Changes in the protein kinase C activity or rat sternomastoid muscle during development and after denervation

Summary The relationship between the activity of protein kinase C (PKC) and muscle innervation was explored in the rat sternomastoid muscle (SM) from day 18 of gestation (E18) to adult age. Between E18 and birth, PKC activity rose 5-fold, and during the day after birth, diminished to a level characteristic of the mature muscle. The rise chiefly occurred in the neural part of the muscle, in both the membrane and the cytosol fractions. Between E18 and day 5 after birth, the ratios of membrane to cytosol PKC activity rose from 0.5 to 10 and 3 respectively in the neural and aneural parts of the muscle. Denervation of adult SM reduced PKC activity by half in the membrane fraction of the neural part but did not significantly change it in the membrane or cytosol fractions of the aneural parts. These results suggest that innervation plays an important part in determining the level of PKC activity in muscle.     

Inhibition of invasion and intraerythrocytic development ofPlasmodium falciparum by kinase inhibitors

We have examined the effects of seven protein kinase inhibitors (staurosporine, genistein, methyl 2,5-dihydroxycinnamate, tyrphostins B44 and B46, lavendustin A and R03) on the erythrocytic cycle of the malaria parasite,Plasmodium falciparum. One (staurosporine) strongly inhibits serine/threonine kinases, but the remainder all exhibit a strong preference for tyrosine kinases. We have been able to discriminate between effects on invasion and on intraerythrocytic development. All reagents impeded development of intraerythrocytic parasites, though at widely differing concentrations, from the sub-micromolar to the millimolar. Several inhibitors, including staurosporine, also reduced invasion. The phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, had a strong inhibitory effect both on invasion and development. The regulation of malaria development by phosphorylation or dephosphorylation reactions at several points in the blood-stage cycle is implied.     

Conservation,evolution, and specificity in cellular control by protein phosphorylation

The glycolytic control enzyme phosphofructokinase from the parasitic nematodeAscaris lumbricodies is regulated by reversible phosphorylation. The enzyme is phosphorylated by an atypical cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase whose substrate specificity deviates from that of the mammalian protein kinase. This variation is explained by structural peculiarities on the surface part of the catalytic groove of the protein kinase. Also, the protein phosphatases responsible for the reversal of phosphorylation appear to act specifically in glycolysis and are different from those participating in regulation of glycogenolysis.     

北京棒杆菌天冬氨酸激酶突变体A380H的酶学性质

同源序列比对和蛋白质结构分析表明,A380为天冬氨酸激酶(aspartate kinase,AK)的绝对保守位点,对该位点进行定点突变、分离纯化和性质表征.结果表明:与野生型(WT)相比,突变体A380H的V_(max)提高4.28倍;突变体A380H的最适温度由28℃提高至35℃,最适pH值仍为7.5,半衰期由4.5h缩短至3.5h;底物抑制剂对WT和突变体均有抑制作用,苏氨酸和赖氨酸呈协同抑制作用,苏氨酸单独存在时对A380H具有激活或抑制减弱作用;Mg~(2+),Ni ~(2+)对WT有激活作用,1,5mmol/L的Cu~(2+)对A380H有激活作用;与WT相比,甲醇和异丙醇对A380H的抑制作用增强,正丁醇和乙腈对A380H的抑制作用减弱且表现出激活作用.     

水稻蛋白质激酶CK2催化亚基的表达和活性测定

用RT-PCR的方法分离到了水稻蛋白质激酶CK2催化亚基（OsCK2α）的cDNA,通过大肠杆菌高效表达系统表达了OsCK2α,并利用亲合层析的方法纯化了重组蛋白质GST—OsCK2α．得到的大肠杆菌重组蛋白质GST—OsCK2α能够体外磷酸化CK2的常用底物酪蛋白,并且该磷酸化反应能够被CK2的特异性抑制剂肝素所抑制,研究表明重组CK2α具有典型的蛋白质激酶CK2的活性,为研究水稻CK2及其底物的功能奠定了基础．     

Novel regulation and function of Src tyrosine kinase

Src tyrosine kinase is a critical signal transducer that modulates a wide variety of cellular functions. Misregulation of Src leads to cell transformation and cancer. Heterotrimeric guanine-nucleotide-binding proteins (G proteins) are another group of signaling molecules that transduce signals from cell-surface receptors to generate physiological responses. Recently, it was discovered that Gαs and Gαi could directly stimulate Src family tyrosine kinase activity. This novel regulation of Src tyrosine kinase by G proteins provides insights into the adenylyl cyclase-independent signaling mechanisms involved in ligand-induced receptor desensitization, internalization and other physiological processes. Received 17 August 2001; received after revision 22 October 2001; accepted 24 October 2001     

Specific localization of the catalytic subunits of protein kinase CK2 at the centrosomes

The protein kinase CK2 holoenzyme is composed of two regulatory β subunits and two catalytic α or α' subunits. Although experimental evidence for involvement of the enzyme in the regulation of cell proliferation is accumulating, the exact mechanism of its action is still unclear. The subcellular localization of the enzyme may be a key to its function. We have recently shown that the CK2 holoenzyme is tightly associated with the Golgi complex and the endoplasmic reticulum. Centrosomes, which organize spindle formation during the cell cycle and microtubule cytoskeleton formation and, thereby, the location and orientation of different organelles in the cell, are in close vicinity to the Golgi complex. Because several kinases and phosphatases have been described to regulate the functions of the centrosome, we analysed the association of CK2 with these organelles. Using biochemical cell fractionation and coimmunoprecipitation, we never found the holoenzyme but only the catalytic asubunits associated with the centrosome. These data were confirmed by immunoelectron microscopy. Thus, the present data point to a particular role of the catalytic α and α' subunit of protein kinase CK2, which may be different from their roles in the holoenzyme. Received 2 August 2002; received after revision 2 October 2002; accepted 22 October 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author.     

抗三尖杉酯碱的HL60细胞蛋白质磷酸化

研究了抗三尖杉酯碱的ＨＬ６０细胞蛋白质磷酸化的变化。经差速离心得到纯膜蛋白，抗性细胞有一高度磷酸化的１１０ｋｕ的蛋白质存在，免疫沉淀ｃ－ＫＡＦ－１蛋白激酶，抗性细胞内ｃ－ＲＡＦ－１蛋白激酶磷酸化程度明显提高，其活性被蛋白激酶Ｃ抑制剂ＣａｌｐｈｏｓｔｉｎＣ明显地抑制。结果表明：ＨＬ６０细胞对三尖杉酯碱的抗药性与蛋白质高度磷酸化有关；抗性细胞内ｃ－ＲＡＦ－１蛋白激酶磷酸化程度明显提高，可能与多药抗药性和抗细胞调亡有关。