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Phosphorylation of T antigen and p53 in carcinogen-treated SV40-transformed Chinese hamster cells.

SV40-transformed Chinese hamster C0631 cells pretreated with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) display SV40 DNA amplification. This study shows that following MNNG treatment elevated T antigen synthesis and a 4.5-fold reduction in the extent of its phosphorylation occurred in both pulse-labeled and steady-state-labeled cells. The decrease in phosphorylation was found to be inversely related to carcinogen concentration, i.e. an augmented carcinogen concentration brought about a gradual reduction in T antigen phosphorylation and elevated SV40 DNA amplification. Although the majority of phosphorylation sites on T antigen derived from carcinogen-treated cells were underexpressed, as demonstrated by two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping, peptide 12 bearing phosphoThrl24, which is known to be essential for DNA replication, was overexpressed. Carcinogen-treated cells showed no changes in p53 synthesis, but it was phosphorylated to a lesser degree. Two-dimensional mapping revealed that the predicted N-terminal major phosphopeptide of p53 extracted from C0631 cells exhibited a lower chromatographic mobility than p53 phosphopeptides from SV40-infected monkey BSC-1 cells. In treated C0631 cells the Rf value of this phosphopeptide was higher than that of control p53. This finding could be ascribed to the failure to phosphorylate the corresponding amino acid residue in this peptide. Moreover, treatment did not affect the halflife of either T antigen or p53 proteins, but caused a dramatic rise in the expression of small t antigen, presumably due to amplification of SV40 DNA.

Animals↗

High-throughput screening of the yeast kinome: identification of human serine/threonine protein kinases that phosphorylate the hepatitis C virus NS5A protein.

The hepatitis C virus NS5A protein plays a critical role in virus replication, conferring interferon resistance to the virus through perturbation of multiple intracellular signaling pathways. Since NS5A is a phosphoprotein, it is of considerable interest to understand the role of phosphorylation in NS5A function. In this report, we investigated the phosphorylation of NS5A by taking advantage of 119 glutathione S-transferase-tagged protein kinases purified from Saccharomyces cerevisiae to perform a global screening of yeast kinases capable of phosphorylating NS5A in vitro. A database BLAST search was subsequently performed by using the sequences of the yeast kinases that phosphorylated NS5A in order to identify human kinases with the highest sequence homologies. Subsequent in vitro kinase assays and phosphopeptide mapping studies confirmed that several of the homologous human protein kinases were capable of phosphorylating NS5A. In vivo phosphopeptide mapping revealed phosphopeptides common to those generated in vitro by AKT, p70S6K, MEK1, and MKK6, suggesting that these kinases may phosphorylate NS5A in mammalian cells. Significantly, rapamycin, an inhibitor commonly used to investigate the mTOR/p70S6K pathway, reduced the in vivo phosphorylation of specific NS5A phosphopeptides, strongly suggesting that p70S6 kinase and potentially related members of this group phosphorylate NS5A inside the cell. Curiously, certain of these kinases also play a major role in mRNA translation and antiapoptotic pathways, some of which are already known to be regulated by NS5A. The findings presented here demonstrate the use of high-throughput screening of the yeast kinome to facilitate the major task of identifying human NS5A protein kinases for further characterization of phosphorylation events in vivo. Our results suggest that this novel approach may be generally applicable to the screening of other protein biochemical activities by mechanistic class.

Animals↗

In vivo phosphorylation of liver glycogen synthase. Effect of glucose and glucagon treatment of liver cells on the distribution of the [32P]phosphate.

Glycogen synthase was phosphorylated in vivo by perfusing rat liver or incubating liver cells with [32P]phosphate. It was then isolated by immunoprecipitation and subjected to exhaustive tryptic proteolysis. The trypsin-derived [32P]phosphopeptides were separated by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Incubation of in vivo phosphorylated synthase with endogenous synthase phosphatase to convert synthase D to synthase R resulted in removal of phosphate from all of the labeled phosphopeptides. In prelabeled liver cells treated with glucagon or glucose, the activities of synthase and phosphorylase changed in the direction expected. The total labeling in the immunoprecipitated synthase was found to be increased to 126% and decreased to 67% of the control with glucagon and glucose treatment, respectively. When the HPLC [32P]phosphopeptide profile of synthase from glucagon-treated animals was compared with that of controls, there were only minor differences in the two profiles. All the peaks were present and the proportion of labeling in each remained similar. There also was only a modest change in the [32P]phosphopeptide profile with glucose treatment when compared with that of controls. These results indicate that regulation of synthase activity in the hepatocyte involves changes in phosphorylation at multiple sites. Indeed, in 32P-labeled liver cells, all of the labeled sites appeared to be involved.

Animals↗

Peptide-based phosphoproteomics with immobilized metal ion chromatography.

The identification of protein phosphorylation sites has always been a challenging task, traditionally involving large amounts of radioactive phosphorus and high-performance liquid chromatography separation and Edman sequencing of phosphopeptides. The rapid development of mass spectrometric methods has advanced protein research significantly, and the identification of in vivo post-translational modifications of even rare proteins is now possible. Even with the new generation of machines, however, phosphopeptides do not lend themselves easily to mass spectrometric analysis. In complex mixtures of peptides, phosphopeptides are often difficult to detect because of suppression effects during ionization. This problem can be largely solved by affinity purification/enrichment of the phosphopeptides, and immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) on chelated Fe3+ or other metal ions has emerged as the simplest and most useful method. IMAC has been useful to identify several in vivo phosphorylation sites of individual proteins, but is easier to apply to complex mixtures. We describe a complete protocol as it has been used for Arabidopsis plasma membranes, and note where it can be adapted for soluble protein mixtures.

Arabidopsis↗

Specific phosphorylation of a COOH-terminal site on the full-length form of the alpha 1 subunit of the skeletal muscle calcium channel by cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

The primary (alpha 1) subunit of purified skeletal muscle dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels is present in full-length (212 kDa) and truncated (190 kDa) forms which are both phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cA-PK) in vitro. In the present study, phosphorylation of the purified calcium channel by cA-PK followed by immunoprecipitation, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping revealed differential phosphorylation of the related 190- and 212-kDa forms. The 190-kDa form of the alpha 1 subunit was phosphorylated on three major and three minor tryptic phosphopeptides; the 212-kDa form was phosphorylated on all six of these phosphopeptides plus two that were unique. Time course experiments showed that a single site on the COOH-terminal portion of the full-length form of the alpha 1 subunit is most intensely and rapidly (within 10 s) phosphorylated. Phosphorylation occurs almost exclusively on this COOH-terminal site unless harsh conditions such as treatment with denaturing detergents are employed to expose phosphorylation sites within the 190-kDa segment of the molecule. Elution of phosphopeptides from the second dimension chromatograph followed by immunoprecipitation with an anti-peptide antibody (anti-CP1) directed against the COOH-terminal amino acid sequence enabled us to identify this major phosphorylation site as serine 1854. The nearby consensus sites for cA-PK phosphorylation at serines 1757 and 1772 were phosphorylated only after denaturation or proteolytic cleavage. Phosphorylation of serine 1854 may play a pivotal role in the regulation of calcium channel function by cA-PK.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Site-specific phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase after KCl depolarization and nerve growth factor treatment of PC12 cells.

The phosphorylation and activation of tyrosine hydroxylase was examined in PC12 cells following depolarization with KCl or treatment with nerve growth factor. Both treatments activate tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and increase enzyme phosphorylation. Site-specific analysis of the tryptic phosphopeptides of TH isolated from [32P]phosphate-labeled PC12 cells demonstrated that the major phosphorylated peptide (termed "H25") did not contain any of the previously reported phosphorylation sites. Phosphoamino acid analysis of this peptide demonstrated that the phosphorylated residue was a serine. Synthetic tryptic peptides containing putative phosphorylation sites were prepared, and subjected to high performance liquid chromatography analysis and isoelectric focusing. The tryptic phosphopeptide containing serine 31 comigrated with the H25 peptide during both of these analytical techniques. The tryptic phosphopeptide produced by the phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase by the recently discovered proline-directed protein kinase and the phosphorylated synthetic phosphopeptide TH2-12 are clearly separated from H25 by this analysis. We conclude that serine 31 is phosphorylated during KCl depolarization and nerve growth factor treatment of PC12 cells and that this phosphorylation is responsible for the activation of tyrosine hydroxylase. Since this site is not located in a sequence selective for any of the "classical" protein kinases, we suggest that a novel protein kinase may be responsible for the phosphorylation of this site. Since serine 31 has a proline residue on the carboxyl-terminal side, the possibility that this kinase may be related to the recently reported proline-directed protein kinase is discussed. Other sites that are also phosphorylated on TH during KCl depolarization include serine 19, which is known to be phosphorylated by calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. A schematic model for the regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase activity by phosphorylation of the NH2-terminal regulatory domain is presented.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗

Phosphorylation of the amino-terminal head domain of the middle molecular mass 145-kDa subunit of neurofilaments. Evidence for regulation by second messenger-dependent protein kinases.

To begin to understand the regulation and roles of neurofilament phosphorylation, we localized the phosphorylated domains on the 140-145-kDa neurofilament subunit (NF-M) and identified the protein kinases that may specifically phosphorylate the sites within these domains in vivo. Mouse retinal ganglion cells were labeled in vivo by injecting mice intravitreally with [32P]orthophosphate, and neurofilament-enriched fractions were obtained from the optic axons. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide map analysis of NF-M after digestion with alpha-chymotrypsin and trypsin revealed seven major (M8-M14) and at least eight minor (M1-M7 and M15) phosphopeptides. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide map analyses of NF-M phosphorylated in vitro by individual purified or endogenous axonal cytoskeleton-associated protein kinases showed that five peptides (M9-M13) were substrates for the heparin-sensitive second messenger-independent protein kinase(s). Protein kinase A and/or protein kinase C phosphorylated eight other peptides (M1-M8). Two alpha-chymotryptic peptides (C1 and C2) that were phosphorylated by protein kinase A but not by the endogenous independent kinase(s) were isolated by high performance liquid chromatography on a reverse-phase C8 column. Partial sequence analysis of peptides C1 (S R V S G P S ...) and C2 (S R G S P S T V S ...) showed that the peptides were localized on the head domain of NF-M at 25 and 41 residues from the amino terminus, respectively. Tryptic digest of peptide C1 (less than 12 kDa) generated the phosphopeptides M1-M6. Peptide C2 was a breakdown product of peptide C1. Since the polypeptide sites targeted by second messenger-independent kinase(s) associated with neurofilaments are localized on the carboxyl-terminal domain, separate aspects of NF-M function appear to be regulated by separate kinase systems that selectively phosphorylate head or tail domains of the polypeptide.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phosphorylation of synapsin I at a novel site by proline-directed protein kinase.

Previous studies identified synapsin I as a potential substrate for a newly discovered growth factor-sensitive, proline-directed protein kinase originally isolated from rat pheochromocytoma. The present study describes the site-specific phosphorylation of synapsin I by highly purified preparations of proline-directed protein kinase. The incorporation of [32P]phosphate into bovine brain synapsin I was dependent upon both the amount of kinase present and the time of incubation. The maximum stoichiometry of phosphorylation approached 1 mol of phosphate/mol of synapsin I protein. When analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-gel electrophoresis and autoradiography, [32P]phosphate was found to be incorporated into both synapsin Ia and Ib. Phosphoamino acid analysis demonstrated that serine residues were phosphorylated exclusively. Digestion of phosphorylated synapsin I with trypsin followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) phosphopeptide analysis indicated that the tryptic peptide containing the major phosphorylation site eluted as a single peak at approximately 17% acetonitrile. The primary structure of this phosphopeptide, determined by gas-phase sequencing, was found to be Gln-Ser-Arg-Pro-Val-Ala-Gly-Gly-Pro-Gly-Ala-Pro-Pro-Ala-Thr-Arg-Pro-Pro- Ala-Ser-Pro-Ser-Pro-Gln-Arg. Sequential Edman degradation of this HPLC-purified tryptic phosphopeptide revealed that serine 20 of this peptide was the major phosphorylated residue. This phosphoacceptor site is immediately flanked by a carboxyl-terminal proline residue, an observation that further verifies the proline-directed nature of this protein kinase. The tryptic phosphopeptide corresponds exactly to a sequence in the collagenase-sensitive, proline-rich "tail" region of bovine synapsin I. This novel phosphorylation site is close to but distinct from phosphorylation sites 2 and 3, which are known to be phosphorylated by calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and are considered to be of regulatory importance.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of rat brain sodium channels by cAMP-dependent protein kinase at a new site containing Ser686 and Ser687.

The alpha subunit of the rat brain sodium channel is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro and in situ at multiple sites which yield seven tryptic phosphopeptides. Phosphopeptides 1-4 and 7 are derived from phosphorylation sites between residues 554 and 623 in a single large CNBr fragment from the cytoplasmic segment connecting homologous domains I and II of the alpha subunit (Rossie, S., Gordon, D., and Catterall, W. A. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 17530-17535). In the present work, antibodies were prepared against a synthetic peptide corresponding to residues 676-692 (AbSP15), which contain one additional potential phosphorylation site at Ser686-Ser687 in a different predicted CNBr fragment of this same intracellular segment. AbSP15 recognizes native and denatured sodium channels specifically and immunoprecipitates phosphorylated CNBr fragments of low molecular mass that contain a new site phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Comparison of tryptic phosphopeptides derived from intact alpha subunits with those derived from the phosphorylated CNBr fragments isolated by immunoprecipitation with AbSP15 indicates that the two previously unidentified phosphopeptides 5 and 6 derived from the intact alpha subunit arise from phosphorylation of the site containing Ser686-Ser687. These results identify a new cAMP-dependent phosphorylation site and show that the major cAMP-dependent phosphorylation sites of the rat brain sodium channel, which are phosphorylated both in vitro and in intact neurons, are all located in a cluster between residues 554 and 687 in the intracellular segment between domains I and II.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phorbol esters stimulate phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factors 3, 4B, and 4F.

Eukaryotic initiation factor (eIF) 4F, a multiprotein cap binding complex, was isolated by m7 GTP-Sepharose affinity chromatography from rabbit reticulocytes incubated with [32P]orthophosphate. Following treatment of reticulocytes with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) for 30 min, stimulation of phosphorylation of both the p25 and p220 subunits was observed (2.5-5-fold). Two variants were observed for p25 in the absence and presence of PMA when analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Only the more acidic of these was phosphorylated, with the level of phosphorylation increased upon PMA treatment. One main variant was observed for p220; following PMA stimulation, in addition to increased labeling of this variant, two more acidic phosphorylated variants were observed. Low levels of eIF-3 and -4B were associated with purified eIF-4F, and PMA treatment stimulated phosphorylation of eIF-3 (p170) by 2-4-fold and eIF-4B by 1.5-2.5 fold. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping of p25 phosphorylated in the absence or presence of PMA generated a single tryptic phosphopeptide, suggesting a single phosphorylation site. A more complex phosphopeptide map was observed with p220 subunit. The maps for both subunits contained the same phosphopeptides as those obtained when eIF-4F was phosphorylated in vitro by the Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase, indicating this protein kinase directly modulated eIF-4F in response to PMA.

Animals↗

Autophosphorylation of the alpha subunit of phosphorylase kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle.

The autophosphorylation of the alpha subunit of phosphorylase kinase occurs simultaneously at multiple sites during incorporation of the first mol of phosphate. The predominant and initial autophosphorylation site on this subunit is different than the major site phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, which also phosphorylates multiple sites, as evidenced by two-dimensional phosphopeptide maps. All of the sites on the alpha subunit phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase comigrate on peptide maps with autophosphorylation phosphopeptides; however, several phosphopeptides observed after autophosphorylation are not evident following phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The phosphopeptide maps of the alpha subunit are the same whether autophosphorylation is carried out at pH 6.8 or 8.2 or whether MnATP is used instead of MgATP; there is only a slight difference in the maps brought about by EGTA-insensitive autophosphorylation. The autophosphorylation is shown to be an intrinsic activity of the phosphorylase kinase molecule; this conclusion is based on the observed copurification of the autophosphorylation activity with activities toward phosphorylase b and kappa-casein and the unaltered influence of various effectors on these activities throughout different sequential adsorption chromatography purification steps. Additional support to that already in the literature that the initial autophosphorylation events are predominantly intramolecular is gained by showing that previously autophosphorylated enzyme has little ability to catalyze the phosphorylation of nonphosphorylated enzyme.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Expression, purification, and characterization of SH2-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase, SH-PTP2.

A human protein tyrosine phosphatase containing two src homology 2 (SH2) domains (SH-PTP2) was expressed in Escherichia coli under T7 promoter control and purified to near homogeneity. The purified protein, with molecular mass of 68 kDa on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, was identified as SH-PTP2 by its protein tyrosine phosphatase activity and N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis. Its protein tyrosine phosphatase activity was sensitive to pH and salt concentration. Whereas its optimum pH for the low molecular weight substrate para-nitrophenyl phosphate is 5.6, the pH optima for peptide substrates were shifted toward neutral. With the artificial protein substrate reduced, carboxyamidomethylated, and maleylated lysozyme, it displays 2000-fold lower Km (1.7 microM) and 2.4-fold higher kcat (0.11 s-1) than with para-nitrophenyl phosphate. Among the phosphopeptides from autophosphorylation sites of receptors for epidermal growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor, SH-PTP2 displayed high activity toward phosphopeptides corresponding to pY992 of the epidermal growth factor receptor and pY1009 and pY1021 of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor. In further enzymatic studies with phosphopeptides corresponding to pY1009, SH-PTP2 showed nonlinear Line-weaver-Burk double-reciprocal plots, suggesting that the phosphopeptide corresponding to pY1009 may have a substrate and allosteric effect.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phosphorylation of the insulin receptor substrate IRS-1 by casein kinase II.

IRS-1, a principal substrate of the insulin receptor, is phosphorylated on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues in a variety of tissues during insulin stimulation. Casein kinase II, an insulin-sensitive serine/threonine kinase, catalyzed the in vitro incorporation of 1 to 2 mol of phosphate/mol of recombinant rat IRS-1. Two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping of IRS-1 phosphorylated by casein kinase II in vitro and IRS-1 immunoprecipitated from intact Chinese hamster ovary cells demonstrated multiple common phosphopeptides, suggesting that overexpressed IRS-1 is a substrate for casein kinase II in these cells. Moreover, the common phosphopeptides that appeared to be insulin-sensitive in intact cells comprised 22% of casein kinase II-catalyzed 32P incorporation into IRS-1 in vitro. These data suggest that casein kinase II mediates a portion of the insulin-stimulated serine/threonine phosphorylation of overexpressed IRS-1 in vivo. By using phosphoamino acid analysis, strong cation exchange analysis, manual Edman degradation, and automated amino acid sequencing, Thr-502 was identified as the major casein kinase II-catalyzed phosphorylation site in rat IRS-1. Furthermore, Ser-99, an additional site labeled at low yield, appeared to be contained in an insulin-sensitive phosphopeptide. Thus, casein kinase II-catalyzed phosphorylation of IRS-1 may be a component of the intracellular insulin signalling cascade.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Characterization of phosphoproteins from electrophoretic gels by nanoscale Fe(III) affinity chromatography with off-line mass spectrometry analysis.

Detailed characterization of phosphoproteins as well as other post-translationally modified proteins is required to fully understand protein function and regulatory events in cells and organisms. Here we present a mass spectrometry (MS) based experimental strategy for the identification and mapping of phosphorylation site(s) using only low-picomole amounts of phosphoprotein starting material. Miniaturized sample preparation methods for MS facilitated localization of phosphorylation sites in phosphoproteins isolated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Custom made, nanoscale immobilized Fe(III) affinity chromatography (Fe(III)-IMAC) columns were employed for enrichment of phosphorylated peptides from crude peptide mixtures prior to off-line analysis by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) MS or nanoelectrospray tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). An optimized and sensitive procedure for alkaline phosphatase treatment of peptide mixtures was implemented, which in combination with nano-scale Fe(III)-IMAC and MALDI-MS allowed unambiguous identification of phosphopeptides by observation of 80 Da mass shifts. Nanoelectrospray MS/MS was used for phosphopeptide sequencing for exact determination of phosphorylation sites. The advantages and limitations of the experimental strategy was demonstrated by enrichment, identification and sequencing of phosphopeptides from the model proteins ovalbumin and bovine beta-casein isolated by gel electrophoresis. Furthermore, an autophosphorylation site at Ser-3 in recombinant human casein kinase-2 beta subunit was determined. The potential of miniaturized Fe(III)-IMAC and MALDI-MS for characterization of in vivo phosphorylated proteins was demonstrated by identification of tryptic phosphopeptides derived from the human p47/phox phosphoprotein isolated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Identification of protein phosphorylation sites by combination of elastase digestion, immobilized metal affinity chromatography, and quadrupole-time of flight tandem mass spectrometry.

Using the combination of in-gel elastase digestion, immobilized metal affinity chromatography and high resolution electrospray tandem mass spectrometry, the phosphorylation sites of two phosphoproteins were determined. Complete coverage of all phosphorylation sites (Ser10, Ser139, Thr197, Ser338) of the model phosphoprotein protein kinase A C(alpha)-subunit could be achieved by this strategy in the low picomole range. In addition, three previously unknown phosphorylation sites of the human transcription initiation factor TIF-IA (Ser44, Ser170, Ser172) were determined in this way. Both phosphoproteins could be identified in a protein database on the basis of their elastase generated phosphopeptides alone. The data of seven phosphopeptides were used for identification of protein kinase A, and those of two phosphopeptides for TIF-IA, respectively. The accurate mass data of the electrospray mass spectra recorded at high resolution are extremely useful for sequencing of the elastase generated phosphopeptides and for protein identification by database searching.

Chromatography, Affinity↗

Bioactive peptides derived from milk proteins. Structural, physiological and analytical aspects.

The primary function of dietary proteins is to supply the body adequately with indispensable amino acids and organic nitrogen. Little attention has been paid up to date to milk proteins, in particular caseins, that are currently the main source of biologically active peptides, although other animal as well as vegetable proteins are known to contain potentially bioactive sequences. Such regulatory peptides can be released by enzymatic proteolysis of caseins in vitro and in vivo and may act as potential physiological modulators of metabolism during the intestinal digestion of the diet. It has been proved that bioactive peptides derived from caseins, such as beta-casomorphins and phosphopeptides, can be released during gastrointestinal passage. It is also evident that peptides originating from food proteins should be taken into account as potential modulators of various regulatory processes in the body. The possible regulatory effects concern nutrient uptake (phosphopeptides, casomorphins), postprandial hormone secretion (casomorphins), immune defense (immunopeptides, casokinins, casomorphins) and neuroendocrine information transfer (casokinins). The advances in the research field of bioactive peptides are driven by a molecular understanding of biological processes, and analytical techniques are a critical component of this understanding. Different up-to-date methods, including peptide synthesis and immunochemistry, have been applied to the chemical characterization of bioactive peptides. Especially casein derived peptides have already found interesting applications, both as dietary supplements (phosphopeptides) and as pharmaceutical preparations (phosphopeptides, beta-casomorphins). The question of 'what kinds of bioactive peptides are beneficial and desirable as food constituents or as drugs' should be always carefully examined. However, the possibilities for the design of dietary products and 'natural' drugs look promising.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Phosphorylation of specific sites in the gag-myc polyproteins encoded by MC29-type viruses correlates with their transforming ability.

The putative transforming proteins of the four acute leukaemia viruses belonging to the MC29 subgroup were shown to be phosphorylated in vivo. Comparison of the MC29 and CM11 encoded phosphoproteins revealed identical tryptic phosphopeptide maps, with both the gag and myc domains being phosphorylated. In contrast, the MH2 phosphoprotein was only phosphorylated on the gag domain. Analysis of partial transformation-defective MC29 deletion mutants revealed that the deletions had removed the v-myc specific phosphopeptides. Phosphoamino acid analysis showed that these deleted phosphopeptides were phosphorylated on threonine. Moreover, a back mutant that had regained transforming ability had regained these phosphopeptides. These studies correlate the phosphorylation of the gag-myc protein with the transformation capability of the virus.

Amino Acids↗

Protein kinase A phosphorylation characterized by tandem Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

A microelectrospray ionization tandem Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (ESI FT-ICR MS(n)) approach for structural characterization of protein phosphorylation is described. Identification of proteolytic peptides is based solely upon mass measurement by high field (9.4 Tesla) FT-ICR MS. The location of the modification within any phosphopeptide is then established by FT-ICR MS(2) and MS(3) experiments. Structural information is maximized by use of electron capture dissociation (ECD) and/or infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD). The analytical utility of the method is demonstrated by characterization of protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation. In a single FT-ICR MS experiment, 30 PKA tryptic peptides (including three phosphopeptides) were mass measured by internal calibration to within an absolute mean error of |0.7 ppm|. The location of each of the three sites of phosphorylation was then determined by MS(2) and MS(3) experiments, in which ECD and IRMPD provide complementary peptide sequence information. In two out of three cases, electron irradiation of a phosphopeptide [M + nH](n+) ion produced an abundant charge-reduced [M + nH]((n-1)+*) ion, but few sequence-specific c and z(*) fragment ions. Subsequent IRMPD (MS(3)) of the charge-reduced radical ion resulted in the detection of a large number of ECD-type ion products (c and z ions), but no b or y type ions. The utility of activated ion ECD for the characterization of tryptic phosphopeptides was then demonstrated.

Amino Acid Sequence↗