waxham ◽  
James C. Grotta ◽  
Alcino J. Silva ◽  
Roger Strong ◽  
Jaroslaw Aronowski

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase) is a central enzyme in regulating neuronal processes. Imbalances in the activity and distribution of this enzyme have been reported following in vivo ischemia, and sustained decreases in activity correlate with subsequent neuronal death. In this report, mice that had been rendered deficient in the alpha subunit of CaM-kinase using gene knock-out technology were utilized to determine whether this enzyme is causally related to ischemic damage. Using a focal model of cerebral ischemia, we showed that homozygous knock-out mice lacking the alpha subunit exhibited an infarct volume almost twice that of wild-type litter mates. Heterozygous mice exhibited slightly less damage following ischemia than did homozygous mice, but infarct volumes remained significantly larger than those of wild-type litter mates. We conclude that reduced amounts of the alpha subunit of CaM-kinase predisposes neurons to increased damage following ischemia and that any perturbation that decreases the amount or activity of the enzyme will produce enhanced susceptibility to neuronal damage.


1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 2332-2341 ◽  
Author(s):  
R A Steinberg ◽  
R D Cauthron ◽  
M M Symcox ◽  
H Shuntoh

We recently found, using cultured mouse cell systems, that newly synthesized catalytic (C) subunits of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase undergo a posttranslational modification that reduces their electrophoretic mobilities in sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-polyacrylamide gels and activates them for binding to a Sepharose-conjugated inhibitor peptide. Using an Escherichia coli expression system, we now show that recombinant murine C alpha subunit undergoes a similar modification and that the modification results in a large increase in protein kinase activity. Threonine phosphorylation appears to be responsible for both the enzymatic activation and the electrophoretic mobility shift. The phosphothreonine-deficient form of C subunit had reduced affinities for the ATP analogs p-fluorosulfonyl-[14C]benzoyl 5'-adenosine and adenosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) as well as for the Sepharose-conjugated inhibitor peptide; it also had markedly elevated Kms for both ATP and peptide substrates. Autophosphorylation of C-subunit preparations enriched for this phosphothreonine-deficient form reproduced the changes in enzyme activity and SDS-gel mobility that occur in intact cells. A mutant form of the recombinant C subunit with Ala substituted for Thr-197 (the only C-subunit threonine residue known to be phosphorylated in mammalian cells) was similar in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis mobility and activity to the phosphothreonine-deficient form of wild-type C subunit. In contrast to the wild-type subunit, however, the Ala-197 mutant form could not be shifted or activated by incubation with the phosphothreonine-containing wild-type form. We conclude that posttranslational autophosphorylation of Thr-197 is a critical step in intracellular expression of active C subunit.


2008 ◽  
Vol 294 (5) ◽  
pp. H2352-H2362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas A. Werdich ◽  
Eduardo A. Lima ◽  
Igor Dzhura ◽  
Madhu V. Singh ◽  
Jingdong Li ◽  
...  

In cardiac myocytes, the activity of the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) is hypothesized to regulate Ca2+ release from and Ca2+ uptake into the sarcoplasmic reticulum via the phosphorylation of the ryanodine receptor 2 and phospholamban (PLN), respectively. We tested the role of CaMKII and PLN on the frequency adaptation of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) transients in nearly 500 isolated cardiac myocytes from transgenic mice chronically expressing a specific CaMKII inhibitor, interbred into wild-type or PLN null backgrounds under physiologically relevant pacing conditions (frequencies from 0.2 to 10 Hz and at 37°C). When compared with that of mice lacking PLN only, the combined chronic CaMKII inhibition and PLN ablation decreased the maximum Ca2+ release rate by more than 50% at 10 Hz. Although PLN ablation increased the rate of Ca2+ uptake at all frequencies, its combination with CaMKII inhibition did not prevent a frequency-dependent reduction of the amplitude and the duration of the [Ca2+]i transient. High stimulation frequencies in the physiological range diminished the effects of PLN ablation on the decay time constant and on the maximum decay rate of the [Ca2+]i transient, indicating that the PLN-mediated feedback on [Ca2+]i removal is limited by high stimulation frequencies. Taken together, our results suggest that in isolated mouse ventricular cardiac myocytes, the combined chronic CaMKII inhibition and PLN ablation slowed Ca2+ release at physiological frequencies: the frequency-dependent decay of the amplitude and shortening of the [Ca2+]i transient occurs independent of chronic CaMKII inhibition and PLN ablation, and the PLN-mediated regulation of Ca2+ uptake is diminished at higher stimulation frequencies within the physiological range.


1982 ◽  
Vol 2 (10) ◽  
pp. 1229-1237
Author(s):  
T van Daalen Wetters ◽  
P Coffino

Dibutyryl adenosine 3',5'-phosphate (Bt2cAMP)-sensitive (Bt2cAMPS) revertants were isolated from a resistant S49 cell mutant carrying a structural gene lesion in the regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cA-PK). This was accomplished with a counter-selection in which, first, Bt2cAMP was used to reversibly arrest revertants, and then a sequence of treatments with bromodeoxyuridine, 33258 Hoechst dye, and white light was used to kill cycling mutant cells. Reversion rates in nonmutagenized cultures could not be accurately measured, but spontaneous revertants do occur and with frequencies of less than 10(-7) to 10(-5). The mutagens ethyl methane sulfonate (EMS), N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitro-soguanidine (MNNG), and ICR191 increased the reversion frequency. In all cases, reversion to Bt2cAMP sensitivity was associated with restoration of wild-type levels and apparent activation constant for cAMP of cA-PK. MNNG induced revertants whose cell extracts contained cA-PK activity distinguishable from that of wild type by thermal liability. EMS did not. The counter-selection effectively isolates rare phenotypes and is therefore a useful tool in further somatic genetic experiments. The association of reversion with alterations in cA-PK function supports all previous data from this and other laboratories implicating cA-PK as the intracellular mediator of cAMP effects. Reversion is probably the result of a mutational event. Induction of reversion by ICR191 suggests the existence of a novel mechanism for generating revertants in somatic cells.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 2099-2106 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Wang ◽  
G. Cheng ◽  
M. Kolaj ◽  
M. Randic

1. Here we report that in acutely isolated rat spinal dorsal horn neurons, the gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptor can be regulated by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-KII). Intracellularly applied, the alpha-subunit of CaM-KII enhanced GABAA-receptor-activated current recorded with the use of the whole cell patch-clamp technique. This effect was associated with reduced desensitization of GABA responses. 2. GABA-induced currents are also potentiated by calyculin A, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A. 3. Conventional intracellular recordings were made from hippocampal CA1 neurons in slices to determine the effect of intracellular application of CaM-KII on inhibitory synaptic potentials evoked by electrical stimulation of the stratum oriens/alveus. The inhibitory synaptic potential was enhanced by CaM-KII; this mechanism may contribute to long-term enhancement of inhibitory synaptic transmission and may also play a role in other forms of plasticity in the mammalian brain.


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