Studies on the adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase of Blastocladiella emersonii

An unusual adenosine cyclic 3',5'-phosphate-dependent protein kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum

The CAMP-dependent protein kinase from Dictyostelium discoideum was extracted from cells at the stage of culmination. Less than 50% of the enzyme remains as a CAMP-dependent holoenzyme in the extracts, and the rest is recovered in the form of dissociated regulatory and catalytic subunits that were purified. The regulatory subunit is a monomeric protein of M, 42 000 that carries only one cAMP binding site (Kd = 3 nM). The catalytic subunit is also a monomer of M, 40000 with a sedimentation coefficient of 3.3S. The CAMP-dependent holoenzyme is a dimer consisting of one regulatory and one catalytic subunit, and the same structure is found for the holoenzyme reconstituted from the isolated subunits. Whereas cAMP binding to the regulatory subunit is independent of pH, both the catalytic activity and its ability to be inhibited by addition of regulatory subunit are increased very strongly between pH 5.5 and 7. The differences in molecular and catalytic properties of this CAMP-dependent protein kinase with those from mammalian origin are discussed in relation with the possibility that the enzyme from Dictyostelium represents an early form of the molecule in the evolutionary process.

PEST sequences in cAMP-dependent protein kinase subunits of the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii are necessary for in vitro degradation by endogenous proteases

During Blastocladiella emersonii germination, the regulatory (R) and the catalytic (C) subunits of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) are rapidly and concurrently degraded, after PKA activation in response to a transient increase in intracellular cAMP levels. The possibility that PEST sequences could be acting as proteolytic recognition signals in this process was investigated, and high score PEST sequences were found in both B. emersonii R and C subunits. Deletions in the PEST sequences were obtained by site-directed mutagenesis and the different PKA subunits were independently expressed in Escherichia coli. Proteolysis assays of the various R and C recombinant forms, using B. emersonii cell extracts as the source of proteases, showed a strong correlation between the presence of high score PEST sequences and susceptibility to degradation. Furthermore, the amino-terminal sequence of the proteolytic fragments indicated that the cleavage sites in both subunits are located at or near the PEST regions. The PEST sequence in B. emersonii C subunit, which when deleted or disrupted leads to resistance to proteolysis, is entirely contained in the 72-amino-acid extension located in the N-terminus of the protein. C subunit mutants carrying deletions in this region displayed little difference in their kinetic properties or enzyme thermostability. These results suggest that the N-terminal extension may only play a role in C subunit degradation.

Cloning and characterization of the gene for the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii

We have isolated and characterized cDNA and genomic DNA clones encoding the catalytic subunit (C) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii. The C-subunit amino acid sequence derived from the nucleotide sequence predicts a basic polypeptide of 424 residues, excluding the initiator methionine, which by amino-terminal sequence analysis has been shown to be absent from the mature protein. The Blastocladiella C presents a 70-amino-acid extension at the amino terminus, when aligned to the mouse C alpha subunit, being one of the largest C subunits already characterized. The B. emersonii C-gene-coding region is interrupted by three introns, ranging in size over 57-69 bp. The positions of the introns are quite different from those found in other species, suggesting a considerable amount of evolutionary drift in the gene structure. The 5'-flanking region lacks recognizable TATA or CCAAT sequences, is remarkably high in GC content (70%), and primer extension experiments indicate that transcription initiates from multiple sites. Several sequence motifs were identified in the promoter region which could be involved in the developmental control of this gene.

Coordinate pretranslational control of cAMP-dependent protein kinase subunit expression during development in the water mold Blastocladiella emersonii

The aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii provides a system for studying the regulation of expression of regulatory (R) and catalytic (C) subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Blastocladiella cells contain a single PKA with properties very similar to type II kinases of mammalian tissues. During development cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity and its associated cAMP-binding activity change drastically. We have previously shown that the increase in cAMP-binding activity during sporulation is due to de novo synthesis of R subunit and to an increase in the translatable mRNA coding for R (Marques et al., Eur. J. Biochem. 178, 803, 1989). In the present work we have continued these studies to investigate the mechanism by which the changes in the level of kinase activity take place. The C subunit of Blastocladiella has been purified; antiserum has been raised against it and used to determine amounts of C subunit throughout the fungus' life cycle. A sharp increase in C subunit content occurs during sporulation and peaks at the zoospore stage. Northern blot analyses, using Blastocladiella C and R cDNA probes, have shown that the levels of C and R mRNAs parallel their intracellular protein concentrations. These results indicate a coordinate pretranslational control for C and R subunit expression during differentiation in Blastocladiella.

Developmental regulation of expression of the regulatory subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase of Blastocladiella emersonii

A monospecific polyclonal antiserum to the regulatory subunit (R) of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase of Blastocladiella emersonii has been developed by immunization with purified regulatory subunit. In Western blots, the antiserum displays high affinity and specificity for the intact R monomer of Mr = 58,000, as well as for its proteolytic products of Mr = 43,000 and Mr = 36,000, even though the antiserum has been raised against the Mr = 43,000 fragment. Western blots of cell extracts prepared at different times during the life cycle of the fungus indicate that the increase in cAMP-binding activity occurring during sporulation, as well as its decrease during germination, are associated with the accumulation of the regulatory subunit during sporulation and its disappearance during germination, respectively. Pulse labeling with [35S]methionine and immunoprecipitation indicate that the accumulation of R is due to its increased synthesis during sporulation. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of affinity purified cell extracts obtained after [35S]methionine pulse labeling during sporulation confirms de novo synthesis of R during this stage and furthermore shows that the protein is rapidly phosphorylated after its synthesis. In vitro translation studies using RNA isolated from different stages of the life cycle followed by immunoprecipitation have shown that the time course of expression of the mRNA coding for the regulatory subunit parallels the rate of its synthesis in vivo.

Developmental changes in translatable RNA species and protein synthesis during sporulation in the aquatic fungus Blastocladiella emersonii

Protein synthesis during sporulation in Blastocladiella emersonii is developmentally regulated as revealed using [35S]methionine pulse labeling and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. A large increase in the synthesis of several proteins is associated with particular stages. A large number of basic proteins are synthesized exclusively during late sporulation. Changes in translatable mRNA species were also detected by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis of the polypeptides produced in a cell-free rabbit reticulocyte lysate primed with RNA prepared at different stages of sporulation. The synthesis of several proteins during sporulation seems to be transcriptionally controlled. Most of the sporulation-specific messages are not present in the mature zoospores.

[Mode of action of cyclic amp in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, CAP and cAMP-dependent protein kinases]

cAMP is an ubiquitous compound which is involved in the regulation of many biological processes. In bacteria such as E. coli, cAMP mediates the activation of catabolic operons via the CAP protein. The CAP-cAMP complex, whose tridimensional structure has recently been established, binds to the promoter regions of catabolic operons at a specific site, and activates their transcription by inducing RNA polymerase to bind and initiate transcription at the correct site. Various phenomenons including protein-protein interactions or CAP-induced DNA bending or kinking could be involved in the process of forming the open transcription complex. In eukaryotes, cAMP activates cAMP dependent protein kinases which covalently modify proteins by phosphorylation on serine or threonine residues. The catalytically inactive holoenzyme is generally a tetramer containing two regulatory subunits, each capable of binding two molecules of cAMP, and two catalytic subunits. In mammalian cells, two types of cAMP dependent protein kinases (I and II) can be distinguished on the basis of their regulatory subunits; their relative proportion varies from tissue to tissue. Binding of cAMP to the regulatory subunits induces the dissociation of the holoenzyme and releases the free and active catalytic subunits. Phosphorylation of proteins occurs at sequences containing two basic residues in the vicinity of the phosphorylated serine or threonine. A heat-stable protein, present in most eukaryotic cells, specifically interacts with the catalytic subunit and inhibits its activity. The amino-acid sequence of cAMP dependent protein kinases has recently been determined. It is interesting to note that the domains responsible for cAMP binding by the regulatory subunits of mammalian cAMP dependent protein kinases and CAP share important sequence homologies. The same phenomenon is observed concerning the domain responsible for ATP binding to the catalytic subunit of cAMP dependent protein kinases and that of tyrosine-specific protein kinases from oncoviruses. Other eukaryotic proteins such as S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine (SAH) hydrolase are also capable of binding cAMP. The latter is involved in the regulation of S-adenosyl-L-methionine dependent methylations, and its activity could be affected by cAMP. Besides its role as an effector of enzymatic activity via phosphorylation, such as in the regulation of glycogen metabolism, cAMP has recently been shown to activate the transcription of a number of eukaryotic genes. This process probably also involves protein phosphorylation, but its precise mechanism remains to be understood.

Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase from Ustilago maydis

Ustilago maydis was surveyed for cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase activity. Using a combination of ion-exchange and molecular filtration techniques, we demonstrate that there is only one form of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in the cytosolic fraction of the fungus. The kinase activity is specifically activated by cyclic AMP and utilizes protamine and kemptide as substrates. Most, if not all, of the cyclic AMP binding detected in the soluble fraction is associated with the protein kinase activity. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase is completely dissociated by cyclic AMP into catalytic and regulatory subunits having an apparent molecular weight of 35 000 daltons as judged by sucrose gradient centrifugation.