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The glycogenic action of protein targeting to glycogen in hepatocytes involves multiple mechanisms including phosphorylase inactivation and glycogen synthase translocation.

Expression of the glycogen-targeting protein PTG promotes glycogen synthase activation and glycogen storage in various cell types. In this study, we tested the contribution of phosphorylase inactivation to the glycogenic action of PTG in hepatocytes by using a selective inhibitor of phosphorylase (CP-91149) that causes dephosphorylation of phosphorylase a and sequential activation of glycogen synthase. Similar to CP-91194, graded expression of PTG caused a concentration-dependent inactivation of phosphorylase and activation of glycogen synthase. The latter was partially counter-acted by the expression of muscle phosphorylase and was not additive with the activation by CP-91149, indicating that it is in part secondary to the inactivation of phosphorylase. PTG expression caused greater stimulation of glycogen synthesis and translocation of glycogen synthase than CP-91149, and the translocation of synthase could not be explained by accumulation of glycogen, supporting an additional role for glycogen synthase translocation in the glycogenic action of PTG. The effects of PTG expression on glycogen synthase and glycogen synthesis were additive with the effects of glucokinase expression, confirming the complementary roles of depletion of phosphorylase a (a negative modulator) and elevated glucose 6-phosphate (a positive modulator) in potentiating the activation of glycogen synthase. PTG expression mimicked the inactivation of phosphorylase caused by high glucose and counteracted the activation caused by glucagon. The latter suggests a possible additional role for PTG on phosphorylase kinase inactivation.

Adenoviridae↗

Hypoxia causes glycogenolysis without an increase in percent phosphorylase a in rat skeletal muscle.

Stimulation of skeletal muscle to contract activates phosphorylase b-to-a conversion and glycogenolysis. Despite reversal of the increase in percentage of phosphorylase a after a few minutes, continued glycogen breakdown can occur during strenuous exercise. Hypoxia causes sustained glycogenolysis in skeletal muscle without an increase in percentage of phosphorylase a. We used this model to obtain insights regarding how glycogenolysis is mediated in the absence of an increase in percentage of phosphorylase a. Hypoxia caused a 70% decrease in glycogen in epitrochlearis muscles during an 80-min incubation despite no increase in percentage of phosphorylase a above the basal level of approximately 10%. Muscle Pi concentration increased from 3.8 to 8.6 mumol/g muscle after 5 min and 15.7 mumol/g after 20 min. AMP concentration doubled, attaining a steady state of 0.23 mumol/g in 5 min. Incubation of oxygenated muscles with 0.1 microM epinephrine induced an approximately sixfold increase in percentage of phosphorylase a but resulted in minimal glycogenolysis. Muscle Pi concentration was not altered by epinephrine. Despite no increase in percentage of phosphorylase a, hypoxia resulted in a fivefold greater depletion of glycogen over 20 min than did epinephrine. To evaluate the role of phosphorylase b, muscles were loaded with 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate, which inhibits phosphorylase b. The rate of glycogenolysis during 60 min of hypoxia was reduced by only approximately 14% in 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate-loaded muscles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

[Conformational changes of spin-labeled native and modified phosphorylase B].

The phosphorylase B labelled with 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl-4-iodacetamide (phosphorylase I) and with 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-1-oxyl-4-ethylmaleinimide (phosphorylase II) was studied. It was shown that label I is characterized by a greater mobility with respect to the protein as compared to label II. In spin-labelled preparations of phosphorylase B the 1,5--2,0 SH-groups of the enzyme monomer having no effect on the enzyme activity were modified. The effects of AMP, glucose-1-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate on the EPR spectrum of phosphorylase I were studied. The greatest changes in the spectrum (especially in the high field line) were found to occur in the presence of glucose-6-phosphate. These changes are due to the increase in the degree of anisotropic spin rotation. The experimental and theoretical spectra allowing to determine the correlation time for the protein moiety (tau b = 160 ns) were shown to be similar. The local conformation changes were found to occur in the vicinity of one of the two label-bound SH-groups of phosphorylase I. The EPR spectra demonstrate the S-shaped dependence of mobility of phosphorylase I label on concentration of glucose-6-phosphate (0,1--10 mM). In the presence of AMP no S-shaped dependence is observed. Reduced NaBH4 phosphorylase I does not reveal the S-shaped dependence of the label mobility on concentration of glucose-6-phosphate. The degree of the label immobilization in the apo-phosphorylase I--pyridoxal-5-chloromethylphosphonate complex in the presence of glucose-6-phosphate and AMP is the same as in cholophosphorylase I; however, in contrast to the choloenzyme it does not depend on glucose-6-phosphate (0,1--10,0 mM). The changes in the mobility of the spin label of apophosphorylase I and its complex with the AMP analog--adenosine-5'-chloromethylphosphonate--during the choloenzyme reconstruction by pyridoxalphosphate are indicative of participation of AMP and the phosphate group of AMP in the formation of the enzyme active center.

Adenosine Monophosphate↗

Control of phosphorylase in cultured rat skeletal muscle cells. Changes in synthesis and degradation resulting from differentiation and muscle activity.

The control of phosphorylase levels was investigated in rat skeletal muscle cells developing in vitro. The amount of enzyme was directly measured after immunoprecipitation using specific antibodies. The rate of phosphorylase synthesis was estimated by measuring the initial rate of formation of [3H]phosphorylase after incubating cells with [3H]tyrosine. Rates of degradation were determined either from pulse-chase experiments using [3H]tyrosine or by the loss of enzymatic activity following inhibition of protein synthesis. A large increase in phosphorylase occurred at the time myoblasts were fusing into myotubes. The accumulation of enzyme was preceded by a marked increase in the synthetic rate and was associated with a severalfold increase in the half-life of the enzyme. Following fusion, the myotubes began to spontaneously contract, and shortly thereafter, decreases in both the half-life and amount of phosphorylase were observed. The paralytic agents tetrodotoxin and lidocaine were without effect on phosphorylase levels before the onset of spontaneous activity; however, both agents increased the amount of enzyme when added to contracting myotubes. Tetrodotoxin had little effect on synthesis of [3H]phosphorylase but doubled the half-life of the enzyme. These and other results indicate that the increase in phosphorylase in differentiating muscle cells results from the coordinate control of both its synthesis and degradation, and that muscle activity decreases phosphorylase by increasing its degradation.

Animals↗

Chromatographic characteristics and subcellular localization of synthase phosphatase, phosphorylase phosphatase and histone phosphatase in human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Synthase phosphatase, phosphorylase phosphatase and histone phosphatase activity in a leukocyte homogenate were found to have different sedimentation characteristics: both synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activity are associated with the microsomal fraction, while the majority of histone phosphatase activity (75-85%) was found in the cytosol. Synthase phosphatase, phosphorylase phosphatase and histone phosphatase activities accompanying the microsomal fraction are readily solubilized by 0.3% Triton X-100. When the solubilized microsomal enzymes were chromatographed on Sephadex G-200, the majority of synthase phosphatase, phosphorylase phosphatase and histone phosphatase activity migrated in single peaks corresponding to apparent molecular weights of 380 000, 250 000 and 68 000, respectively. A minor peak of 30 000, which had phosphatase activity against all three substrates was also obtained. Ethanol treatment resulted in solubilization and dissociation of the three phosphatase activities. It was found that although ethanol treatment resulted in a 4-fold increase of phosphorylase phosphatase activity, histone phosphatase activity was decreased (by 60%), while synthase phosphatase activity remained stable. Similar results were obtained when ethanol treatment was performed on the 17 000 X g supernatant. Chromatography of the ethanol-treated microsomes (or homogenate) on Sephadex G-200 showed that the phosphatase activity towards synthase D, phosphorylase a and phosphohistone coincided a Mr 30 000 species. Heat treatment of the Mr 30 000 peak resulted in dissociation of synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activity. Synthase phosphatase was inhibited by phosphorylase a in a kinetically non-competitive manner while histone phosphatase activity was not inhibited by synthase D (8.5 unit/ml) or by phosphorylase a (12 unit/ml).

Cell Compartmentation↗

Expression of the gene encoding glycogen phosphorylase is elevated in diabetic rat skeletal muscle and is regulated by insulin and cyclic AMP.

Glycogen phosphorylase regulates the breakdown of glycogen into glucose, but as previous studies have demonstrated, the control of glycogen metabolism becomes deregulated in diabetes mellitus. Messenger RNA levels encoding several different proteins are altered in skeletal muscle biopsies of patients with insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes. The possible alteration of expression of the gene encoding the skeletal muscle isoform of glycogen phosphorylase during diabetes has not previously been investigated. We examined the effect of streptozotocin-induced diabetes and insulin treatment on glycogen phosphorylase mRNA in rat skeletal muscle; glycogen phosphorylase mRNA levels were elevated in diabetic rat muscle tissue, but were partially suppressed in diabetic rat muscle following insulin treatment. To distinguish between the effects of insulin and counter-regulatory hormones on glycogen phosphorylase mRNA levels, we employed differentiating rat L6 myoblasts in culture. Insulin stimulated the accumulation of glycogen phosphorylase mRNA as determined by Northern blot analysis. Moreover, insulin and dibutyryl cAMP stimulated expression of a transiently transfected chloramphenicol acetyl transferase reporter gene under the control of the muscle glycogen phosphorylase promoter in differentiating myotubes in culture, suggesting that the effects of insulin and counter-regulatory hormones on glycogen phosphorylase mRNA are at the level of transcription. These results suggest that insulin and epinephrine may participate in the induction of the glycogen phosphorylase gene during myogenesis; moreover, activation of this gene in muscle tissue may be a contributing factor in impaired glycogen storage during uncontrolled diabetes.

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↗

Identification of an S100 target protein: glycogen phosphorylase.

An S100 binding protein from skeletal muscle, R95 000, has been purified, identified as glycogen phosphorylase, and shown to be regulated in vitro by the S100 alpha isoform. When a soluble skeletal muscle fraction was subjected to a standard purification procedure for glycogen phosphorylase, R95 000 copurified with the 95 000 molecular weight glycogen phosphorylase protein standard on SDS-polyacrylamide gels, as well as having glycogen phosphorylase activity. In addition, purified glycogen phosphorylase a and b interacted with both S100 isoforms, S100 alpha and S100 beta, by gel overlay and affinity chromatography. While S100 beta had no effect on the enzymatic activity of glycogen phosphorylase a, S100 alpha inhibited the enzymatic activity of glycogen phosphorylase a in a calcium-independent manner. Altogether, these data suggest that glycogen phosphorylase may be an intracellular S100 alpha target in skeletal muscle fibers. Furthermore, these results suggest that the inhibition of glycogen phosphorylase a activity may be responsible for the lack of fatigability of slow-twitch fibers, which express S100 alpha, when compared to fast-twitch fibers, which do not express S100 proteins.

Animals↗

Glycogen phosphorylase reactivity in the entorhinal complex in familiar and novel environments: evidence for labile glycogenolytic modules in the rat.

Active and total glycogen phosphorylase were measured histochemically in the entorhinal complex of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were sacrificed from their home cage, or after 5 min in a novel holeboard. Hemispheres from each group were paired, sectioned and processed together. Glycogen phosphorylase reactivity highlighted entorhinal cortex in contrast to less densely stained perirhinal cortex or neocortex. The presubiculum, but not parasubiculum, was strongly reactive for glycogen phosphorylase. Within medial and lateral entorhinal cortex, modularity of active glycogen phosphorylase reactivity was apparent. In inner Layer I there were small ( approximately 50 microm) intense patches of active glycogen phosphorylase. In Layer III there were both small and larger ( approximately 200 microm), patches of active glycogen phosphorylase. Lamina dessicans was reactive. Layers V and VI were relatively unreactive. Exposure to a holeboard intensified the small patches of active glycogen phosphorylase in inner Layer I, while attenuating active glycogen phosphorylase reactivity in Layer III. Total glycogen phosphorylase was unaffected by exposure to the novel environment and exhibited a pattern of continuous dense reactivity suggesting enzyme reserves, particularly in superficial layers of entorhinal cortex. These patterns confirm earlier evidence that glycogenolytic demand in Layers I and III of rat entorhinal cortex is organized in a modular fashion and show that such demand can be modified by brief exposure to a novel holeboard.

Animals↗

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↗

Stimulation of phosphorylase phosphatase activity of protein phosphatase 2A1 by protamine is ionic strength dependent and involves interaction of protamine with both substrate and enzyme.

The effects of protamine on the phosphorylase phosphatase activity of porcine cardiac protein phosphatase 2A1 (PP2A1) were complex and ionic strength dependent. Under ionic strength conditions that protamine activation was optimal, activation of PP2A1 by either dilution or heparin was prevented. A time-dependent deactivation of the protamine-stimulated phosphatase activity was observed when PP2A1 was preincubated with protamine. Protamine forms a very tight association with phosphorylase a, which is optimal at a 1:1 protamine:phosphorylase a monomer molar ratio. Protamine activation of PP2A1 activity, however, is not substrate-directed since the basic polypeptide did not stimulate either the activity of the catalytic subunit or trypsinolysis of [32P]phosphorylase a. The interaction of protamine with phosphorylase a does not apparently involve the phosphorylation site in the protein substrate (ser 14). The activation of PP2A1 by protamine is proposed to involve part of the basic polypeptide, not associated with phosphorylase a monomer, interacting with the regulatory and/or the catalytic subunit(s) of the phosphatase. A minimal model for the activation of PP2A1 by protamine was tested kinetically. In this model, free PP2A1 binds with decreasing affinities to the protamine:phosphorylase a complex, free phosphorylase a, and free protamine. Protamine decreases the K(m) of PP2A1 for the phosphorylase a monomer 5-fold and increases the Vmax 17-fold. Interaction of free protamine with PP2A1 inhibits the phosphatase activity.

Animals↗

Hormonal stimulation of cyclic AMP accumulation and glycogen phosphorylase activity in calcium-depleted hepatocytes from euthyroid and hypothyroid rats.

Activation of glycogen phosphorylase by hormones was examined in hepatocytes isolated from euthyroid and hypothyroid female rats and incubated by Ca2+-free buffer containing 1 mM-EGTA. Basal glycogen phosphorylase activity was decreased in Ca2+-free buffer. However, the activation of hepatocyte glycogen phosphorylase, in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, in response to adrenaline, glucagon or phenylephrine was slightly lower, whereas that by vasopressin was abolished. The activation of glycogen phosphorylase by phenylephrine, adrenaline or isoproterenol (isoprenaline) in hepatocytes from euthyroid rats incubated in the absence of Ca2+ was not accompanied by any detectable increase in total cyclic AMP. The log-dose/response curves for activation of phosphorylase by phenylephrine or low concentrations of adrenaline were the same in hepatocytes from hypothyroid as compared wit euthyroid rats, whereas the response to isoproterenol was greater in hepatocytes from hypothyroid rats. However, the increases in total cyclic AMP accumulation caused by adrenaline or isoproterenol were greater in hepatocytes from hypothyroid rats than in hepatocytes from euthyroid rats. The increases in cyclic AMP accumulation caused by adrenaline or isoproterenol in Ca2+-depleted hepatocytes from hypothyroid rats were blocked by propranolol, a beta-adrenergic antagonist. In contrast, propranolol was only partially effective asan inhibitor of the activation of glycogen phosphorylase by phenylephrine or adrenaline in hepatocytes from hypothyroid rats and ineffective on phosphorylase activation in cells from euthyroid rats. These data indicate that the alpha-adrenergic activation of glycogen phosphorylase is not affected by the absence of extracellular Ca2+, and the extent to which total cyclic AMP was increased by adrenergic amines did not correlate with glycogen phosphorylase activation.

Animals↗

Demonstration of a glycogen/glucose 1-phosphate cycle in hepatocytes from fasted rats. Selective inactivation of phosphorylase by 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride.

In search for a nonmetabolized, superior glucose analogue to study the mechanism of glucose-induced glycogen synthesis, we have tested 2-deoxy-2-fluoro-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl fluoride, which inhibits muscle phosphorylase beta 10-fold better than dose glucose (Street, I.P., Armstrong, C.R., and Withers, S.G. (1986) Biochemistry 25, 6021-6027). In a gel-filtered liver extract, 0.6 mM analogue and 10 mM glucose equally accelerated the inactivation of phosphorylase and shortened the latency before the activation of glycogen synthase. The analogue was not measurably defluorinated or phosphorylated by intact hepatocytes, as monitored by 19F NMR. When added to isolated hepatocytes, 10 mM analogue inactivated phosphorylase more extensively than did 50 mM glucose, but unlike glucose, it did not result in the activation of glycogen synthase. Therefore, the binding of glucose to phosphorylase alpha can account for the inactivation of phosphorylase, but the metabolism of glucose (probably to Glc-6-P) appears to be required to achieve activation of glycogen synthase. The livers of overnight-fasted, anesthetized mice contained appreciable amounts of both phosphorylase alpha and glycogen synthase alpha, without net glycogen accumulation. Likewise, hepatocytes isolated from fasted rats and incubated with 10 mM glucose contained 41% of phosphorylase and 32% of glycogen synthase in the alpha form, and these values remained stable for 1 h, while glycogen accumulated at only 22% of the rate expected from the glycogen synthase activity. The addition of 10 mM analogue decreased phosphorylase alpha to 10% without significant change in glycogen synthase alpha (38%), but with a 4-fold increased rate of glycogen accumulation. These findings imply that synthase alpha is fully active in the liver of the fasted animal and that the absence of net glycogen synthesis is due to continuous glycogenolysis by phosphorylase alpha.

Animals↗

The effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes and insulin supplementation on expression of the glycogen phosphorylase gene in rat liver.

We have previously observed that the chronic effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes cause a decrease in the total hepatic glycogen phosphorylase activity with a corresponding reduction in the phosphorylase protein levels. These effects were normalized by insulin administration to diabetic rats. There was no change in the total glycogen synthase activity as a result of diabetes or insulin supplementation. These results are extended to examine the effects of diabetes and insulin administration to diabetic animals on the expression of phosphorylase and glycogen synthase enzymes. The expression (i.e. mRNA levels) of phosphorylase was down-regulated (45% of normal levels) in diabetic livers, and this was normalized by insulin supplementation to diabetic animals. Diabetes or insulin supplementation to diabetic rats showed no effect on the transcription rate of phosphorylase. As expected, diabetes (or insulin administration to diabetic animals) did not cause any alteration in the mRNA levels or in the transcription rate of hepatic glycogen synthase. The stability of phosphorylase mRNA was then examined using hepatocytes prepared from normal and diabetic rats. Diabetes caused a decrease in the half-life of phosphorylase mRNA from 14 h in normal hepatocytes to 6.5 h in diabetic hepatocytes. Insulin supplementation to the medium of diabetic hepatocytes increased the half-life of phosphorylase mRNA to a level comparable with normal values. This study indicates that the chronic effect of insulin on the activation of the total hepatic phosphorylase activity (and protein) is mediated through the stabilization of its mRNA levels.

Actins↗

The behavior of muscle phosphorylase as a reservoir for vitamin B6 in the rat.

Current belief that vitamin B6 deficiency causes depletion of muscle phosphorylase in animals appears to be erroneous. We present evidence that vitamin B6 deficiency is ineffective in reducing total phosphorylase in gasttocnemius muscle of young rats over a period of at least 8 weeks. Rats that had accumulated high levels of muscle phosphorylase while ingesting diets containing normal or excess amounts of the vitamin retained their phosphorylase after transfer to a vitamin B6 deficient diet. Prolonged deficiency did ultimately lead to enzyme depletion but this was after anorexia had developed and weight loss had occurred. When rats were partially starved for 1 to 4 days (fed 10% of normal energy intake) they lost muscle phosphorylase while retaining alanine and aspartate aminotransferases. When totally starved, the rats lost more phosphorylase than during partial starvation, but completely retained alanine aminotransferase, and lost some aspartate aminotrasferase. We conclude that the behavior of muscle phosphorylase is consistent with the Krebs-Fischer proposal that it acts as a reservoir for vitamin B6 and that starvation, but not vitamin B6 deficiency per se, causes depletion of muscle phosphorylase. It appears that phosphorylase may function as an adjunct ot adipose tissue necessary for the animal to efficiently meet the exigencies of starvation.

Alanine Transaminase↗

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↗

Temperature-sensitive production of rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase in Escherichia coli.

In order to understand how allosteric switches regulate both the catalytic activity and molecular interactions of glycogen phosphorylase, it is necessary to design and analyze variant proteins that test hypotheses about the structural details of the allosteric mechanism. Essential to such an investigation is the ability to obtain large amounts of variant proteins. We developed a system for obtaining milligram amounts (greater than 20 mg/l) of rabbit muscle phosphorylase from bacteria. Phosphorylase aggregates as inactive protein when a strong bacterial promoter is used under full inducing conditions and normal growth conditions. However, when the growth temperature of bacteria expressing phosphorylase is reduced to 22 degrees C we obtain active muscle phosphorylase. The degree to which the induced expression of phosphorylase protein is temperature sensitive depends on the strain of bacteria used. New assay and purification methods were developed to allow rapid purification of engineered phosphorylase proteins from bacterial cultures. The rabbit muscle phosphorylase obtained from the bacterial expression system is enzymatically identical to the enzyme purified from rabbit muscle. The expressed protein crystallizes in the same conditions used for growing crystals of protein from rabbit muscle and the crystal form is isomorphous. Rabbit muscle phosphorylase is one of the largest oligomeric mammalian enzymes successfully expressed in Escherichia coli. Our results indicate that optimization of a combination of growth and induction conditions will be important in the expression of other heterologous proteins in bacteria.

Animals↗

The protein phosphatases involved in cellular regulation. Evidence that dephosphorylation of glycogen phosphorylase and glycogen synthase in the glycogen and microsomal fractions of rat liver are catalysed by the same enzyme: protein phosphatase-1.

Glycogen synthase (labelled in sites-3) and glycogen phosphorylase from rabbit skeletal muscle were used as substrates to investigate the nature of the protein phosphatases that act on these proteins in the glycogen and microsomal fractions of rat liver. Under the assay conditions employed, glycogen synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activities in both subcellular fractions could be inhibited 80-90% by inhibitor-1 or inhibitor-2, and the concentrations required for half-maximal inhibition were similar. Glycogen synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activities coeluted from Sephadex G-100 as broad peaks, stretching from the void volume to an apparent molecular mass of about 50 kDa. Incubation with trypsin decreased the apparent molecular mass of both activities to about 35 kDa, and decreased their I50 for inhibitors-1 and -2 in an identical manner. After tryptic digestion, the I50 values for inhibitors-1 and -2 were very similar to those of the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase-1 from rabbit skeletal muscle. The glycogen and microsomal fractions of rat liver dephosphorylated the beta-subunit of phosphorylase kinase much faster than the alpha-subunit and dephosphorylation of the beta-subunit was prevented by the same concentrations of inhibitor-1 and inhibitor-2 that were required to inhibit the dephosphorylation of phosphorylase. The same experiments performed with the glycogen plus microsomal fraction from rabbit skeletal muscle revealed that the properties of glycogen synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase were very similar to the corresponding activities in the hepatic glycogen fraction, except that the two activities coeluted as sharp peaks near the void volume of Sephadex G-100 (before tryptic digestion). Tryptic digestion of the hepatic glycogen and microsomal fractions increased phosphorylase phosphatase about threefold, but decreased glycogen synthase phosphatase activity. Similar results were obtained with the glycogen plus microsomal fraction from rabbit skeletal muscle or the glycogen-bound form of protein phosphatase-1 purified to homogeneity from the same tissue. Therefore the divergent effects of trypsin on glycogen synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activities are an intrinsic property of protein phosphatase-1. It is concluded that the major protein phosphatase in both the glycogen and microsomal fractions of rat liver is a form of protein phosphatase-1, and that this enzyme accounts for virtually all the glycogen synthase phosphatase and phosphorylase phosphatase activity associated with these subcellular fractions.

Animals↗