Protein kinase and phosphatases from human polymorphonuclear leucoytes

Abstract

Purified preparations of human polymorphonuclear leucocytes contain a protein kinase in the cytosol which is stimulated by cyclic AMP and cyclic IMP but not by other cyclic nucleotides. The holoenzyme had a molecular weight of 66000 estimated by gel filtration; when it was incubated with histone or cyclic AMP, it dissociated into two smaller subunits of molecular weight 45000 and 30000; the former remained cyclic AMP-sensitive, whereas the latter had become independent of added cyclic AMP. By means of substrate-affinity chromatography on histone-Sepharose 4B, cyclic [3H5AMP-binding activity (regulatory or R subunit) could be resolved into two peaks of enzyme activity, one again independent of added cyclic AMP, with a molecular weight of 30000 (catalytic or C subunit). Also by means of substrate-affinity chromatography it was possible to resolve ‘specific’ polymorphonuclear leukocyte histone phosphatases from ‘non-specific’ phosphomonesterases capable of dephosphorylating histone previously phosphorylated by the protein kinase. Specific histone phosphatase displayed greatest affinity for histone-Sepharose 4B, followed by acid p-nitrophenyl phosphatase, and the unretained acid beta-glucerophosphatase. Polymorphonuclear leucocyte histone phosphatase, purified approx. 40-fold, was further resolved from the other phosphatases by gel filtration on Sephadex G-150 from which it was eluted with apparent molecular weights of 45000 and 18700. The apparent Km values for dephosphorylation of histone are 4.3 × 10-6M and 3.6 × 10-6M. Most (69%) of cytoplasmic histone phosphatase was found in the cell sap, whereas 20% remained tightly associated with polymorphonuclear leucocyte lysosomes from which it could not be solubilized by treatments (Triton X-100, freeze-thawing) that released approx. 70% of lysosomal beta-glucuronidase or acid phosphatases. Although both soluble and particulate enzymes required 5-10 mM-Mn2 for maximal activation, and showed a pH maximum of 6.5-7.0, only the particulate enzyme was partly inhibited by ammonium molybdate. Polymorphonuclear leucocyte histone phosphatases were neither inhibited nor stimulated by those cyclic nucleotides that greatly stimulate the protein kinase of the same subcellular fraction