Phosphodiesterase Preparation Research Articles

Alternative method for the synthesis of imidazo[5,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4(3H)-one—a substrate for the preparation of phosphodiesterase (5) inhibitors

Imidazo[5,1-f][1,2,4]triazin-4(3H)-ones, as isosteres of purine, are of interest for pharmaceutical research as potential substrates for the synthesis of cGMP-PDE5 inhibitors. We present a novel, alternative method for the synthesis of imidazotriazinones, that differs from the previously reported ones with respect to the method of construction of the triazinone ring in the molecule. The key step in our approach is condensation of an appropriate α-keto-ester with amidrazones, leading to the triazinone heterocycle. Several different substituted imidazolotriazinones have been synthesized in this manner.

Optimized enzymatic hydrolysis of DNA for LC–MS/MS analyses of adducts of 1-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl glucosinolate and methyleugenol

Mass spectrometric analyses of DNA adducts usually require enzymatic digestion of the DNA to nucleosides. The digestive enzymes used in our laboratory included a calf spleen phosphodiesterase, whose marketing was stopped recently. Using DNA adducted with bioactivated methyleugenol and 1-methoxy-3-indolylmethyl glucosinolate—each forming dA and dG adducts—we demonstrate that replacement of calf spleen phosphodiesterase (Merck) with bovine spleen phosphodiesterase (Sigma–Aldrich) leads to unchanged results. Enzyme levels used for DNA digestion are extremely variable in different studies. Therefore, we sequentially varied the level of each of the three enzymes used. All dose (enzyme)–response (adduct level) curves involved a long plateau starting below the enzyme levels employed previously. Thus, we could reduce the amounts of micrococcal nuclease, phosphodiesterase, and alkaline phosphatase for quantitative DNA digestion by factors of 4, 2, and 333, respectively, compared to our previous protocols. Moreover, we observed significant phosphatase activity of both phosphodiesterase preparations used, which may affect the recovery of adducts with methods requiring digestion to 2′-deoxynucleoside-3′-monophosphates (e.g., 32P-postlabeling). In addition, the phosphodiesterase from Sigma–Aldrich, but not that from Merck, deaminated dA. This was irrelevant for the dA adducts studied, involving bonding at N6, but might complicate the analysis of other dA adducts.

Neuroprotective efficacy of quinazoline type phosphodiesterase 7 inhibitors in cellular cultures and experimental stroke model

A simple and efficient synthetic method for the preparation of quinazoline type phosphodiesterase 7 (PDE7) inhibitors, based on microwave irradiation, has been developed. The use of this methodology improved yields and reaction times, providing a scalable procedure. These compounds are pharmacologically interesting because of their in vivo efficacy both in spinal cord injury and Parkinson’s disease models, as shown in previous studies from our group. Herein we describe for the first time that administration of one of the PDE7 inhibitors here optimized, 3-phenyl-2,4-dithioxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinazoline (compound 5), ameliorated brain damage and improved behavioral outcome in a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) stroke model. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these PDE7 inhibitors are potent anti-inflammatory as well as neuroprotective agents in primary cultures of neural cells. These results led us to propose PDE7 inhibitors as a new class of therapeutic agents for neuroprotection.

Involvement of extracellular cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase in the control of motile activity of Physarum polycephalum plasmodium

Possible involvement of extracellular cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase in the control of cell motile behavior has been investigated in Physarum polycephalum plasmodium, a multinuclear amoeboid cell with the autooscillatory mode of motility. It was found that the rate of the hydrolysis of 10 mM cAMP by a partially purified preparation of cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase secreted by the plasmodium in the course of migration decreases 20-30 times under the action of 1 mM dithiothreitol. In the presence of 1-5 mM of this strong reducing agent, the onset of the plasmodium spreading and the transition to the stage of migration were delayed in a concentration-dependent manner. In accordance with the morphological pattern of motile behavior, the duration of the maintenance of high frequency autooscillations, which normally precede the increase in the rate of the spreading and appear also in response to the application of attractants at spatially uniform concentrations, strongly increased by the action of dithiothreitol. The results obtained suggest that the autocrine production of cAMP and extracellular cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase is an important constituent of the mechanism controlling the motile behavior of the Physarum polycephalum plasmodium.

Origins of Growth Factors: NGF and EGF

Growing up on the streets of Brooklyn, I remember being interested in how things worked: taking apart an old telephone and the gears of my new 4-speed bicycle was most enjoyable. As a biology major at Brooklyn College in 1945, I was fascinated by embryology. How does an egg turn into a chicken or a frog or a person? My only insight into the problem was the thought that it was necessary to understand the chemical reactions inside the egg and embryo and not simply observe biological structures. I, therefore, became a double major in chemistry and biology (also with the hope of earning a living as a laboratory technician). My first job after graduating was working nights as a bacteriologist in a milk processing plant. One of my professors at Brooklyn College wrote asking whether I was interested in going to graduate school. The college had been sending one student a year to the Biology Department at Oberlin to work as a laboratory assistant while studying for a master's degree. Because Oberlin offered to pay my tuition plus some $300 a semester for living expenses, I jumped at the chance. School and science were both interesting and fun. Upon graduating, I continued my education toward a Ph.D. working as an assistant in the Biochemistry Department of the University of Michigan under Howard B. Lewis. My research involved studying the Krebs urea cycle in the common earthworms that I collected from the university campus. I had been told at Oberlin that the yellow cells surrounding the gut in the worm corresponded to the mammalian liver. I decided to check whether the enzymatic reactions in worms were similar to those in mammals. They were (1). My first “real job” was in the Pediatrics Department at the University of Colorado studying creatine metabolism in premature infants under Harry Gordon. I think he hired me because he was impressed by my ability to stomach tube earthworms. After several years, I decided I needed to learn the then new technique of using radioisotopes in metabolic studies, and I obtained an American Cancer Society fellowship to work in the Radiology Department of Washington University under Martin Kamen where I combined this new knowledge with my interest in embryology. Although fertilized frog eggs and early embryos are impermeable to small molecules (amino acids, phosphates, etc.), sufficient amounts of C14O2 were metabolized by intact eggs and embryos to permit the identification of the radioactive compounds present at various stages of development (2). Upon completion of my fellowship, Dr. Kamen recommended me for a position in the Zoology Department of Washington University in the laboratory of Viktor Hamburger and Rita Levi-Montalcini. This move was critical in determining the direction of my research for the next 40-some odd years: the isolation, structure, and function of the first of the “growth factors,” nerve growth factor (NGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF).

Characterisation of water-extractable soil organic phosphorus by phosphatase hydrolysis

Information on the chemical forms of organic phosphorus (P) in soil waters is fundamental to understanding the dynamics of soil organic P and its potential for transfer from soils to watercourses. Phosphatase enzymes were used to classify water-extractable molybdate-unreactive P (MUP) from five Australian pasture soils into compounds that could be hydrolysed by (i) alkaline phosphomonoesterase (comprising labile orthophosphate monoesters, such as sugar phosphates), (ii) a combination of phosphodiesterase and alkaline phosphomonoesterase (comprising labile orthophosphate monoesters and orthophosphate diesters, such as nucleic acids and phospholipids), and (iii) phytase (including inositol hexakisphosphate). The phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase preparations were specific to the target substrates, but the phytase preparation hydrolysed all ester-P bonds. Air drying of soils increased the amounts of water-extractable MUP from between 0.15 and 0.45 μg P g −1 in extracts of moist soils to between 1.04 and 1.63 μg P g −1 in extracts of dry soils. Only small amounts of the MUP were hydrolysed by phosphomonoesterase alone (mean 5.6%), whilst a combination of phosphomonoesterase and phosphodiesterase hydrolysed much greater proportions (6–63%). This suggested the dominance of orthophosphate diesters in grassland soil solutions. The phytase preparation hydrolysed large proportions of MUP in extracts of dry soils (33–49%), suggesting the release of enzyme-hydrolysable inositol hexakisphosphate to water following the rapid rewetting of dry soils. The large proportions of MUP that remained unhydrolysed in all extracts probably consisted of microbial cell debris and high molecular weight P-containing compounds. The phosphatase technique is a simple and accurate method for determining functional classes of MUP in soil waters.

Induction of an extracellular cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase as an accessory ribonucleolytic activity during phosphate starvation of cultured tomato cells.

During growth under conditions of phosphate limitation, suspension-cultured cells of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) secrete phosphodiesterase activity in a similar fashion to phosphate starvation-inducible ribonuclease (RNase LE), a cyclizing endoribonuclease that generates 2':3'-cyclic nucleoside monophosphates (NMP) as its major monomeric products (T. Nürnberger, S. Abel, W. Jost, K. Glund [1990] Plant Physiol 92: 970-976). Tomato extracellular phosphodiesterase was purified to homogeneity from the spent culture medium of phosphate-starved cells and was characterized as a cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase. The purified enzyme has a molecular mass of 70 kD, a pH optimum of 6.2, and an isoelectric point of 8.1. The phosphodiesterase preparation is free of any detectable deoxyribonuclease, ribonuclease, and nucleotidase activity. Tomato extracellular phosphodiesterase is insensitive to EDTA and hydrolyzes with no apparent base specificity 2':3'-cyclic NMP to 3'-NMP and the 3':5'-cyclic isomers to a mixture of 3'-NMP and 5'-NMP. Specific activities of the enzyme are 2-fold higher for 2':3'-cyclic NMP than for 3':5'-cyclic isomers. Analysis of monomeric products of sequential RNA hydrolysis with purified RNase LE, purified extracellular phosphodiesterase, and cleared -Pi culture medium as a source of 3'-nucleotidase activity indicates that cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase functions as an accessory ribonucleolytic activity that effectively hydrolyzes primary products of RNase LE to substrates for phosphate-starvation-inducible phosphomonoesterases. Biosynthetical labeling of cyclic nucleotide phopshodiesterase upon phosphate starvation suggests de novo synthesis and secretion of a set of nucleolytic enzymes for scavenging phosphate from extracellular RNA substrates.

Purification and characterization of guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate-inhibited low K(m) adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate phosphodiesterase from human placental cytosolic fractions.

We previously characterized human placental cytosolic cAMP phosphodiesterase (PDE) and found that two low K(m) cAMP PDE isoforms that were very sensitive to inhibition by cGMP and cilostamide were activated by insulin. As a first step toward understanding the mechanisms by which insulin activates this enzyme, we purified the cGMP-inhibited low K(m) cAMP PDE (cGI-PDE) from human placentas. The enzyme was purified 11,700-fold from a pool of 100,000 x g supernatant fractions of 10-15 placentas by ammonium sulfate precipitation, diethylaminoethyl-cellulose chromatography, and affinity chromatography, using an isothiocyanate derivative of cilostamide (CIT-agarose). The specific activity of the affinity-purified enzyme was 432 +/- 17 nmol/min.mg (mean +/- SD; n = 4). Gel permeation chromatography of the CIT-agarose eluates revealed one protein peak that coincided with PDE activity at an elution position of 135,000 daltons. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of this protein peak and CIT-agarose eluates revealed the same patterns, indicating that the purified PDE preparations contained multiple proteins with apparent mol wt of 138K, 83K, 72K, 67K, 63K, and 44K. The 138K form appears to be an intact enzyme; an analogous approximately 135K form has recently been identified in rat adipocyte particulate fractions by specific immunoprecipitation or Western immunoblots. In addition, other smaller forms eluted at 135,000 daltons on gel permeation chromatography, suggesting that, although proteolyzed, they must have been associated by either noncovalent interactions or disulfide bonds. All of the protein bands observed on the sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide electrophoresis gel reacted with rabbit antibodies raised against human platelet cGI-PDE. Ten peptides from endoproteinase Lys-C-digests of the affinity-purified placental cGI-PDE were isolated and sequenced; sequences of eight peptides were identical to the deduced amino acid sequences in the C-terminal half of a human heart cGI-PDE cDNA, while those of two peptides were not found in the heart enzyme. The sequences of the eight peptides also matched peptide sequences derived from a purified human platelet cGI-PDE. These results provide evidence that the catalytic C-terminal half domain of the placental insulin-sensitive cGI-PDE shares homology with those of human heart and platelet cGI-PDEs. K(m) and maximum velocity values for cAMP and cGMP were 0.57 microM and 862 nmol/min.mg, and 15 microM and 467 nmol/min.mg, respectively. ED50 values for cGMP, cilostamide, and Ro 20-1724 were 0.12, 0.22, and 120 microM, respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

70] Preparation of dog kidney high-affinity cAMP phosphodiesterase

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the purification procedures and properties for dog kidney cAMP phosphodiesterase. This enzyme shows an apparent K m for cAMP as substrate in the micromolar range, whereas cGMP is a poor substrate and will inhibit cAMP hydrolysis only at very high concentration. Dog, pig, and rat kidneys contain a similar enzyme and the properties of the purified canine kidney enzyme are similar to those reported for type IV phosphodiesterase (PDE) for lung and skeletal muscle. In contrast to these tissues, liver, heart, and platelet enzymes demonstrate cGMP inhibition of cAMP hydrolysis at low substrate or inhibitor concentrations. The chapter shows differences in the sensitivity of the kidney type IV enzyme to pharmacological inhibitors as compared to effects on the liver type IV activity. The comparative effects of drugs, the relative effects of cGMP to inhibit cAMP hydrolysis, or the ratio of cGMP to cAMP hydrolysis can be used to identify, characterize, and monitor type IV activity during purification.

Correlation of activity of chlorpromazine and respective hydroxy, dimethoxy and sulphoxide analogues on dopamine, muscarinic, histamine and calmodulin sites of action.

1. Chlorpromazine (CPZ) is a unique molecule which has many potential sites of action, as well as a propensity to be transformed into a host of metabolites possessing varying degrees of pharmacological and/or toxic reactions. This investigation examined the rank order of potency of CPZ and eight metabolic derivatives with respect to displacement of 3H-spiperone at central dopamine-2 (DA-2) receptors, 3H-pirenzepine at central muscarinic-1 (M-1) receptors, and inhibition of calmodulin-induced activation of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphodiesterase. 2. The most potent CPZ analogues to displace labelled spiperone from DA-2 receptors in rat striatum were: 3-hydroxy-CPZ, CPZ, 3,7-dihydroxy-CPZ, and 7-hydroxy-CPZ. Intermediate potency was observed with 8-hydroxy-CPZ, 3,7,8-trihydroxy-CPZ, and 7,8-dihydroxy-CPZ. Chlorpromazine sulphoxide and 7,8-dimethoxy-CPZ displayed the least activity at DA-2 receptors. 3. Displacement of labelled pirenzepine from M-1 receptors in rat frontal cortex occurred to the greatest extent with CPZ which was one to two orders of magnitude more potent than noted for 3-hydroxy-CPZ greater than 7-hydroxy-CPZ greater than CPZ-sulphoxide greater than 8-hydroxy-CPZ greater than 7,8-dimethoxy-CPZ. The least potent agents were 3,7-and 7,8-dihydroxy-CPZs and 3,7,8-trihydroxy-CPZ. 4. A partially purified calmodulin-sensitive preparation of cyclic AMP-dependent phosphodiesterase from guinea pig heart was most sensitive to inhibition by 7,8-dihydroxy-CPZ, 7,8-dimethoxy-CPZ, 3-hydroxy-CPZ, 7-hydroxy-CPZ, 8-hydroxy-CPZ and CPZ. Least inhibition occurred with 3,7-dihydroxy-CPZ, 3,7,8-trihydroxy-CPZ and CPZ-sulphoxide. 5. The DA-2 receptors were more sensitive to the active CPZ analogues than were the M-1 receptors while calmodulin-activated phosphodiesterase was the least sensitive preparation. 6. Comparisons of data were made with existing information from other laboratories and in general CPZ, 7-hydroxy-CPZ and 3-hydroxy-CPZ were the most potent compounds across different test conditions.

60] Preparation and use of iodinated calmodulin for studies of calmodulin-binding proteins

Publisher Summary A modification of calmodulin that has been particularly useful in studies of calmodulin and its role in the cell is iodination. Iodination of calmodulin has been employed to establish radioimmunoassays to detect and measure calmodulin in biological tissues. Iodination of calmodulin under carefully controlled conditions also allows the introduction of an isotopic label with retention of drug binding, protein binding, and enzyme activator properties. This chapter summarizes some observations that are important for the reproducible use of iodinated calmodulin in studies of calmodulin-binding proteins and calmodulin activator activities. Vertebrate calmodulin can be readily iodinated by methods utilizing chloramine-T, lactoperoxidase, or Bolton-Hunter reagent. The chapter shows the results obtained when a partially purified bovine brain phosphodiesterase preparation and purified chicken gizzard myosin light-chain kinase were tested for their ability to interact with iodinated calmodulin. The results are consistent with the phosphodiesterase activator assays.

Characterization of specific fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-containing calmodulin adducts by spectroscopy and phosphodiesterase stimulation

A reagent (I, N4-(9′-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl-4-amino-1-oxyl-4-succinimidyloxycarbonyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine)) that acylates calmodulin specifically at lysines 75 and 148 was recently described (Jackson and Puett, 1984). Chromatographic procedures are described that permit purification to apparent homogeneity of a 1 : 1 and a 2 : 1 adduct characterized by modification at just Lys 75 or at Lys 75 and Lys 148, respectively. These adducts are suitable for detailed characterization in an effort to provide information on calmodulin structure-function relationships. The adducts were incapable of, or exhibited low potency (e.g., 0.1% that of calmodulin) in, stimulating the activity of an activatable bovine brain cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (3′,5′-cyclic AMP 5′-nucleotidehydrolase, EC 3.1.4.17) preparation. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy of the adducts yielded rotational correlation times of approximately 3–6 nsec, in agreement with the expected value for a hydrated protein of this molecular weight (∼5–7 nsec). Thus, the nitroxide reporter group appears to monitor closely the motion of the protein, and there is no evidence of a major conformational change in the derivative relative to calmodulin. Interestingly, removal of the fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl portion from the 1 : 1 adduct to give a “deprotected” 1 : 1 adduct resulted in apparent greater mobility of the probe, since the rotational correlation coefficient was found to be ∼1 nsec. Circular dichroic spectra were obtained over the wavelength interval 200–250 nm on the two adducts and on the deprotected 1 : 1 adduct. These derivatives, like calmodulin, exhibited a Ca2+-mediated increase in helicity, and the spectra of the adducts in the presence of a chelating agent and in the presence of saturating Ca2+ were similar to those obtained for calmodulin. Thus, the adducts have secondary structures similar to the native protein. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were determined in the aromatic region (∼6–8 ppm) for the deprotected 1 : 1 adduct before and after reduction of the nitroxide with ascorbate. The nitroxide had little effect on the chemical shifts of the two tyrosines and the single histidine relative to calmodulin, although the histidine C4 resonance was markedly altered by the addition of ascorbate. In order to explore in greater detail the tertiary structure of the 1 : 1 adduct, a reagent similar to I, but not paramagnetic, was synthesized. This compound II, α-N-(9′-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl)alanine N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, like I, forms a 1 : 1 adduct at Lys 75 and a 2 : 1 adduct at Lys 75 and Lys 148. Proton NMR spectra of adducts with II were not complicated by the relaxation effects arising from adducts with I; thus more definitive assignments could be made to the upfield resonances, including the fluorene protons. Again, it was possible to conclude that adduct formation had no major effect on the tertiary structure of the protein as monitored by chemical shifts associated with various residues. We conclude that modification of just Lys 75, a residue in the long connecting helix of calmodulin, does not lead to major changes in protein conformation but does interfere with the ability of calmodulin to stimulate an activatable form of bovine brain cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase.

Specific acylation of calmodulin. Synthesis and adduct formation with a fluorenyl-based spin label.

The spin-labeling reagent, N4-(9'-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl)-4-amino-1-oxyl-4-succinimidyloxyca rbonyl- 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine, and the same enriched in 14C at the 4-formyl group, were synthesized as new acylating compounds for protein amino groups that can preserve charge. Porcine testicular calmodulin was modified with this reagent at pH 7.8 in the presence of Ca2+ under conditions that yielded a fairly homogeneous derivative as judged by electrophoretic analysis and tryptic digestion patterns. The tryptic peptides were separated by gel filtration and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, and the resulting, highly purified 14C-labeled peptides were hydrolyzed and their amino acid compositions determined. The results indicate that at least 87% of the modifications occur at lysyl residues 75 and 148, and the former appears to be the most reactive. This bilabeled calmodulin adduct does not activate a bovine brain cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase preparation. The fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl portion of this inactive calmodulin derivative can, however, be removed by conditions that do not diminish native calmodulin activity in the phosphodiesterase assay. The resulting calmodulin adduct is active in the enzymic assay, although with diminished potency compared to calmodulin. The specificity of the reaction of this acylating reagent with calmodulin may be due to recognition of the tricyclic fluorene ring by the phenothiazine-binding sites since it was found that trifluoperazine inhibited the labeling reaction. Also, calmodulin was far more reactive to this reagent than were several other proteins. This is the first report of a specific, characterized lysine modification on calmodulin, and it is possible that other phenothiazine-binding proteins may also exhibit similar selectivity for acylation. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the calmodulin adducts suggest a high degree of spin immobilization in both the Ca2+-free and Ca2+-saturated states.

Demonstration of bovine brain calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase isozymes by monoclonal antibodies.

Calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase from bovine brain is found to be composed of two distinct subunits, 60,000- and 63,000-dalton polypeptides. Peptide mapping of the subunits by partial proteolysis demonstrated that the 60-kDa polypeptide is not derived from the 63-kDa species. The interaction of the enzyme with three monoclonal antibodies, A6, C1, and A2, and the analysis of immunocomplexes by sucrose density gradient centrifugation revealed that calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase exists in three different forms, i.e. (a) homodiamer of 60-kDa, (b) heterodimer of 60- and 63-kDa, and (c) homodimer of 63-kDa. A6 antibody reacts with both 60- and 63-kDa polypeptides indicating that they are immunologically related. C1 and A2 antibodies react with only 60-kDa polypeptide species. By using C1 Sepharose 4B affinity column chromatography, the 63-kDa homodimer which did not bind to the column (Fraction I) was separated from the 60-kDa polypeptide containing isozymes (the heterodimer and the 60-kDa homodimer) which were retained on the column and later eluted as a mixture (Fraction II). Fraction I, the 63-kDa homodimer enzyme, has higher Vmax toward cGMP as substrate than cAMP whereas the opposite was found with Fraction II. The specific activity of Fraction II enzyme toward cAMP was approximately 500 mumol/min/mg, the highest value ever reported for brain calmodulin-dependent cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase preparations.

ChemInform Abstract: 1‐(4‐AMINOBENZYL)‐ AND 1‐(4‐AMINOPHENYL)ISOQUINOLINE DERIVATIVES: SYNTHESIS AND EVALUATION AS POTENTIAL IRREVERSIBLE CYCLIC NUCLEOTIDE PHOSPHODIESTERASE INHIBITORS

AbstractIsochinolinderivate (II), (IV) und (V) werden synthetisiert und auf Phosphodiesterase‐inhibierende Wirkung untersucht.

Purification and characterization of posterior pituitary calmodulin and its activation of neurosecretosome Ca2+ + Mg2+-ATPase activities.

Calmodulin was isolated as an electrophoretically homogeneous protein from bovine posterior pituitary glands. The yield indicated that this gland is a particularly rich source. Purified bovine posterior pituitary calmodulin and bovine brain calmodulin had identical electrophoretic mobilities on 10% and 12% polyacrylamide gels. The protein was further identified by molecular weight determination and by amino acid analysis which showed that it contained trimethyllysine, one residue per molecule. Bovine posterior pituitary calmodulin was found to activate a preparation of calmodulin-deficient phosphodiesterase from bovine heart. In addition, pituitary calmodulin stimulated Ca+ + Mg2+-ATPase activity associated with a purified nerve ending plasma membrane fraction. This dependence could only be demonstrated after successive washing of the membranes with EGTA buffers, a procedure designed to remove endogenous calmodulin.

Purification, characterization and production of rabbit antibodies to rat liver particulate, high-affinity, cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase

The cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (EC 3.1.4.16) activities of a rat liver particulate fraction were analyzed after solubilization by detergent or by freeze-thawing. Analysis of the two extracts by DEAE-cellulose chromatography revealed that they contain different complements of phosphodiesterase activities. The detergent-solubilized extract contained a cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase, a low affinity cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase whose hydrolysis of cyclic AMP was activated by cyclic GMP and a high affinity cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase. The freeze-thaw extract contained a cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase. The cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase activities from the freeze-thaw extract and from the detergent extract all had negatively cooperative kinetics. One of the cyclic AMP AMP phosphodiesterases from the freeze-thaw extract (form A) was insensitive to inhibition by cyclic GMP; the other freeze-thaw solubilized cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase (form B) and the detergent-solubilized cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase were strongly inhibited by cyclic GMP. The B enzyme appeared to be converted into the A enzyme when the particulate fraction was stored for prolonged periods at −20°C. The B form was purified extensively, using DEAE-cellulose, a guanine-Sepharose column and gel filtration. The enzyme retained its negatively cooperative kinetics and high affinity for both cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP throughout the purification, although catalytic activity was always much greater for cyclic AMP. Rabbit antiserum was raised against the purified B enzyme and tested via a precipitin reaction against other forms of phosphodiesterase. The antiserum cross-reacted with the A enzyme and the detergent-solubilized cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase from rat liver. It did not react with the calmodulin-activated cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase of rat brain, the soluble low affinity cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase of rat liver or a commercial phosphodiesterase preparation from bovine heart. These results suggest a possible interrelationship between the high affinity cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases of rat liver.

A homogeneous cyclic CMP phosphodiesterase hydrolyzes both pyrimidine and purine cyclic 2':3'- and 3':5'-nucleotides.

A homogeneous preparation of cyclic CMP phosphodiesterase (Helfman, D. M., Shoji, M., and Kuo, J. F. (1981) J. Biol. Chem. 256, 6327-6334) was found to catalyze the hydrolysis of both pyrimidine and purine cyclic 2':3'- and 3':5'-nucleotides. Hydrolysis of cyclic 2':3'-nucleotides resulted in the formation of both 2'- and 3'-nucleotides, although relative amounts of the products were variable. Hydrolysis of cyclic 2':3'-CMP or cyclic 2':3'-UMP yielded predominantly 3'-nucleotides. In contrast, hydrolysis of cyclic 2':3'-AMP produced equal amounts of 2'- and 3'-nucleotides, while the major product formed from cyclic 2':3'-GMP was 2'-nucleotide. When conventional pyrimidine and purine cyclic 3:5'-nucleotides were used as substrates, the enzyme hydrolyzed specifically the 3'-bond to yield only 5'-nucleotides. The relative rate of hydrolysis of cyclic 2':3'-nucleotides was cyclic CMP greater than cyclic UMP greater than cyclic GMP greater than or equal to cyclic AMP, respectively, whereas that for cyclic 3':5'-nucleotides was cyclic CMP greater than cyclic UMP greater than or equal to cyclic AMP greater than cyclic GMP, respectively. Furthermore, kinetic analysis suggested a single species of catalytic site on the enzyme may be involved in the hydrolysis of both pyrimidine and purine cyclic 2':3'- and 3':5'-nucleotides. These findings indicate that the present enzyme is the first multifunctional phosphodiesterase reported to date that is capable of hydrolyzing such a diversity of cyclic nucleotides.

An improved assay of cyclic 3',5'-nucleotide phosphodiesterases with QAE-Sephadex columns.

A method for the assay of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases is described which employs chromatographical separation of cyclic nucleotides and nucleosides on QAE A-25 Sephadex columns and 5'-nucleotidase as an auxiliary enzyme. The assay allows quantitative recovery of adenosine, guanosine and their metabolites from the anion exchanger and thus is suitable for use in crude phosphodiesterase preparations containing purine catabolizing enzymes. In comparative studies, this method was found to be considerably more sensitive than previous reported methods because of lower assay blanks and higher recoveries of the nucleoside catabolites. The method is suitable for kinetic analysis of crude enzyme preparations from micromolar to millimolar substrate concentrations.

Specific inhibition of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, adenylate cyclase and phosphodiesterase by ATP and cyclic AMP analogs

The catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase was isolated from pigeon breast muscle. The enzyme was 11,000-fold purified and, according to the data of SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the enzyme preparation obtained was homogeneous. The molecular weight of the enzyme was estimated to be equal to 42,000 daltons. The pH optimum for the phosphotransferase reaction catalyzed by the catalytic subunit was 8.0. The kinetic mechanism of the reaction catalyzed by the cyclic AMP-dependent pigeon breast muscle protein kinase was studied. The results obtained permitted us to draw the conclusion that the reaction proceeded by the random Bi-Bi mechanism. Using the ATP analogs containing various reactive groups, a study was carried out on the ATP-binding site of the catalytic subunit. Among the ATP analogs tested, the compounds which irreversibly modified the active site of the enzyme were found. On the basis of the data on the kinetics of inhibition of the catalytic subunit by these analogs and pH dependence of the inactivation reaction, an assumption was made about possible involvement of the histidine residue in the catalytic action of the enzyme. A preparation of the solubilized rabbit heart adenylate cyclase possessing distinct catalytic activity was obtained. The effect of various ATP analogs on the solubilized adenylate cyclase was studied. Despite the presence of alkylating groups in different positions of the analogs tested, no covalent blocking of the active site of the enzyme was observed. All the compounds appeared to be competitive inhibitors. The affinity of the analogs with haloidalkyl groups in the phosphate chain increased with the increase in the number of phosphorus atoms. The 8-substituted ATP analogs that were likely to have syn-conformation possessed low affinity for the enzyme. The absence of a nucleophylic group in the active site of adenylate cyclase in the immediate proximity to the binding region of the γ-phosphorus atom of the ATP molecule was postulated. A partially purified phosphodiesterase preparation from rat liver, sufficiently specific towards cyclic AMP and characterized by two Michaelis constants for the cyclic nucleotide, namely 360 and 2.5–5 μ m, was obtained. The interaction of the phosphodiesterase with the synthesized cyclic AMP analogs containing reactive groups of various types in certain positions of the nucleotide molecule was studied. All compounds tested were found to be phosphodiesterase inhibitors acting on the active site of the enzyme; a number of these analogs provided irreversible inhibition. On the basis of the inhibitory analysis data, a tentative topography of the ATP-binding sites of the active centers of adenylate cyclase and protein kinase was proposed. Based on the results obtained in the study on the interaction of phosphodiesterase with cyclic AMP analogs, structural and functional characteristics of cyclic AMP-binding site of phosphodiesterase were determined.