Ca2+-dependent protein kinase injection in a photoreceptor mimics biophysical effects of associative learning.

Iontophoretic injection of phosphorylase kinase, a Ca2+-calmodulin-dependent protein kinase, increased input resistance, enhanced the long-lasting depolarization component of the light response, and reduced the early transient outward K+ current, IA, and the late K+ currents, IB, in type B photoreceptors of Hermissenda crassicornis in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Since behavioral and biophysical studies have shown that similar membrane changes persist after associative conditioning, these results suggest that Ca2+-dependent protein phosphorylation could mediate the long-term modulation of specific K+ channels as a step in the generation of a coditioned behavioral change.

The interplay between covalent and non-covalent regulation of glycogen phosphorylase. The role of different effectors of phosphorylase b on the phosphorylase b to a conversion rate.

Glycogen phosphorylase b is converted to glycogen phosphorylase a, the covalently activated form of the enzyme, by phosphorylase kinase. Glc-6-P, which is an allosteric inhibitor of phosphorylase b, and glycogen, which is a substrate of this enzyme, are already known to have respectively an inhibiting and activating effect upon the rate of conversion from phosphorylase b to phosphorylase a by phosphorylase kinase. In the former case, this effect is due to the binding of glucose-6-phosphate to glycogen phosphorylase b. In order to investigate whether or not the rate of conversion of glycogen phosphorylase b to phosphorylase a depends on the conformational state of the b substrate, we have tested the action of the most specific effectors of glycogen phosphorylase b activity upon the rate of conversion from phosphorylase b to phosphorylase a at 0 degrees C and 22 degrees C : AMP and other strong activators, IMP and weak activators, Glc-6-P, glycogen. Glc-1-P and phosphate. AMP and strong activators have a very important inhibitory effect at low temperature, but not at room temperature, whereas the weak activators have always a very weak, if even existing, inhibitory effect at both temperatures. We confirmed the very strong inhibiting effect of Glc-6-P at both temperatures, and the strong activating effect of glycogen. We have shown that phosphate has a very strong inhibitory effect, whereas Glc-1-P has an activating effect only at room temperature and at non-physiological concentrations. The concomitant effects of substrates and nucleotides have also been studied. The observed effects of all these ligands may be either direct ones on phosphorylase kinase, or indirect ones, the ligand modifying the conformation of phosphorylase b and its interaction with phosphorylase kinase. Since we have no control experiments with a peptidic fragment of phosphorylase b, the interpretation of our results remains putative. However, the differential effects observed with different nucleotides are in agreement with the simple conformational scheme proposed earlier. Therefore, it is suggested that phosphorylase kinase recognizes differently the different conformations of glycogen phosphorylase b. In agreement with such an explanation, it is shown that the inhibiting effect of AMP is mediated by a slow isomerisation which has been previously ascribed to a quaternary conformational change of glycogen phosphorylase b. The results presented here (in particular, the important effect of glycogen and phosphate) are also discussed in correlation with the physiological role of the different ligands as regulatory signals in the in vivo situation where phosphorylase is inserted into the glycogen particle.

Stimulation of calcium accumulation in cardiac sarcolemma by phosphorylase kinase.

After incubation with phosphorylase kinase, calcium accumulation in cardiac sarcolemma was increased from 65+/-2 to 95+/-3nmol/10min per mg of protein. Under these conditions, phosphorylase kinase catalysed phosphorylation of membranes. This phosphorylation was hydroxylamine-insensitive, was stimulated by Ca2+ ions and was unaffected by 3':5'-cyclic AMP.

Induction of meiosis by injection of heterologous protein kinase and phosphorylase kinase in Xenopus laevis oocytes.

Meiosis reinitiation has been triggered by injection of beef heart protein kinase or rabbit phosphorylase kinase into Xenopus laevis oocytes. Successful injections are followed by germinal vesicle breakdown, chromosome condensation, formation of a normal meiotic spindle, and appearance of an amplifiable maturation promoting factor. Meiosis reinitiation does not occur when the enzymes are introduced into the oocytes simultaneously with EGTA or after pretreatment with cycloheximide. Antipain, an antiprotease which abolishes the response of oocytes to progesterone, does not suppress the meiosis reinitiation induced by injection of protein kinase or phosphorylase kinase.

Regulation by phosphorylase kinase of phosphoprotein phosphatase activity: simultaneous control of protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in skeletal muscle.

Phosphorylase kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle inhibited the dephosphorylation of phosphorylase a by phosphoprotein phosphatase. Phosphorylation (activation) of phosphorylase kinase by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase greatly increased this inhibitory effect. Thus, phosphoprotein phosphatase is inhibited by phosphorylase kinase in a reversible manner (Gergely et al. (1976) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 429 809-816). In this paper the regulation by phosphorylase kinase at phosphoprotein phosphatase activity in different fractions of muscle extract and in the presence of various ligands has been investigated. The presence of phosphorylase kinase also affected the ligand control of phosphatase activity. Phosphorylase kinase almost cancelled the inhibitory effect of AMP but hardly influenced the activating effect of glucose, glucose 6-phosphate and caffeine. Calmodulin, glycogen and phosphorylase b (effectors of phosphorylase kinase) did not influence the inhibitory effect of phosphorylase kinase. Fractions of muscle extract also demonstrated the regulatory role of phosphorylase kinase. These fractions contained considerable amounts of phosphorylase kinase and phosphatase. Phosphatase activity was inhibited by phosphorylation reactions triggered by Mg++ and ATP. Heat-stable inhibitors were absent from these fractions, therefore the transient inhibition of phosphatase could be attributed to the phosphorylation of endogenous phosphorylase kinase. The introduction between phosphorylase kinase and phosphatase resulted in a loss of AMP sensitivity, i.e. AMP did not inhibit the activity of phosphatase in those fractions. Our results imply that the phosphorylation of phosphorylase kinase is equally important both in the formation of enzymatically active phosphorylase a and in the inhibition of dephosphorylation of phosphorylase a. The consequence of these two effects is the elevated level of phosphorylase a.