PubMed HealthSearch

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Phosphorylases”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Characteristics of the dephosphorylated form of phosphorylase purified from rat liver and measurement of its activity in crude liver preparations.

The phosphorylated form of liver glycogen phosphorylase (alpha-1,4-glucan : orthophosphate alpha-glucosyl-transferase, EC 2.4.1.1) (phosphorylase a) is active and easily measured while the dephosphorylated form (phosphorylase b), in contrast to the muscle enzyme, has been reported to be essentially inactive even in the presence of AMP. We have purified both forms of phosphorylase from rat liver and studied the characteristics of each. Phosphorylase b activity can be measured with our assay conditions. The phosphorylase b we obtained was stimulated by high concentrations of sulfate, and was a substrate for muscle phosphorylase kinase whereas phosphorylase a was inhibited by sulfate, and was a substrate for liver phosphorylase phosphatase. Substrate binding to phosphorylase b was poor (KM glycogen = 2.5 mM, glucose-1-P = 250 mM) compared to phosphorylase a (KM glycogen = 1.8 mM, KM glucose-1-P = 0.7 mM). Liver phosphorylase b was active in the absence of AMP. However, AMP lowered the KM for glucose-1-P to 80 mM for purified phosphorylase b and to 60 mM for the enzyme in crude extract (Ka = 0.5 mM). Using appropriate substrate, buffer and AMP concentrations, assay conditions have been developed which allow determination of phosphorylase a and 90% of the phosphorylase b activity in liver extracts. Interconversion of the two forms can be demonstrated in vivo (under acute stimulation) and in vitro with little change in total activity. A decrease in total phosphorylase activity has been observed after prolonged starvation and in diabetes.

Adenosine Monophosphate

Separation of two phosphorylase kinase phosphatases from rabbit skeletal muscle.

Cyclic-AMP-dependent protein kinase catalyses the activation of phosphorylase kinase and the phosphorylation of two serine residues on the alpha subunit and beta subunit of phosphorylase kinase [Cohen, P., Watson, D.C. and Dixon, G.H. (1975)]. The dephosphorylation of phosphorylase kinase has been shown to be catalysed by two distinct enzymes, termed alpha-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase and beta-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase. These two enzymes show essentially absolute specificity towards the alpha and beta subunits respectively. The two phosphatases copurified through ethanol fractionation, DEAE-cellulose chromatography and ammonium sulphate precipitation, but were separated from each other by a gel filtration on Sephadex G-200. alpha-Phosphorylase kinase phosphatase was purified 500-fold from the ethanol precipitation step, and beta-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase 320-fold. The molecular weights estimated by gel filtration were 170--180 000 for alpha-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase and 75--80 000 for beta-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase. Since the activity of phosphorylase kinase correlates with the state of phosphorylation of the beta subunit (Cohen, P. (1974)), beta-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase is the enzyme which reverses the activation of phosphorylase kinase. alpha-Phosphorylase kinase phosphatase is an enzyme activity that has not been recognised previously. Since the role of the alpha-subunit phosphorylation is to stimulate the rate of dephosphorylation of the beta subunit (Cohen, P. (1974)), alpha-phosphorylase kinase phosphatase can be regarded as the enzyme which inhibits the reversal of the activation of phosphorylase kinase. The implications of these findings for the hormonal control of phosphorylase kinase activity by multisite phosphorylation are discussed.

Animals

Studies on the role of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate in the activation of liver phosphorylase.

Crude extracts of rabbit liver, preincubated to promote the dephosphorylation of enzymes or other regulatory proteins, were used to study the role of cyclic AMP in the activation of glycogen phosphorylase. Inasmuch as endogenous liver phosphorylase was irreversibly altered by the preincubation procedure, crystalline skeletal muscle phosphorylase was used as the substrate in these studies. In the presence of magnesium ions and ATP, phosphorylase b was converted to phosphorylase a, and in an apparent biphasic process the phosphorylase a formed was subsequently converted to phosphorylase b. In the presence of adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate the rate of phosphorylase a formation and the maximal amount of phosphorylase a formed were increased. The cyclic AMP effect was enhanced by glucose-6-P and required the presence of glycogen. The catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase could replace cyclic AMP in the stimulation of phosphorylase a formation. The effects of cyclic AMP or the catalytic subunit were shown to be due to stimulation of phosphorylase kinase rather than to inhibition of phosphorylase phosphatase. Preliminary fractionation experiments showed that it is possible to separate phosphorylase kinase catalytic activity from a factor or factors required for stimulation of its activation by the catalytic subunit.

Animals

Activation of protein kinase and glycogen phosphorylase in isolated rat liver cells by glucagon and catecholamines.

In liver cells isolated from fed female rats, glucagon (290nM) increased adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) content and decreased cyclic AMP binding 30 s after addition of hormones. Both returned to control values after 10 min. Glucagon also stimulated cyclic AMP-independent protein kinase activity at 30 s and decreased protein kinase activity assayed in the presence of 2 muM cyclic AMP at 1 min. Glucagon increased the levels of glycogen phosphorylase a, but there was no change in total glycogen phosphorylase activity. Glucagon increased glycogen phosphorylase a at concentrations considerably less than those required to affect cyclic AMP and protein kinase. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor, 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine, potentiated the action of glucagon on all variables, but did not increase the maximuM activation of glycogen phosphorylase. Epinephrine (1muM) decreased cyclic AMP binding and increased glycogen phosphorylase a after a 1-min incubation with cells. Although 0.1 muM epinephrine stimulated phosphorylase a, a concentration of 10 muM was required to increase protein kinase activity. 1-Methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine (0.1 mM) potentiated the action of epinephrine on cyclic AMP and protein kinase. (-)-Propranolol (10muM) completely abolished the changes in cyclic AMP binding and protein kinase due to epinephrine (1muM) in the presence of 0.1mM 1-methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine, yet inhibited the increase in phosphorylase a by only 14 per cent. Phenylephrine (0.1muM) increased glycogen phosphorylase a, although concentrations as great as 10 muM failed to affect cyclic AMP binding or protein kinase in the absence of phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Isoproterenol (0.1muM) stimulated phosphorylase and decreased cyclic AMP binding, but only a concentration of 10muM increased protein kinase. 1-Methyl-3-isobutyl xanthine potentiated the action of isoproterenol on cyclic AMP binding and protein kinase, and propranolol reduced the augmentation of glucose release and glycogen phosphorylase activity due to isoproterenol. These data indicate that both alpha- and beta-adrenergic agents are capable of stimulating glycogenolysis and glycogen phosphorylase a in isolated rat liver cells. Low concentrations of glucagon and beta-adrenergic agonists stimulate glycogen phosphorylase without any detectable increase in cyclic AMP or protein kinase activity. The effects of alpha-adrenergic agents appear to be completely independent of changes in cyclic AMP protein kinase activity.

Animals

Regulation of glycogen metabolism in liver by the autonomic nervous system. VI. Possible mechanism of phosphorylase activation by the splanchnic nerve.

The effects of autonomic-nerve stimulation on the activities of phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1), dephospho-phosphorylase kinase (EC 2.7.1.38) and phosphorylase phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.17), and on the concentration of adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate in rabbit liver were investiaged. Results were compared with the effects of epinephrine and glucagon on these enzymes. 1. The acitivity of liver phosphorylase increased rapidly and markedly on electrical stimulation of the splanchnic nerve, or after intraportal administration of epinephrine or glucagon. The activity was not affected by vagal stimulation. 2. The activity of dephospho-phosphorylase kinase increased about 2--3-fold 1 min after injections of epinephrine and glucagon, glucagon causing more activation than epinephrine. The enzyme activity was not altered by splanchnic-nerve, or vagal stimulation. 3. Injections of epinephrine and glucagon caused marked elevation of liver adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate within a few minutes. With epinephrine, the nucleotide concentration rose to a maximum after 1 min and amounted to about 3-fold increase, while with glucagon the maximum increase of approximately 8-fold increase was observed after 2 min. Stimulation of the splanchnic nerve for 10 min did not affect the adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate level in the liver. Vagal stimulation also had no effect on the level. 4. The activity of phosphorylase phosphatase decreased promptly (within 30 s) and markedly on splanchnic-nerve stimulation, but did not change significantly on administration of epinephrine of glucagon. A small but insignificant increase in phosphatase activity wasobserved upon vagal stimulation. 5. The effect of Ca-2+ on purified dephospho-phosphorylase kinase was studied. The activity was found to depend partially on free Ca-2+ at low Ca-2+ concentrations (1-10-minus 7--1-10-minus 5 M). 6. These results suggest that the rise in hepatic phosphorylase content upon splanchnic-nerve stimulation, unlike that induced by epinephrine and glucagon, is not mediated by adenosine 3', 5'-monophosphate and subsequent activation of dephospho-phosphorylase kinase, but rather by inactivation of phosphorylase phosphatase. The possible existence of a new factor in this mechanism is discussed.

Adenosine Monophosphate

Comparison of the mechanism of isoproterenol-stimulated glycogenolysis in skeletal muscle of normal and phosphorylase kinase-deficient mice (I strain).

Diaphragm extracts from mice with the phosphorylase kinase deficiency mutation (I strain) have only 3.7% of the phosphorylase kinase activity of muscle extracts of the control strain (C57BL). Nevertheless, previous studies have shown that isoproterenol-stimulated glycogenolysis in I strain diaphragm muscle at a rate 57% (average relative response at 10 isoproterenol concentrations) of that of C57BL (GROSS, S.R., MAYER, S.E. and LONGSHORE, M.A.: J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 198: 523-538, 1976). The present studies were initiated to compare the mechanism of isoproterenol-stimulated glycogenolysis in I and C57BL diaphragms. Isoproterenol was found to stimulate phosphorylase b to a conversion with an EC50 of 8 nM in muscles from mice of either strain, and the maximum increase in phosphorylase alpha activity in I diaphragms was 23% of that in C57BL diaphragms. Moreover, the initial rate of increase in phosphorylase alpha activity in I diaphragms incubated with 40 nM isoproterenol was 24% of that in C57BL muscles. The isoproterenol-stimulated increases in cyclic AMP content in diaphragms of the two strains were the same. Incubation of I diaphragms with isoproterenol did not significantly increase the concentrations of AMP, IMP or inorganic phosphate, activators of phosphorylase beta activity, nor was there a decrease in ATP and glucose 6-phosphate content, allosteric inhibitors of phosphorylase beta activity. Thus, phosphorylase alpha formation is the principal, if not only, catalyst of isoproterenol-stimulated glycogenolysis in skeletal muscle of phosphorylase kinase-deficient mice, and no evidence was obtained indicating that allosteric regulation of phosphorylase beta activity is part of the mechanism.

Adenine Nucleotides

Evidence for the non-identity of proteins having synthase phosphatase, phosphorylase phosphatase and histone phosphatase activity in rat liver.

Synthase phosphatase, phosphorylase phosphatase and histone phosphatase in rat liver were measured using as substrates purified liver synthase D, phosphorylase alpha and 32P-labelled phosphorylated f1 histone, respectively. The three phosphatase enzymes had different sedimentation characteristics. Both synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase were found to sediment with the microsomal fraction under our experimental conditions. Only 10% of histone phosphatase was in this fraction; the majority was in the cytosol. No change in histone phosphatase was observed in the adrenalectomized fasted rat whereas synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activities were decreased 5-10 fold. Fractionation of liver extract with ethanol produced a dissociation of the three phosphatase activities. When a partially purified fraction was put on a DEAE-cellulose column, synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase both exhibited broad elution profiles but their activity peaks did not coincide. Histone phosphatase eluted as a single discrete peak. When the supernatant of CaCl2-treated microsomal fraction was put on a Sepharose 4B column, the majority of synthase phosphatase was found to elute with the larger molecular weight proteins whereas the majority of phosphorylase phosphatase eluted with the smaller species. Histone phosphatase migrated as a single peak and was of intermediate size. Synthase phosphorylase phosphatase by synthase D (Ki approximately 2 units/ml). The inhibition of synthase phosphatase by phosphorylase alpha was kinetically non-competitive with substrate. Histone phosphatase activity was not inhibited by synthase D or by phosphorylase alpha. The above results suggest that different proteins are involved in the dephosphorylation of synthase D, phosphorylase alpha and histone in the cell.

Animals

Studies on alpha-adrenergic activation of hepatic glucose output. Studies on role of calcium in alpha-adrenergic activation of phosphorylase.

The role of Ca2+ ions in alpha-adrenergic activation of hepatic phosphorylase was studied using isolated rat liver parenchymal cells. The activation of glucose release and phosphorylase by the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine was impaired in cells in which calcium was depleted by ethylene glycol bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) treatment and restored by calcium addition, whereas the effects of a glycogenolytically equivalent concentration of glucagon on these processes were unaffected. EGTA treatment also reduced basal glucose release and phosphorylase alpha activity, but did not alter the level of cAMP or the protein kinase activity ratio (-cAMP/+cAMP) or impair viability as determined by trypan blue exclusion, ATP levels, or gluconeogenic rates. The effect of EGTA on basal phosphorylase and glucose output was also rapidly reversed by Ca2+, but not by other ions. Phenylephrine potentiated the ability of low concentrations of calcium to reactivate phosphorylase in EGTA-treated cells. The divalent cation inophore A23187 rapidly increased phosphorylase alpha and glucose output without altering the cAMP level, the protein kinase activity ratio, and the levels of ATP, ADP, or AMP, The effects of the ionophore were abolished in EGTA-treated cells and restored by calcium addition. Phenylephrine rapidly stimulated 45Ca uptake and exchange in hepatocytes, but did not affect the cell content of 45Ca at late time points. A glycogenolytically equivalent concentration of glucagon did not affect these processes, whereas higher concentrations were as effective as phenylephrine. The effect of phenylephrine on 45Ca uptake was blocked by the alpha-adrenergic antagonist phenoxybenzamine, was unaffected by the beta blocker propranolol, and was not mimicked by isoproterenol. The following conclusions are drawn: (a) alpha-adrenergic activation of phosphorylase and glucose release in hepatocytes is more dependent on calcium than is glucagon activation of these processes; (b) variations in liver cell calcium can regulate phosphorylase alpha levels and glycogenolysis; (c) calcium fluxes across the plasma membrane are stimulated more by phenylephrine than by a glycogenolytically equivalent concentration of glucagon. It is proposed that alpha-adrenergic agonists activate phosphorylase by increasing the cytosolic concentration of Ca2+ ions, thus stimulating phosphorylase kinase.

Animals

Regulation of synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase in rat liver.

Using substrates purified from liver, the apparent Km values of synthase phosphatase ([UDPglucose--glycogen glucosyltransferase-D]phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.42) and phosphorylase phosphatase (phosphorylase a phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.17) were found to be 0.7 and 60 units/ml respectively. The maximal velocity of phosphorylase phosphatase was more than a 100 times that of synthase phosphatase. In adrenalectomized, fasted animals there was a complete loss of synthase phosphatase but only a slight decrease in phosphorylase phosphatase when activity was measured using endogenous substrates in a concentrated liver extract. When assayed under optimal conditions with purified substrates, both activities were present but had decreased to very low levels. Mixing experiments indicated that synthase D present in the extract of adrenalectomized fasted animals was altered such that it was no longer a substrate for synthase phosphatase from normal rats. Phosphorylase a substrate on the other hand was unaltered and readily converted. When glucose was given in vivo, no change in percent of synthase in the I form was seen in adrenalectomized rats but the percent of phosphorylase in the a form was reduced. Precipitation of protein from an extract of normal fed rats with ethanol produced a large activation of phosphorylase phosphatase activity with no corresponding increase in synthase phosphatase activity. Despite the low phosphorylase phosphatase present in extracts of adrenalectomized fasted animals, ethanol precipitation increased activity to the same high level as obtained in the normal fed rats. Synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activities were also decreased in normal fasted, diabetic fed and fasted, and adrenalectomized fed rats. Both enzymes recovered in the same manner temporally after oral glucose administration to adrenalectomized, fasted rats. These results suggest an integrated regulatory mechanism for the two phosphatase.

Adrenalectomy

Insulin regulation of hepatic glycogen synthase and phosphorylase.

The relative roles of insulin and glucose in the regulation of hepatic glycogen synthase and phosphorylase were studied in hepatocytes from fed rats. Elevation of extra-cellular glucose led to a rapid decrease in phosphorylase a activity followed by a slower increase in glycogen synthase I activity. A reciprocal and coordinate relationship between phosphorylase inactivation and synthase activation in response to glucose was observed; following initial glucose-induced inactivation of phosphorylase, there was a highly significant linear inverse relationship between residual phosphorylase activity and glycogen synthase activation. Insulin led to a further decrease in phosphorylase activity and a 30-50% additional increase in glycogen synthase activity over that caused by glucose. The effects of insulin required the presence of glucose and served to augment acute glucose stimulation of glycogen synthase and inhibition of phosphorylase. Insulin did not perturb the reciprocal and coordinate relationship between phosphorylase inactivation and synthase activation in response to glucose. The results suggest that the ability of insulin to activate hepatic glycogen synthase can be entirely accounted for by its ability to inactivate phosphorylase.

Animals

Affinity of glucose analogs for alpha-glucan phosphorylases from rabbit muscle and potato tubers.

The action of phosphorylase b from rabbit muscle and potato phosphorylase was inhibited to various extents by several glucose analogs. Like glucose itself, all of the glucosidic oxygen-substituted analogs tested in kinetic experiments showed a nonlinear competitive inhibition for muscle phosphorylase b and a linear competitive one for potato phosphorylase. 5-Thio-D-glucose, one of the ring oxygen-substituted analogs, also inhibited the action of muscle phosphorylase b in the same manner, while the inhibition pattern of 5-amino-D-glucose (nojirimycin) was of a linear noncompetitive type. Since the conformation of 5-amino-D-glucose in aqueous solution is half-chair (Reese et al. (1971) Carbohyd. Res. 18, 381-388), the unusual kinetic behavior of the compound toward muscle phosphorylase b was supposed to be due to its half-chair conformation. In the glucosidic oxygen-substituted analogs, the affinity for both muscle phosphorylase b and potato phosphorylase decreased with decreasing order of magnitude of electronegativity of the glucosidic atom. The strong positive correlation between the affinity and the electronegativity suggests that D-glucose-1-P, the substrate, may bind to phosphorylase with the formation of a hydrogen bond between its glucosidic oxygen and a hydrogen donor of the enzyme.

1-Deoxynojirimycin

Metabolism of the reserve polysaccharide of Streptococcus mitior (mitis): is there a second alpha-1,4-glucan phosphorylase?

The alpha-1,4-glucan phosphorylase (alpha-1,4-glucan: orthophosphate glucosyltransferase; EC 2.4.1.1) associated with the particulate cell fraction of Streptococcus mitior strain S3 was compared with the soluble maltodextrin phosphorylase that had been previously isolated from the same organism (Walker et al., 1969). The particulate enzyme was more sensitive to the glycogen content of the cell than the soluble euzyme; its activity was highest when the cells were grown under conditions favoring high glycogen storage. Substrate specificities of the two high activity towards endogenous glycogen, whereas low-molecular-weight maltodextrins were the preferred substrates for the soluble phosphorylase. The purification of the particulate phosphorylase included incubation of the particulate fraction in 160 mM sodium phosphate-10 mM sodium citrate-0.1% (wt/vol) Triton X-100 buffer (pH 6.7) and ion-exchange chromatography on diethylamino-ethyl- Sephadex A-50. The purified enzyme was fully soluble. The value for the purification factor was variable and depended on (i) the substrate used and (ii) whether the synthetic or the degradative reaction was being measured. The solubilization resulted in considerable changes in the properties of the phosphorylase: the pH optimum for activity was raised from 6.0 to 7.0-7.5 and the substrate specificity was altered. Consequently, the purified enzyme bore greater similarity to the soluble maltodextrin phosphorylase. The reported results are best explained in terms of a single phosphorylase, the specificity which is determind by its binding state in the cell. The enzyme acts as a glycogen phosphorylase in the particulate state and as a maltodextrin phosphorylase when soluble. The equilibrium between the two forms is related to the glycogen content of the cells.

Glycogen

Effects of adrenalectomy on hormone action on hepatic glucose metabolism. Impaired glucagon activation of glycogen phosphorylase in hepatocytes from adrenalectomized rats.

The effects of adrenalectomy on glucagon activation of liver glycogen phosphorylase and glycogenolysis were studied in isolated hepatocytes. Adrenalectomy resulted in reduced responsiveness of glycogenolysis and phosphorylase to glucagon activation. Stimulation of cAMP accumulation and cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity by glucagon was unaltered in cells from adrenalectomized rats. Adrenalectomy did not alter the proportion of type I and type II protein kinase isozymes in liver, whereas this was changed by fasting. Activation of phosphorylase kinase by glucagon was reduced in hepatocytes from adrenalectomized rats, although the half-maximal effective concentration of glucagon was unchanged. No difference in phosphorylase phosphatase activity between liver cells from control and adrenalectomized rats was detected. Glucagon-activated phosphorylase declined rapidly in hepatocytes from adrenalectomized rats, whereas the time course of cAMP increase in response to glucagon was normal. Addition of glucose (15 mM) rapidly inactivated glucagon-stimulated phosphorylase in both adrenalectomized and control rat hepatocytes. The inactivation by glucose was reversed by increasing glucagon concentration in cells from control rats, but was accelerated in cells from adrenalectomized rats. It is concluded that impaired activation of phosphorylase kinase contributes to the reduced glucagon stimulation of hepatic glycogenolysis in adrenalectomized rats. The possible role of changes in phosphorylase phosphatase is discussed.

Adrenalectomy

Liver phosphorylase b kinase. Cyclic-AMP-mediated activation and properties of the partially purified rat-liver enzyme.

Phosphorylase b kinase was extensively purified from rat liver. It was located in a form which could be activated 20--30-fold by a preincubation with adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate (cyclic AMP) and ATP-Mg. This activation was time-dependent, and was paralleled by a simultaneous incorporation of 32P from [gamma-32P]ATP into two polypeptides which comigrated in sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis with the alpha and beta subunits of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase b kinase. The liver enzyme was eluted from Sepharose 4B and Bio-Gel A-50m columns at the same place as muscle phosphorylase b kinase, which is indicative of a molecular weight of 1.3 x 10(6). After activation, the most purified liver preparation had a specific activity about 10-fold less than the homogeneous muscle enzyme at pH 8.2. The inactive enzyme form had a pronounced pH optimum around pH 6.0, whereas the activated form was mostly active above neutral pH. The activation of the enzyme reduced the Km for its substrate phosphorylase b severalfold. Liver phosphorylase b kinase was shown to be partially dependent on Ca2+ ions for its activity: addition of 0.5 mM [ethylenebis-(oxoethylenenitrilo)]tetraacetic acid (EGTA) to the phosphorylase b kinase assay increased the Km for phosphorylase b about twofold for both the inactive and the activated form of liver phosphorylase b kinase, but affected the V of the inactive species only.

Animals

The rate of calcium uptake into sarcoplasmic reticulum of cardiac muscle and skeletal muscle. Effects of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and phosphorylase b kinase.

Calcium transport into sarcoplasmic reticulum fragments isolated from dog cardiac and mixed skeletal muscle (quadriceps) and from mixed fast (tibialis), pure fast (caudofemoralis) and pure slow (soleus) skeletal muscles from the cat was studied. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and phosphorylase b kinase stimulated the rate of calcium transport although some variability was observed. A specific protein kinase inhibitor prevented the effect of protein kinase but not of phosphorylase b kinase. The addition of cyclic AMP to the sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations in the absence of protein kinase had only a slight stimulatory effect despite the presence of endogenous protein kinase. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase catalyzed the phosphorylation of several components present in the sarcoplasmic reticulum fragments; a 19000 to 21 000 dalton peak was phosphorylated with high specific activity in sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations isolated from heart and from slow skeletal muscle, but not from fast skeletal muscle. Phosphorylase b kinase phosphorylated a peak of molecular weight 95000 in all of the preparations. Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase-stimulated phosphorylation was optimum at pH 6.8; phosphorylase b kinase phosphorylation had a biphasic curve in cardiac and slow skeletal muscle with optima at pH 6.8 and 8.0. The addition of exogenous phosphorylase b kinase or protein kinase increased the endogenous level of phosphorylation 25-100%. All sarcoplasmic reticulum preparations contained varying amounts of adenylate cyclase, phosphorylase b and a (b:a = 30.1), "debrancher" enzyme and glycogen (0.3 mg/mg protein), as well as varying amounts of protein kinase and phosphorylase b kinase which were responsible for a significant endogenous phosphorylation. Thus, the two phosphorylating enzymes stimulated calcium uptake in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of a variety of muscles possessing different physiologic characteristics and different responses to drugs. In addition, the phosphorylation catalyzed by these enzymes occurred at two different protein moieties which make physiologic interpretation of the role of phosphorylation difficult. While the role phosphorylation in these mechanisms is complex, the presence of a glycogenolytic enzyme system may be an important link in this phenomenon. The sarcoplasmic reticulum represents a new substrate for phosphorylase b kinase.

Animals

Regulation of platelet phosphorylase.

A sensitive fluorimetric enzyme assay was developed for study of activation of glycogen phosphorylase (EC 2.4.1.1) in intact platelets and in platelet extracts. Activity was calculated as AMP independent (activity in the absence of AMP), total (activity in the presence of 1 mM AMP), and AMP dependent (difference between AMP independent and total). The following observations were made with intact rat platelets. (1) Stimulation of platelets with thrombin caused a 7-fold increase in total activity, with increases in both AMP-dependent and AMP-independent activities. Maximum activation was obtained within 10 s after addition of thrombin. (2) The divalent cation ionophore A23187 caused a similar, though less pronounced, activation of phosphorylase. (3) Acceleration of glycogenolysis by inhibition of respiration with cyanide caused similar changes in phosphorylase activity but with the maximum effect observed only after 45 s. (4) Dibutyryl cyclic AMP had two effects; it partially activated phosphorylase and blocked further activation by thrombin, but not A23187. Similar effects were observed with human platelets, but low resting levels of phosphorylase activity could not be maintained so that changes were not as large as with rat platelets. Experiments with extracts of rat platelets gave the following results. (1) Phosphorylase activity in many extracts of non-stimulated platelets could be increased by incubation with Mg2+-ATP and Ca2+; ethyleneglycol-bis-(beta-aminoethylether)-N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) partially inhibited. (2) In some extracts there was essentially no activation by incubation with Mg2+-ATP and Ca2+, but addition of cyclic AMP GAVE PARTIAL ACTIVATIon while addition of rabbit muscle phosphorylase kinase gave full activation. (3) Incubation of extracts of thrombin-stimulated platelets caused conversion of AMP-dependent to AMP-indeptndent activity. It is concluded that platelet phosphorylase exists in an inactive and two active forms. Conversion of the inactive to the active forms and of the AMP-dependent to the AMP-independent form is catalyzed by a kinase(s) that requires Ca2+ for full activity and is activated through a cyclic AMP-mediated process. The major change following physiological stimulation is an increase in both active forms, with little change in their ratio.

Animals

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.

Animals

Conformational changes associated with transient activation of phosphorylase in glycogen particles. Studies using activity, electron-spin-resonance and phosphorus-nuclear-magnetic-resonance measurements.

1. Calcium-dependent transient phosphorylation of phorphorylase b has been monitored in a rabbit muscle glycogen particle fraction. Using a phosphorus nuclear magnetic resonance assay, the changes in concentrations of small phosphate-containing metabolites associated with this event have been measured. In addition, the conformation of phosphorylase has been monitored during transient activation by observing changes in the electron spin resonance signal from added spin-labelled phosphorylase. 2. The transient activation was associated with a loss of glucose-6-phosphate from phosphorylase b; newly formed phosphorylase a binds the nucleotides ADP, AMP, or IMP. Because of the fast interconversion of these nucleotides the species bound to phosphorylase a change throughout the process. 3. Lowering the [Mg2+] : [Ca2+] ratio during transient activation causes accumulation of ADP. Electron spin resonance data from spin-labelled phosphorylase shows that, under these conditions, ADP binding to phosphorylase a is potentiated. 4. Calcium-dependent activation in the glycogen particle fraction is compared to the activation of phosphorylase in vivo.

Animals