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Gallium nitrate inhibits alkaline phosphatase activity in a differentiating mesenchymal cell culture.

The effect of gallium nitrate on alkaline phosphatase activity in a differentiating chick limb-bud mesenchymal cell culture was monitored in order to gain insight into the observation that rachitic rats treated with gallium nitrate failed to show the expected increase in serum alkaline phosphatase activity. Cultures maintained in media containing 15 microM gallium nitrate showed drastically decreased alkaline phosphatase activities in the absence of significant alterations in total protein synthesis and DNA content. However, addition of 15 microM gallium nitrate to cultures 18 h before assay for alkaline phosphatase activity had little effect. At the light microscopic and electron microscopic level, gallium-treated cultures differed morphologically from gallium-free cultures: with gallium present, there were fewer hypertrophic chondrocytes and cartilage nodules were flatter and further apart. Because of altered morphology, staining with an antibody against chick cartilage alkaline phosphatase appeared less extensive; however, all nodules stained equivalently relative to gallium-free controls. Histochemical staining for alkaline phosphatase activity was negative in gallium-treated cultures, demonstrating that the alkaline phosphatase protein present was not active. The defective alkaline phosphatase activity in cultures maintained in the presence of gallium was also evidenced when cultures were supplemented with the alkaline phosphatase substrate, beta-glycerophosphate (beta GP). The data presented suggest that gallium inhibits alkaline phosphatase activity in this culture system and that gallium causes alterations in the differentiation of mesenchymal cells into hypertrophic chondrocytes.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

The value of alkaline phosphatase in peritoneal lavage.

The accuracy of peritoneal lavage for diagnosis of intra-abdominal injury in trauma is limited by its relative lack of sensitivity for hollow viscus injury. Peritoneal lavage in the dog indicates that alkaline phosphatase is an early marker of intestinal injury. If these results were confirmed in human patients, alkaline phosphatase determination would improve lavage sensitivity for hollow viscus injuries. A study was conducted to determine the usefulness of alkaline phosphatase in lavage in human beings. Alkaline phosphatase was measured in all trauma lavage samples sent for laboratory assay during a one-year period. Two hundred ninety-two lavages were performed: 25 were positive by laboratory criteria, and 66 were grossly positive. There were 13 intestinal injuries--nine were grossly positive, and four were diagnosed by laboratory results. Three of these four patients with intestinal injuries had elevated lavage alkaline phosphatase. All three (lavaged from 30 minutes to two hours after injury) also had elevated white blood cells or bile in the lavage fluid. The remaining intestinal injury was diagnosed by lavage bile but had no elevation of alkaline phosphatase (lavaged 15 minutes after injury). Two patients with elevated alkaline phosphatase in otherwise negative lavages were observed for at least five days; neither demonstrated any evidence of intra-abdominal injury. We conclude that alkaline phosphatase is no better than traditional determinants of intestinal injury in peritoneal lavage. In no patient was alkaline phosphatase helpful in diagnosing a hollow viscus injury, and its use would have prompted two unnecessary laparotomies. These data do not support the use of lavage alkaline phosphatase to identify hollow viscus injuries.

Abdominal Injuries↗

Multiple molecular forms of phosphorylase phosphatase associated with particulate glycogen and extracted from the cytosol of dog liver.

The glycogen pellet of dog liver extracts contains a phosphorylase phosphatase which has characteristics different from those of the phosphatases extracted from the cytosol. The phosphatase associated with glycogen is characterized by a M, of 51,000, a half maximal inhibition at 0.3 mM ATP (Hill coefficient : 2) and a Ki for Mg2+ of 1 mM. Treatment with urea or mercaptoethanol of the phosphatase associated with glycogen does not influence the activity, the Mr or the half maximal inhibition by ATP, but a decrease of the Hill coefficient for ATP is observed. A similar treatment of the phosphatases extracted from the high speed supernatant results in a decrease of the Mr of the spontaneously active form from 215,000 to 43,000, without an effect on the Ki for ATP (7 micronM), but accompanied by an increase in activity. The ATP-Mg dependent form of the phosphatase from the high speed supernatant (Mr : 138,000 ; Ka for ATP in the presence of 0.1 mM Mg2+ : 0.3 micronM), is denatured by urea or mercaptoethanol. The phosphatase associated with particulate glycogen cannot be found in the supernatant, nor the phosphorylase phosphatases present in the supernatant in the glycogen pellet. When all the glycogen is mobilized (starvation, glucagon) the phosphatase specifically associated with glycogen cannot be found as such in the cytosol. No activation of synthase beta can be detected neither with the phosphatases extracted from the cytosol nor with the enzyme released from the glycogen pellet.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Phosphatidylinositol anchor of HeLa cell alkaline phosphatase.

Alkaline phosphatase from cancer cells, HeLa TCRC-1, was biosynthetically labeled with either 3H-fatty acids or [3H]ethanolamine as analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography of immunoprecipitated material. Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) released a substantial proportion of the 3H-fatty acid label from immunoaffinity-purified alkaline phosphatase but had no effect on the radioactivity of [3H]ethanolamine-labeled material. PI-PLC also liberated catalytically active alkaline phosphatase from viable cells, and this could be selectively blocked by monoclonal antibodies to alkaline phosphatase. However, the alkaline phosphatase released from 3H-fatty acid labeled cells by PI-PLC was not radioactive. By contrast, treatment with bromelain removed both the 3H-fatty acid and the [3H]ethanolamine label from the purified alkaline phosphatase. Subtilisin was also able to remove the [3H]ethanolamine-labeled from purified alkaline phosphatase. The 3H radioactivity in alkaline phosphatase purified from [3H]ethanolamine-labeled cells comigrated with authentic [3H]ethanolamine by anion-exchange chromatography after acid hydrolysis. The data suggest that the 3H-fatty acid and [3H]ethanolamine are covalently attached to the carboxyl-terminal segment since bromelain and subtilisin both release alkaline phosphatase from the membrane by cleavage at that end of the polypeptide chain. The data are consistent with findings for other proteins recently shown to be anchored in the membrane through a glycosylphosphatidylinositol structure and indicate that a similar structure contributes to the membrane anchoring of alkaline phosphatase.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Independent biosynthesis of soluble and membrane-bound alkaline phosphatases in the suckling rat ileum.

Enzymically active intestinal alkaline phosphatase exists in both soluble and membrane-bound forms in the suckling rat. Antiserum prepared against purified soluble alkaline phosphatase (anti-AlP) was shown to be monospecific when assessed by Ouchterlony double-diffusion analysis and immunoelectrophoresis. The two forms of alkaline phosphatase were antigenically identical and possessed similar affinities for anti-AlP. To study the biosynthesis of the two forms, 14-day-old rats were injected intraperitoneally with [(3)H]leucine. The labelling kinetics of alkaline phosphatase, extracted from supernatant and brush-border membrane fractions with anti-AlP, was followed over 20h. Incorporation of [(3)H]leucine into membrane-bound alkaline phosphatase was rapid, reaching a plateau at 6h. The soluble enzyme showed slower incorporation of label and maximal radioactivity was not reached until 12h after labelling, a lag of 6h behind the membrane-bound enzyme. Soluble alkaline phosphatase could not have been a precursor of the membrane form, as there was no early peak of radioactivity in the soluble form. To determine if the soluble enzyme was irreversibly derived from the membrane enzyme, a newly developed technique of labelling brush-border membrane proteins in vivo by intraluminal injection of diazotized [(125)I]iodosulphanilic acid was used. The appearance of (125)I in soluble and membrane alkaline phosphatase was then monitored over a 7h period, encompassing the lag between maximal leucine labelling of the two forms. The results failed to show either a proportional transfer of radioactivity from membrane to soluble alkaline phosphatase or an absolute increase in radioactivity of the soluble form during degradation of brush-border alkaline phosphatase. Therefore there does not appear to be a serial precursor/product relationship between the soluble and membrane-bound forms of suckling-rat intestinal alkaline phosphatase.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Conversion of human placental alkaline phosphatase from a high Mr form to a low Mr form during butanol extraction. An investigation of the role of endogenous phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases.

Alkaline phosphatase in a wide range of tissues has been shown to be anchored in the membrane by a specific interaction with the polar head group of phosphatidylinositol. It has previously been suggested that the production of low Mr alkaline phosphatase during the commonly used butanol extraction procedure may result from the activation of an endogenous phosphoinositide-specific phospholipase C which removes the 1,2-diacylglycerol responsible for membrane anchoring. This conversion process was investigated in greater detail with human placenta used as the source of alkaline phosphatase. Mr and hydrophobicity of the alkaline phosphatase were determined by gel filtration on TSK-250 and partitioning in Triton X-114, respectively. Alkaline phosphatase extracted from human placental particulate fraction with butanol at pH 5.4 or released by incubation with Staphylococcus aureus phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C produced a form of alkaline phosphatase of Mr approx. 170,000 and relatively low hydrophobicity. By contrast, the butanol extract prepared at pH 8.3 was an aggregated form of Mr approx. 600,000 and was relatively hydrophobic. The effect of a variety of inhibitors and activators on the amount of low Mr alkaline phosphatase produced during butanol extraction revealed that it was a Ca2+- and thiol-dependent process. Proteinase inhibitors had no effect. [3H]Phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis by the particulate fraction, unlike low Mr alkaline phosphatase production, was relatively sensitive to heat inactivation, indicating that the phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases C from cytosol and lysosomes were unlikely to be responsible for conversion. A butanol-stimulated activity which removed the [3H]myristic acid from the variant surface glycoprotein ( [3H]mfVSG) of Trypanosoma brucei was detectable in the human placental particulate fraction. Since this activity was acid active, Ca2+- and thiol-dependent and relatively heat stable, it may be the same as that responsible for production of low Mr alkaline phosphatase. The only 3H-labelled product identified was phosphatidic acid, suggesting that the [3H]mfVSG-cleaving activity is a phospholipase D. These data strongly support the proposal that production of low Mr alkaline phosphatase during butanol extraction is an autolytic process occurring as the result of an endogenous phospholipase. However, they also suggest that the lysosomal and cytosolic phosphoinositide-specific phospholipases C that have previously been described in many mammalian tissues are not responsible for this process.

1-Butanol↗

Induction of germ-cell alkaline phosphatase by butyrate and cyclic AMP in BeWo choriocarcinoma cells.

BeWo choriocarcinoma cells synthesize two alkaline phosphatase isoenzymes: germ-cell alkaline phosphatase and tissue-unspecific alkaline phosphatase. We have made use of the differential heat-stabilities of these two isoenzymes to study the induction of germ-cell alkaline phosphatase by sodium butyrate and cyclic AMP (cAMP). Sodium butyrate causes a large induction of germ-cell alkaline phosphatase activity (approx. 35-fold after 96 h) after an initial lag period of 12-24 h. We showed that butyrate increases germ-cell alkaline phosphatase mRNA. Dibutyryl cAMP also induces germ cell alkaline phosphatase (approx. 2.5-fold after 96 h). When optimal concentrations of butyrate and dibutyryl cAMP were added simultaneously to cells, they caused a synergistic induction of activity. This suggested that these compounds use separate mechanisms to induce germ-cell alkaline phosphatase activity and that it is the cAMP moiety of dibutyryl cAMP that induces enzyme activity. This was confirmed by the use of two additional cAMP analogues, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio) cAMP and 8-bromo cAMP, and of two compounds, 3-methyl-1-isobutylxanthine and cholera toxin, which raise the endogenous concentration of cAMP. All four compounds caused a 2-fold increase in enzyme activity. Treatment of cells with 8-(4-chlorophenylthio) cAMP, 8-bromo cAMP and cholera toxin increased germ-cell alkaline phosphatase mRNA between 2- and 7-fold. These data suggest that this alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme is regulated at the level of its mRNA by cAMP, in a manner distinct from that of butyrate.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine↗

Regulation of membrane-associated tyrosine phosphatases in UMR 106.06 osteoblast-like cells.

Protein tyrosine phosphatases play an important role in cell metabolism. Three distinct protein tyrosine phosphatase activities have been identified in an osteoblast-like cell line, UMR 106.06. These activities comprised two membrane-associated phosphatases and one cytosolic phosphatase of apparent molecular mass > 153 kDa, 80 kDa and 40 kDa respectively, estimated by gel filtration. On the basis of differences in apparent molecular mass, proteolytic-digestion profiles, substrate specificities and responses to a range of extracellular influences and inhibitor molecules, the two membrane-associated tyrosine phosphatases are distinct proteins. Tyrosine phosphatase activity in UMR 106.06 cells was sensitive to cell density. Cells at confluence contained membrane protein tyrosine phosphatase with specific activity 9-fold higher than cells at medium or low cell density. This elevation in membrane tyrosine phosphatase activity was due specifically to an increase in the high-molecular-mass enzyme. This phosphatase was also responsive to extracellular matrix components. This activity was elevated in cells grown on a collagen type-I matrix independently of cell density. Membrane and cytosolic protein tyrosine phosphatases were differentially regulated by a variety of agents including phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, parathyroid hormone, epidermal growth factor, okadaic acid and transforming growth factor beta. These observations suggest that regulatory influences control tyrosine phosphorylation in UMR 106.06 cells including cell-cell contact, cell-matrix contact and signal transduction involving tyrosine and serine/threonine phosphorylation events.

Animals↗

DNA repair in mononuclear cells: role of serine/threonine phosphatases.

Treatment with cyclosporin A (CsA) in kidney-transplant recipients is associated with reduced DNA repair and enhanced cancer incidence. CsA is an inhibitor of the serine/threonine phosphatase calcineurin, also termed PP2B, which is a Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent phosphatase. In this study we sought to elucidate the role of calcineurin in DNA repair using CsA and tacrolimus; examine whether UV-induced DNA repair is associated with dephosphorylation; and investigate whether phosphatases other than calcineurin are active in DNA repair, in light of the fact that calcineurin inhibition only partially suppressed DNA repair. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy donors were used. In vitro, we assayed UV-induced DNA repair by measuring the incorporation of tritiated thymidine in UV-irradiated cells. We gauged phosphatase activity indirectly by measuring free inorganic phosphate (Pi) excreted into the medium. The phosphatase assay was performed under the same conditions and in parallel to the DNA-repair assay. Tacrolimus, like CsA, inhibited DNA repair in a dose-dependent fashion. DNA repair was associated with production of Pi, which correlated with the number of cells performing DNA repair. Phosphatase activity increased after UV irradiation. DNA repair correlated directly with phosphatase activity, whereas CsA reduced both DNA repair and Pi production. Inhibition of calmodulin by trifluoperazine and W7 [N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-1-naphthalene-sulfonamide] reduced DNA repair in part. We investigated the role of the Ca(2+)-independent phosphatases PP1 and PP2A using specific inhibitors. Calyculin A, which inhibits both phosphatases, reduced DNA repair. Endothall, a PP2A inhibitor, had no effect on DNA repair. Okadaic acid, which is mostly a PP2A inhibitor but also a weak inhibitor of PP1, reduced DNA repair only slightly. We suggest that DNA repair is mediated by way of Ca(2+)-dependent and Ca(2+)-independent pathways, with calcineurin and PP1 being the respective phosphatases involved in each pathway.

Calcineurin↗

Alkaline phosphatase of mouse teratoma stem cells: immunochemical and structural evidence for its identity as a somatic gene product.

The immunochemical and structural characteristics of the alkaline phosphatase [orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase (alkaline optimum), EC 3.1.3.1] from mouse teratoma stem cells derived from the OTT-6050 teratoma (ascitic and solid tumors and the F9 and PCC4 cell lines) have been compared to those of the alkaline phosphatases expressed in normal mouse placenta and several adult organs. Crossreactivity of the stem cell alkaline phosphatase with antisera reacting with placental, kidney, liver, and brain alkaline phosphatases indicated that the stem cell enzyme had common antigenic determinants. Structural studies utilizing two-dimensional electrophoresis of the (32)P-labeled alkaline phosphatase subunits showed that the stem cell, placental, and kidney alkaline phosphatases differed only in their sialic acid content and comigrated after removal of terminal sialic acid by neuraminidase digestion. Furthermore, one-dimensional peptide mapping of partial proteolysis fragments from (32)P-labeled enzymes demonstrated identical fragmentation patterns for the stem cell and somatic enzymes. These immunochemical and structural data indicate that the stem cell alkaline phosphatase is the same core enzyme as that produced in the mouse placenta and kidney, with different amounts of terminal sialic acid. The one mouse alkaline phosphatase examined that differed from the other enzymes was the intestinal alkaline phosphatase. This isoenzyme was not immunochemically crossreactive with the other alkaline phosphatases, did not comigrate in two-dimensional electrophoresis after neuraminidase digestion, and did not give identical peptide maps after partial proteolysis.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Properties of type II inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase.

We have isolated additional cDNA clones encoding type II inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase (5-phosphatase II) resulting in a combined cDNA of 3076 nucleotides encoding a protein of 942 amino acids. The 5-phosphatase II hydrolyzed both Ins(1,4,5)P3 to Ins(1,4)P2 and the phospholipid PtdIns(4,5)P2 to PtdIns(4)P both in vitro and in vivo. There are two motifs highly conserved between types I and II 5-phosphatase and several other proteins presumed to be inositol phosphatases suggesting a possible role in catalysis. The type II 5-phosphatase also contains homology to several GTPase activating proteins although no such activity for 5-phosphatase II was found. The predicted protein ends with the sequence CNPL, suggesting that it is isoprenylated as a mechanism for membrane attachment. We found evidence for isoprenylation by demonstrating incorporation of [3H]mevalonate into native but not C939S mutant 5-phosphatase II expressed in Sf9 insect cells. Furthermore, we showed that membrane localization and the activity of 5-phosphatase II toward its lipid substrate PtdIns(4,5)P2 is reduced by eliminating 5-phosphatase II isoprenylation in the mutant C939S relative to the native enzyme.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Stimulation of glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression by glucose and fructose-2,6-bisphosphate.

Glucose-6-phosphatase, a key enzyme in the homeostatic regulation of blood glucose concentration, catalyzes the terminal step in gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis. Glucose, the product of the glucose-6-phosphatase reaction, dramatically increases the level of glucose-6-phosphatase mRNA transcripts in primary hepatocytes (20-fold), and the maximum response is obtained at a glucose concentration as low as 11 mM. Glucose specifically increases glucose-6-phosphatase mRNA and L-type pyruvate kinase mRNA. In the rat hepatoma-derived cell line, Fao, glucose increases the glucose-6-phosphatase mRNA only modestly (3-fold). In the presence of high glucose concentrations, overexpression of glucokinase in Fao cells via recombinant adenovirus vectors increases lactate production to the level found in primary hepatocytes and increases glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression by 21-fold. Similar overexpression of hexokinase I in Fao cells with high levels of glucose does not increase lactate production nor does it change the response of glucose-6-phosphatase mRNA to glucose. Glucokinase overexpression in Fao cells blunts the previously reported inhibitory effect of insulin on glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression in these cells. Raising the cellular concentration of fructose-2,6-bisphosphate, a potent effector of the direction of carbon flux through the gluconeogenic and glycolytic pathways, also stimulated glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression in Fao cells. Increasing the fructose-2,6-bisphosphate concentration over a 15-fold range (12 +/- 1 to 187 +/- 17 pmol/plate) via an adenoviral vector overexpression system, led to a 6-fold increase (0.32 +/- 0. 03 to 2.2 +/- 0.33 arbitrary units of mRNA) in glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression with a concomitant increase in glycolysis and a decrease in gluconeogenesis. Also, the effects of fructose-2, 6-bisphosphate concentrations on fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase gene expression were stimulatory, leading to a 5-6-fold increase in mRNA level over a 15-fold range in fructose-2,6-bisphosphate level. Liver pyruvate kinase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase mRNA were unchanged by the manipulation of fructose-2,6-bisphosphate level.

Animals↗

Regulation of glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression by protein kinase Balpha and the forkhead transcription factor FKHR. Evidence for insulin response unit-dependent and -independent effects of insulin on promoter activity.

Glucose-6-phosphatase plays an important role in the regulation of hepatic glucose production, and insulin suppresses glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression. Recent studies indicate that protein kinase B and Forkhead proteins contribute to insulin-regulated gene expression in the liver. Here, we examined the role of protein kinase B and Forkhead proteins in mediating effects of insulin on glucose-6-phosphatase promoter activity. Transient transfection studies with reporter gene constructs demonstrate that insulin suppresses both basal and dexamethasone/cAMP-induced activity of the glucose-6-phosphatase promoter in H4IIE hepatoma cells. Both effects are partially mimicked by coexpression of protein kinase Balpha. Coexpression of the Forkhead transcription factor FKHR stimulates the glucose-6-phosphatase promoter activity via interaction with an insulin response unit (IRU), and this activation is suppressed by protein kinase B. Coexpression of a mutated form of FKHR that cannot be phosphorylated by protein kinase B abolishes the regulation of the glucose-6-phosphatase promoter by protein kinase B and disrupts the ability of insulin to regulate the glucose-6-phosphatase promoter via the IRU. Mutation of the insulin response unit of the glucose-6-phosphatase promoter also prevents the regulation of promoter activity by FKHR and protein kinase B but only partially impairs the ability of insulin to suppress both basal and dexamethasone/cAMP-stimulated promoter function. Taken together, these results indicate that signaling by protein kinase B to Forkhead proteins can account for the ability of insulin to regulate glucose-6-phosphatase promoter activity via the IRU and that other mechanisms that are independent of the IRU, protein kinase B, and Forkhead proteins also are important in mediating effects of in insulin on glucose-6-phosphatase gene expression.

Animals↗

Structural insights into molecular function of the metastasis-associated phosphatase PRL-3.

Phosphatases and kinases are the cellular signal transduction enzymes that control protein phosphorylation. PRL phosphatases constitute a novel class of small (20 kDa), prenylated phosphatases with oncogenic activity. In particular, PRL-3 is consistently overexpressed in liver metastasis in colorectal cancer cells and represents a new therapeutic target. Here, we present the solution structure of PRL-3, the first structure of a PRL phosphatase. The structure places PRL phosphatases in the class of dual specificity phosphatases with closest structural homology to the VHR phosphatase. The structure, coupled with kinetic studies of site-directed mutants, identifies functionally important residues and reveals unique features, differentiating PRLs from other phosphatases. These differences include an unusually hydrophobic active site without the catalytically important serine/threonine found in most other phosphatases. The position of the general acid loop indicates the presence of conformational change upon catalysis. The studies also identify a potential regulatory role of Cys(49) that forms an intramolecular disulfide bond with the catalytic Cys(104) even under mildly reducing conditions. Molecular modeling of the highly homologous PRL-1 and PRL-2 phosphatases revealed unique surface elements that are potentially important for specificity.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Dexamethasone induced expression of phosphatase inhibits generation of reactive oxygen species in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

Both pre-activated and phorbol ester tetradecanoyl phorbol myristate acetate (TPA) activated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation were inhibited by dexamethasone in vivo. Time kinetics on influence of dexamethasone on cytosolic phosphoprotein phosphatase activity revealed that, when compared to phosphatase activity in cytosol of control Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells, a 5-fold increase in specific activity is seen in the cytosol of EAT cells treated (in vivo, 0-90 min. 1 mg/kg body weight) with dexamethasone. Dexamethasone induced phosphatase was partially purified by conventional ion-exchange and gel filtration column chromatographic techniques. Purified phosphatase had a molecular weight of 70 KDa by SDS-PAGE. A dose-dependent inhibition of TPA activated ROS generation by partially purified phosphatase in permeabilized EAT cells suggested that dephosphorylation is a major regulatory mechanism in "switching off" of the respiratory burst. Anti-phosphatase antibodies were raised, purified and were used to quantitate cytosolic phosphatase by ELISA, which revealed that dexamethasone induces 6-fold increase in expression of phosphatase in EAT cells by 120 min. The expression of phosphatase in EAT cell cytosol was further confirmed by immunostaining using anti-phosphatase antibodies, the results of which showed intense blue staining on development with BCIP/NBT.

Animals↗

Digestion and the distribution of acid phosphatase in Blepharisma.

Suspensions of Blepharisma intermedium were fed latex particles for 5 min and then were separated from the particles by filtration. Samples were fixed at intervals after separation and incubated to demonstrate acid phosphatase activity. They were subsequently embedded and sectioned for electron microscopy. During formation of the food vacuole, the vacuolar membrane is acid phosphatase-negative. Within 5 min, dumbbell-shaped acid phosphatase-positive bodies, possibly derived from the the acid phosphatase-positive Golgi apparatus, apparently fuse with the food vacuole and render it acid phosphatase-positive. A larger type of acid phosphatase-positive, vacuolated body may also fuse with the food vacuole at later stages. At about 20 min after formation, acid phosphatase-positive secondary pinocytotic vesicles pinch off from the food vacuoles and approach a separate system of membrane-bounded spaces. By 1 hr after formation, the food vacuole becomes acid phosphatase-negative, and the undigested latex particles are voided into the membrane-bounded spaces. The membrane-bounded spaces are closely associated with the food vacuole at all stages of digestion and are generally acid phosphatase-negative. Within the membrane-bounded spaces, dense, pleomorphic, granular bodies are found, in which are embedded mitochondria, paraglycogen granules, membrane-limited acid phosphatase-containing structures, and Golgi apparatuses. The granular bodies may serve as vehicles for the transport of organelles through the extensive, ramifying membrane-bounded spaces.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Evolution of the multifunctional protein tyrosine phosphatase family.

The protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) family plays a central role in signal transduction pathways by controlling the phosphorylation state of serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues. PTPs can be divided into dual specificity phosphatases and the classical PTPs, which can comprise of one or two phosphatase domains. We studied amino acid substitutions at functional sites in the phosphatase domain and identified putative noncatalytic phosphatase domains in all subclasses of the PTP family. The presence of inactive phosphatase domains in all subclasses indicates that they were invented multiple times in evolution. Depending on the domain composition, loss of catalytic activity can result in different consequences for the function of the protein. Inactive single-domain phosphatases can still specifically bind substrate and protect it from dephosphorylation by other phosphatases. The inactive domains of tandem phosphatases can be further subdivided. The first class is more conserved, still able to bind phosphorylated tyrosine residues and might recruit multiphosphorylated substrates for the adjacent active domain. The second has accumulated several variable amino acid substitutions in the catalytic center, indicating a complete loss of tyrosine-binding capabilities. To study the impact of substitutions in the catalytic center to the evolution of the whole domain, we examined the evolutionary rates for each individual site and compared them between the classes. This analysis revealed a release of evolutionary constraint for multiple sites surrounding the catalytic center only in the second class, emphasizing its difference in function compared with the first class. Furthermore, we found a region of higher conservation common to both domain classes, suggesting a new regulatory center. We discuss the influence of evolutionary forces on the development of the phosphatase domain, which has led to additional functions, such as the specific protection of phosphorylated tyrosine residues, substrate recruitment, and regulation of the catalytic activity of adjacent domains.

Amino Acid Substitution↗

Heat shock of HeLa cells inactivates a nuclear protein phosphatase specific for dephosphorylation of the C-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II.

Reversible phosphorylation of the C-terminal domain (CTD) of the largest RNA polymerase II (RNAP II) subunit plays a key role in gene expression. Stresses such as heat shock result in marked changes in CTD phosphorylation as well as in major alterations in gene expression. CTD kinases and CTD phosphatase(s) contribute in mediating differential CTD phosphory-lation. We now report that heat shock of HeLa cells at temperatures as mild as 41 degreesC results in a decrease in CTD phosphatase activity in cell extracts. The obser-vation that this CTD phosphatase interacts with the RAP74 subunit of the general transcription factor TFIIF suggests that it corresponds to the previously charac-terized major CTD phosphatase. This conclusion is also supported by the finding that the distribution of the 150 kDa subunit of CTD phosphatase in cells is altered by heat shock. Although CTD phosphatase is found predominantly in low salt extracts in unstressed cells, immunofluorescence microscopy indicates that its intracellular localization is nuclear. The decrease in CTD phosphatase activity correlates with a decrease in amount of 150 kDa phosphatase subunit in the extracts. During heat shock, CTD phosphatase switches to an insoluble form which remains aggregated to the nuclear matrix fraction. In contrast, heat shock did not result in a redistribution of RAP74, indicating that not all nuclear proteins aggregate under these conditions. Accordingly, the heat-inactivation of both the CTD phosphatase and the TFIIH-associated CTD kinase might contribute to the selective synthesis of heat-shock mRNAs.

Cell Line↗