Phosphorylated proteins in the passage from free mRNP to polysomes in mice plasmacytoma cells

Purification, subunit structure and properties of a high-molecular-mass protein phosphatase capable of dephosphorylating mRNP of the brine shrimp Artemia sp

A phosphoprotein phosphatase active towards casein, phosphorylase a and mRNP proteins has been detected in the cytosol of cryptobiotic gastrulae of Artemia sp. This phosphatase has a relative molecular mass (Mr) of 225,000 as measured by gel filtration on Sephadex G-200 and has been purified to near homogeneity by ion-exchange chromatography on different DEAE-substituted matrices, affinity chromatography on polylysine-agarose, histone-Sepharose 4B and protamine-agarose, hydrophobic chromatography on phenyl-Sepharose 4B and gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. Sodium dodecyl sulphate gel electrophoresis of the final purification step revealed that the enzyme contains two types of subunits, alpha and beta, with Mr of 40,000 and 75,000, respectively. These values, in conjunction with the native Mr and the molar ratios of the subunits estimated by densitometric analysis of the gel, suggested that the subunit composition of the enzyme is alpha 2 beta 2. When treated with 1.7% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol at -20 degrees C or with ethanol, the enzyme released the catalytic alpha subunit of Mr 40,000. The protein phosphatase was activated by basic proteins e.g. protamine (A 0.5 = 1 microM), histone H1 (A 0.5 = 1.6 microM) and polylysine (A 0.5 = 0.2 microM) and inhibited by ATP (I 0.5 = 12 microM), NaF (I 0.5 = 3.1 mM) and pyrophosphate (I 0.5 = 0.6 mM). The enzyme is a polycation-stimulated protein phosphatase. Purified mRNP proteins, phosphorylated by the mRNP-associated casein kinase type II, are among the substrates used by the enzyme. The function of reversible phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of mRNP as a regulatory mechanism in mRNP metabolism is discussed.

Identification of protein phosphatases dephosphorylating mRNP proteins from cryptobiotic gastrulae of the brine shrimp A. salina

In the cytosol of A. salina cryptobiotic gastrulae at least five protein phosphatases active on phosphorylase a have been detected by ion exchange chromatography on DEAE-cellulose. Only two of these enzymes (PP-X and PP-Y) are active in mRNP dephosphorylation. Both enzymes are insensitive to inhibitor-1 and -2 and stimulation of enzymatic activity (2.5-fold with PP-X and 6.5-fold with PP-Y) can be accomplished by ethanol treatment of the native enzymes, or freeze-thawing in the presence of 1.7% (v/v) 2-mercaptoethanol. These properties allow PP-X and PP-Y to be classified as type-2A enzymes according to the nomenclature of Cohen. This paper is the first report of protein phosphatases capable of dephosphorylating mRNP proteins.