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A novel group of glycosphingolipids was identified in the nervous tissue and skin of the mollusc, Aplysia kurodai, which lacks gangliosides. More than 30 glycolipids were detected on HPTLC plates and the structures of 9 major glycolipids were determined. They were pentaosylglycosphingolipids and their common core structure was GalNAcα1→3Galβ1→4Glcβ1→1ceramide, except for one glycolipid in which Galβ of the core structure was replaced by Galα. 3-O-MeGalβ or 4-O-MeGlcNAcα or 3,4-O-carboxyethylideneGalβ was at their non-reducing ends. Galα or Fucα binds to Gal of the core structure at 2C as a side chain sugar. One to three 2-aminoethylphosphonic acids and/or phosphoethanolamine link to the glycolipids. Immunohistochemically, glycolipids having carboxyethylideneGal at their non-reducing ends were localized exclusively in nerve bundles. Glycolipids activated cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the rat brain and may directly activate cAMP-dependent protein kinase in a manner similar, but not identical, to that of cAMP. The biological functions of glycolipids may share neurobiological functions proposed for gangliosides in vertebrates.

We have reported that the delta3 isoform of Ca2+/ calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) is abundant in the nucleus in cerebellar granule cells. To examine the possibility that the nuclear isoforms of CaM kinase II are involved in the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), we transiently overexpressed the delta3 isoform in NG108-15 cells. The quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that rat cerebellum and NG108-15 cells expressed the exon IV-containing mRNA of BDNF (exon IV-BDNF mRNA) more than the exon III-BDNF mRNA. Treatment of NG108-15 cells with Bay K 8644 increased both exon III- and exon IV-BDNF mRNAs, and overexpression of the 83 isoform potentiated the expression of the exon IV-BDNF mRNA. The potentiation was not observed in the cells that were overexpressed with either the 61 isoform, a nonnuclear isoform, or the inactive mutant of the delta3 isoform. We constructed the luciferase reporter gene following the promoter upstream of exon IV and confirmed that overexpression of the delta3 isoform increased luciferase gene expression. Double-immunostaining of NG108-15 cells with the antibodies to CaM kinase II and BDNF clearly showed that BDNF was highly expressed in the cells that were overexpressed with the delta3 isoform or the alphaB isoform, another nuclear isoform of CaM kinase II. These results suggest that the nuclear isoforms of CaM kinase II are involved in the expression of BDNF.

Myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS) is a widely distributed specific protein kinase C (PKC) substrate and has been implicated in membrane trafficking, cell motility, secretion, cell cycle, and transformation. We found that amyloid beta protein (A beta) (25-35) and A beta (1-40) phosphorylate MARCKS in primary cultured rat microglia. Treatment of microglia with A beta (25-35) at 10 nM or 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (1.6 nM) led to phosphorylation of MARCKS, an event inhibited by PKC inhibitors, staurosporine, calphostin C, and chelerythrine. The A beta (25-35)-induced phosphorylation of MARCKS was inhibited by pretreatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein and herbimycin A, but not with pertussis toxin. PKC isoforms alpha, delta, and epsilon were identified in microglia by immunocytochemistry and western blots using isoform-specific antibodies. PKC-delta was tyrosine-phosphorylated by the treatment of microglia for 10 min with A beta (25-35) at 10 nM. Other PKC isoforms alpha and epsilon were tyrosine-phosphorylated by A beta (25-35), but only to a small extent. We propose that a tyrosine kinase-activated PKC pathway is involved in the A beta (25-35)-induced phosphorylation of MARCKS in rat microglia.

We investigated the effects of prenatal exposure to diethylstilbestrol (DES), an endocrine disrupter on learning behavior and synaptic functions. Specifically, we determined the activity of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) and related kinases that play an essential role in long-term potentiation (LTP) in the hippocampus in mice that were prenatally exposed to DES. Treatment with DES resulted in increased CaMKII autophosphorylation and Ca2+-independent activity in the hippocampus and cortex of male mice. Impaired passive avoidance correlated with this increased CaMKII autophosphorylation, as did the enhanced early phase of LTP (E-LTP) in hippocampus. These data suggest that prenatal exposure to DES induces deficits in passive avoidance responses as a result of increased CaMKII activity and hippocampal LTP.

We have previously isolated two Ca2+, calmodulin-dependent protein kinases with molecular weights of 120,000 (120K enzyme) and 640,000 (640K enzyme), respectively, by gel filtration analysis from rat brain. Chicken gizzard myosin light-chain kinase and the 120K enzyme phosphorylated two light chains of brain myosin, whereas the 640K enzyme phosphorylated both the two light chains and the heavy chain. The phosphopeptides of the light chains digested by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease were similar among chicken gizzard myosin light-chain kinase, the 120K enzyme, and the 640K enzyme. Only the seryl residue in the light chains and the heavy chain was phosphorylated by the enzymes. The phosphorylation of brain myosin by any of these enzymes led to an increase in actin-activated Mg-ATPase activity. The results suggest that brain myosin is regulated by brain Ca2+, calmodulin-dependent protein kinases in a similar but distinct mechanism in comparison with that of smooth muscle myosin.

LH consists of α- and β-subunits, and synthesis of the β-subunit has been reported to be the rate-limiting step in LH production. In this study, we found that activin A increased both the LHβ mRNA level and LH content in cells of the gonadotroph cell line, LβT2. We next examined the effects of activin A and GnRH on LHβ promoter activity by reporter gene assay and compared the signal transduction pathways. Activin A and GnRH activated the LHβ promoter, and the response to a combination of activin A and GnRH was higher than that to activin A or GnRH alone. The effects of activin A and GnRH were specifically inhibited by inhibin-like peptide and antide, a GnRH antagonist, respectively. The activation of the LHβ promoter by GnRH was inhibited by PD098059 and U0126, MAP kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitors. In contrast, these protein kinase inhibitors did not inhibit the activin A-induced activation. GnRH, but not activin A, activated MAP kinase in LβT2 cells. Overexpression of constitutively active MEK1 or MEK kinase activated both MAP kinase and the LHβ promoter. Furthermore, GnRH, but not activin A, strongly induced SRE-mediated transcription, a known target of the MAP kinase pathway. These results suggest that GnRH activates the LHβ promoter via the MAP kinase pathway and that activin A-induced activation of the LHβ promoter is independent of the MAP kinase pathway.

The exocytosis of insulin from pancreatic beta-cells is closely related to intracellular elevation of Ca(2+). The effects of Ca(2+) may be mediated by Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). Four subunits of CaMKII, termed alpha, beta, gamma, and delta, are encoded by distinct genes, and various isoforms of these subunits exist as different splicing variants. In the brain, phosphorylation of synapsin I by the alpha isoform induces neurotransmitter release. In order to clarify whether phosphorylation of synapsin I by CaMKII was involved in insulin exocytosis, we cloned the isoforms of CaMKII and synapsin I from mouse insulinoma MIN6 cells. We found that beta'e and delta2 are the major isoforms of CaMKII and that synapsin Ib is a major isoform of synapsin I in MIN6 cells. It was interesting that delta2 and synapsin Ib were co-localized with insulin secretory granules in the cells. Treatment of MIN6 cells with glucose and tolbutamide rapidly activated CaMKII. Immunoblot analysis with two antibodies against synapsin I phosphorylated by CaMKII demonstrated the increase in phosphorylation of synapsin I by the secretagogues. Furthermore, the secretagogue-induced phosphorylation of synapsin I and insulin secretion were potentiated by transient overexpression of the beta'e or delta2 isoform. These results suggest that activation of CaMKII and the concomitant phosphorylation of synapsin I induce insulin exocytosis from pancreatic beta-cells.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) was activated by stimulation of glutamate receptors in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Ten micromolar glutamate maximally stimulated MAP kinase activity, which peaked during 10 min and decreased to the basal level within 30 min. Experiments using glutamate receptor agonists and antagonists revealed that glutamate stimulated MAP kinase through NMDA and metabotropic glutamate receptors but not through non-NMDA receptors. Glutamate and its receptor agonists had no apparent effect on MAP kinase activation in cultured cortical astrocytes. Addition of calphostin C, a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, or down-regulation of PKC activity partly abolished the stimulatory effect by glutamate, but the MAP kinase activation by treatment with ionomycin, a Ca2+ ionophore, remained intact. Lavendustin A, a tryrosine kinase inhibitor, was without effect. In experiments with 32P-labeled hippocampal neurons, MAP kinase activation by glutamate was associated with phosphorylation of the tyrosine residue located on MAP kinase. However, phosphorylation of Raf-1, the c-raf protooncogene product, was not stimulated by treatment with glutamate. Our observations suggest that MAP kinase activation through glutamate receptors in hippocampal neurons is mediated by both the PKC-dependent and the Ca(2+)-dependent pathways and that the activation of Raf-1 is not involved.

We identified two major substrates for the proline-directed protein kinases--cdc2 kinase and tau protein kinase II (TPKII)--in the cytosol fraction from rat brains. The molecular masses of the proteins were 80 and 46 kDa. Because the 80-kDa protein was phosphorylated by protein kinase C and was heat stable, we examined the possibility that the protein might be myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS). On the basis of a comparison between the properties of the 80-kDa protein and purified MARCKS, we concluded that the 80-kDa protein is indeed MARCKS. The amounts of phosphate incorporated into MARCKS by protein kinase C, cdc2 kinase, and TPKII were 1.7, 1.4, and 0.6 mol/mol of the protein, respectively. Two-dimensional tryptic peptide mapping indicated that phosphorylation sites by protein kinase C and proline-directed protein kinases completely differed. Only the seryl residue was phosphorylated by protein kinase C, whereas both seryl and threonyl residues were phosphorylated by cdc2 kinase and TPKII. Phosphorylation of MARCKS by protein kinase C inhibited the binding to calmodulin, whereas phosphorylation by cdc2 kinase and TPKII significantly increased the binding to calmodulin. The holoenzyme of protein phosphatase 2A dephosphorylated MARCKS that had been phosphorylated by protein kinase C, cdc2 kinase, or TPKII, whereas calcineurin was unable to dephosphorylate it. These results suggest that cdc2 kinase and TPKII regulate the functions of MARCKS in different ways from protein kinase C.

The exposure of cultured rat hippocampal neurons to 500 microM glutamate for 20 min induced a 55% decrease in the total Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) activity. The Ca(2+)-independent activity and autophosphorylation of CaM kinase II decreased to the same extent as the changes observed in total CaM kinase II activity, and these decreases in activities were prevented by pretreatment with MK-801, an N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type receptor antagonist, and the removal of extracellular calcium but not by antagonists against other types of glutamate receptors and protease inhibitors. Similarly, the decrease in the CaM kinase II activity was induced by a Ca2+ ionophore, ionomycin. Immunoblot analysis with the anti-CaM kinase II antibody revealed a significant decrease in the amount of the enzyme in the soluble fraction, in contrast with the inverse increase in the insoluble fraction; thus, the translocation was probably induced during treatment of the cells with glutamate. These results suggest that glutamate released during brain ischemia induces a loss of CaM kinase II activity in hippocampal neurons, by stimulation of the NMDA receptor, and that inactivation of the enzyme may possibly be involved in the cascade of the glutamate neurotoxicity following brain ischemia.

KN-62, an inhibitor of Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II), inhibited significantly catecholamine secretion and tyrosine hydroxylase activity stimulated by acetylcholine in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. KN-62, however, showed an additional inhibitory effect on acetylcholine-induced 45 Ca 2+ influx, which is essential for functional responses. Carbachol-stimulated 22 Na + influx, veratridine-induced 22 Na + influx, and 56 mM K + -evoked 45 Ca 2+ influx were also attenuated by KN-62. Inhibitions by KN-62 of these ion influxes were correlated closely with those of catecholamine secretion. KN-04, which is a structural analogue of KN-62 but does not inhibit CaM kinase II activity, elicited inhibitory effects on the three kinds of stimulant-evoked ion influxes with an inhibitory potency similar to KN-62. These results suggest that KN-62 inhibits catecholamine secretion and tyrosine hydroxylase activation due to mainly its ion channel blockade on the plasma membrane rather than the inhibition of CaM kinase II activity in the cells.

To investigate regulation of D2 receptor (D2R) gene expression by protein kinases, we evaluated effects of constitutively active MAPK kinase kinase (MEKK), Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) II, CaMKIV and cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) on D2R promoter activity using luciferase reporter gene assays. A 1.5-kbp fragment containing the rat D2R promoter was cloned upstream of the reporter and transfected into D2R-expressing NB2A cells or nonexpressing NG108-15 and C6 glioma cells. MEKK and CaMKII, but not CaMKIV and PKA, increased promoter activity 4.5- and 1.5-fold, respectively, in NB2A cells. Inhibitory effects of a MEK inhibitor and lack of effect by dominant negative (DN)-JNK1 or DN-p38MAPK revealed that ERK but not JNK and p38MAPK is involved in MEKK-induced promoter activation. Deletion and mutation of the promoter revealed that the MEKK-responsive region was Sp1 site B between nucleotides -56 and -47. Overexpression of Sp1 suppressed promoter activity without affecting MEKK-induced activation. Interestingly, overexpression of Zif268 increased promoter activity through the region between nucleotides -56 and -36. Increased activity by Zif268 was additive with CaMKII-induced activation but not with activation induced by MEKK. Co-transfection with CaMKII stimulated nuclear translocation of Zif268. These results suggest that ERK and CaMKII positively regulate the D2R promoter and that Zif268 is a potential transcription factor for the CaMKII-dependent pathway.

The function of synapsin I is regulated by phosphorylation of the molecule at multiple sites; among them, the Ser(603) residue (site 3) is considered to be a pivotal site targeted by Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII). Although phosphorylation of the Ser(603) residue responds to several kinds of stimuli, it is unlikely that many or all of the stimuli activate the CaMKII-involved pathway. Among the several stimulants tested in PC12 cells, bradykinin evoked the phosphorylation of Ser(603) without inducing the autophosphorylation of CaMKII, which was determined using phosphorylation site-specific antibodies against phospho-Ser(603)-synapsin I (pS603-Syn I-Ab) and phospho-Thr(286/287)-CaMKII. The bradykinin-evoked phosphorylation of Ser(603) was not suppressed by the CaMKII inhibitor KN62, whereas high KCl-evoked phosphorylation was accompanied by CaMKII autophosphorylation and inhibited by KN62. Thus, we attempted to identify Ser(603) kinase(s) besides CaMKII. We consequently detected four and three fractions with Ca(2+)/calmodulin-independent Ser(603) kinase activity on the DEAE column chromatography of bovine brain homogenate and PC12 cell lysate, respectively, two of which were purified and identified by amino acid sequence of proteolytic fragments as p21-activated kinase (PAK) 1 and PAK3. The immunoprecipitants from bovine brain homogenate with anti-PAK1 and PAK3 antibodies incorporated (32)P into synapsin I in a Cdc42/GTPgammaS-dependent manner, and its phosphorylation site was confirmed as Ser(603) using pS603-Syn I-Ab. Additionally, recombinant GST-PAK2 could phosphorylate the Ser(603) residue in the presence of Cdc42/GTPgammaS. Finally, we confirmed by immunocytochemical analysis that the transfection of constitutively active rat alphaPAK (PAK1) in PC12 cells evokes the phosphorylation of Ser(603) even in the resting mutant cells and enhances it in the bradykinin-stimulated cells, whereas that of dominant-negative alphaPAK quenches the phosphorylation. These results raise the possibility that Ser(603) on synapsin I is alternatively phosphorylated by PAKs, not only by CaMKII, in neuronal cells in response to some stimulants.

Pituitary prolactin biosynthesis is negatively regulated by hypothalamic dopamine through D(2) receptors in pituitary lactotrophs, but little is known about the direct effect of dopamine on gonadotrophs. In this study, the clonal gonadotroph-derived cell line, alphaT3-1, was used to examine whether gene expression of the pituitary gonadotropin alpha subunit, stimulated with GnRH or pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), was controlled by dopamine D(2) receptor. Western blotting and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated the presence of dopamine D(2) receptors in alphaT3-1 cells. Both GnRH and PACAP increased alpha subunit gene expression. GnRH-induced alpha subunit gene expression was not affected by quinpirol, a specific dopamine D(2) receptor agonist. In contrast, PACAP-induced gene expression was significantly lower in the presence of quinpirol. The roles of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and cAMP in the expression of the alpha subunit gene were examined. GnRH activated ERK, but PACAP did not, and the activation was not inhibited by quinpirol. GnRH-induced alpha subunit gene expression was completely inhibited by an ERK inhibitor, PD098059. Cyclic AMP accumulation in alphaT3-1 cells was increased by treatment with PACAP, and quinpirol inhibited this effect. GnRH did not affect cAMP production in these cells. These results suggest that in alphaT3-1 cells, dopamine D(2) receptors negatively regulate pituitary alpha subunit gene expression in association with the cAMP-dependent pathway, but not with the ERK pathway.

We have reported that the nuclear isoforms of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM KII) are involved in the expression of the exon IV-containing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA. We document here the cis-elements and transcription factors responsive to CaM KII in the activation of the promoter upstream of the exon IV (exon IV-BDNF promoter). Effects of constitutively active mutants of CaM KIV, MAPK kinase kinase (MEKK) and protein kinase A (PKA) on the exon IV-BDNF promoter activity were also evaluated by transfection and luciferase assay. The exon IV-BDNF promoter activity was increased by transfection with CaM KII, MEKK and PKA, but not by CaM KIV. Deletion and mutational analysis of the promoter revealed that the region between nucleotides -56 and -27 was responsive to CaM KII, which contained a CCAAT-box in the region between nucleotides -56 and -43. Expression of C/EBPbeta increased the promoter activity and potentiated the effects of CaM KII. The region between nucleotides -79 and -56 was responsive to MEKK, in which both a GA-rich sequence and a GC-box were included. Expression of Sp1 increased the promoter activity, which was further enhanced by transfection with MEKK. The region between nucleotides -43 and -27 was responsive to both PKA and CaM KII, but the transcription factors involved in the region remained unclear. These results suggest that the promoter of the exon IV-BDNF is at least regulated by CaM KII, MEKK and PKA, and that C/EBP/beta and Sp1 are potential transcription factors activated by CaM KII and MEKK, respectively.

LH receptor activation leads to the phosphorylation/activation of p42/44 MAPK in preovulatory granulosa cells. As the LH receptor can activate both adenylyl cyclase and phospholipase C, we hypothesized that the LH receptor could elicit phosphorylation of p42/44 MAPK through activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and/or protein kinase C (PKC). Preovulatory granulosa cells in serum-free primary cultures were treated with ovulatory concentrations of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), an LH receptor agonist, with or without various inhibitors. The PKA inhibitor H89 as well as the myristoylated PKA inhibitor peptide PKI strongly inhibited hCGstimulated p42/44 MAPK phosphorylation, whereas the PKC inhibitor GF109203X had no effect on p42/44 MAPK phosphorylation. LH receptor-stimulated phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), histone H3, and MAPK kinase (MEK) was also strongly inhibited by H89 and not by GF109203X. The extent of PKC activation was assessed in preovulatory granulosa cells using three criteria: translocation of PKC isoforms to the membrane fraction, phosphorylation of a known PKC substrate, and autophosphorylation of PKC on an activation-related site. By all three criteria PKCs were partially activated before hCG stimulation, and hCG treatment failed to elicit further PKC activation, in vitro or in vivo. Taken together, these results indicate that, under primary culture conditions where physiological levels of signaling proteins are present, hCG signals to activate MEK, p42/44 MAPK, CREB, and histone H3 in a predominately PKAdependent and PKC-independent manner. Unexpectedly, PKCs were partially activated in the absence of LH receptor activation, and LH receptor activation did not elicit further detectable PKC activation. (Endocrinology 143: 2986 –2994, 2002)

Background: GANP, carrying DNA-primase and MCM3-binding domains, is up-regulated in germinal centre B cells. To understand the regulatory function of GANP upon MCM complex, we searched for GANP-associated molecules by yeast two-hybrid screening. Results: Using the 1 kb fragment (G5) of the ganp cDNA, we identified a clone named G5PR that is structurally homologous to known regulatory subunits of protein phosphatases (PPases) and determined the association of G5PR with GANP in vivo in the DNA transfectant. G5PR is associated with protein phosphatase 5 (PP5) through its tetratricopeptide-repeat (TPR) domain. Pull-down assays demonstrated that G5PR is also associated with protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), the complex of A subunit (PR65) and the catalytic (C) subunit (PP2Ac), similar to the B′′ subunit. The G5PR-associated complex had phosphatase activity on casein, histone H1 and MCM3 in vitro, but the addition of G5PR did not stimulate or inhibit the phosphatase activities of PP5 and PP2A. The cellular localization of G5PR in transfected cells varies during cell cycling, appearing in the nucleus during prophase, in the peri-chromatin during mitotic phase, and in the cytoplasm after cell division. Conclusion: G5PR is capable of recruiting two kinds of PPases, PP5 and PP2A, into the GANP/MCM3 complex, which might regulate its phosphorylation state during cell cycle progression.

We have focused on activation mechanisms of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM) kinase I in the hippocampal neurons and compared them with that of CaM kinase IV. Increased activation of CaM kinase I occurred by stimulation with glutamate and depolarization in cultured rat hippocampal neurons. Similar to CaM kinases II and IV, CaM kinase I was essentially activated by stimulation with the NMDA receptor. Although both CaM kinases I and IV seem to be activated by CaM kinase kinase, the activation of CaM kinase I was persistent during stimulation with glutamate in contrast to a transient activation of CaM kinase IV. In addition, CaM kinase I was activated in a lower concentration of glutamate than that of CaM kinase IV. Depolarization-induced activation of CaM kinase I was also evident in the cultured neurons and was largely blocked by nifedipine. In the experiment with 32P-labeled cells, phosphorylation of CaM kinase I was stimulated by glutamate treatment and depolarization. The glutamate- and depolarization-induced phosphorylation was inhibited by the NMDA receptor antagonist and nifedipine, respectively. These results suggest that, although CaM kinases I and IV are activated by the NMDA receptor and depolarization stimulation, these kinase activities are differently regulated in the hippocampal neurons.

We identified the isoforms of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) subunits in rat striatum. All four subunits of CaM kinase II α, β, γ and δ were detected including the isoforms of αB, γA, γA′, γA.B, δ3 and δ7 with nuclear localization signal. We established NG108-15 cells with the stably expressed dopamine D2L receptor (D2LR, long form), which is an alternative splicing variant. The cells were termed NGD2L. Immunostaining demonstrated that D2LR was localized in plasma membranes. Calcium imaging with fluo-3 AM revealed that quinpirole, a D2R agonist, increased the intracellular Ca2+, which was blocked by treatment with sulpiride and pertussis toxin in NGD2L cells, but not in mock cells. Furthermore, stimulation of D2LR with quinpirole in NGD2L cells activated the nuclear isoform of CaM kinase II. Stimulation of D2LR increased the expression of exon III- and IV-BDNF mRNA. Overexpression of CaM kinase II δ3 increased exon IV- but not exon III-BDNF mRNA. These results suggest that D2R is involved in the activation of the nuclear isoform of CaM kinase II and thereby in stimulation of gene expression through Ca2+ signaling.

We examined the possible involvement of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation in the secretory process and gene expression of prolactin and growth hormone. Thyrotropinreleasing hormone (TRH) rapidly stimulated the secretion of both prolactin and growth hormone from GH3 cells. Secretion induced by TRH was not inhibited by 50 mM PD098059, but was completely inhibited by 1 mM wortmannin and 10 mM KN93, suggesting that MAP kinase does not mediate the secretory process. Stimulation of GH3 cells with TRH significantly increased the mRNA level of prolactin, whereas expression of growth hormone mRNA was largely attenuated. The increase in prolactin mRNA stimulated by TRH was inhibited by addition of PD098059, and the decrease in growth hormone mRNA was also inhibited by PD098059. Transfection of the cells with a pFCMEKK vector (a constitutively active MAP kinase kinase kinase), significantly increased the synthesis of prolactin and decreased the synthesis of growth hormone. These data taken together indicate that MAP kinase mediates TRH-induced regulation of prolactin and growth hormone gene expression. Reporter gene assays showed that prolactin promoter activity was increased by TRH and was completely inhibited by addition of PD098059, but that the promoter activity of growth hormone was unchanged by TRH. These results suggest that TRH stimulates both prolactin and growth hormone secretion, but that the gene expressions of prolactin and growth hormone are differentially regulated by TRH and are mediated by different mechanisms. growth hormone, pituitary hormones, prolactin, signal transduction

alpha 4 potentially mediates BCR signals through a rapamycin-sensitive TOR pathway. To investigate a potential role for alpha 4 in B cell activation, the alpha 4 gene was disrupted conditionally in B cells by mating male CD19-Cre mice with female alpha 4-floxed mice. CD19-Cre+/alpha 4flox mice showed loss of alpha 4 protein in B lineage cells and a decreased number of phenotypically normal mature B cells. Compared to normal B cells, alpha 4(-) B cells showed a decreased proliferation in response to the B cell stimulants (anti-IgM antibody plus IL-4, anti-CD40 mAb and lipopolysaccharide), and a reduced S6 kinase activation and rapamycin sensitivity. While CD19-Cre+/alpha 4flox mice showed impaired antibody responses to both T cell-independent and T cell-dependent (TD) antigens, the TD antigen response was markedly impaired as demonstrated by reduced isotype switching, reduced germinal center formation and reduced V region somatic hypermutation. These results show that alpha 4 plays a pivotal role in antigen-specific signal transduction during B cell activation and differentiation in vivo.

It is known that Ca(2+)-dependent phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and the rapid induction of mPer1 and mPer2, mouse period genes in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) are associated with light-induced phase shifting. The CREB/CRE transcriptional pathway has been shown to be activated by calcium/calmodulin dependent kinase II (CaMKII) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK); however, there is a lack of evidence concerning whether the activation of CaMKII and/or MAPK elicited by photic stimuli are associated with the change in Per gene expression and behavioral phase shifting. In this experiment, we found there was an inhibitory effect by KN93, CaMKII inhibitor, on hamster Per1 and Per2 expression in the SCN and on phase delays in wheel running rhythm induced by light pulses. PD98059 and U0126, MAPK kinase inhibitors, however, affected neither light-induced Per1 and Per2 expression nor behavioral phase delays, even though PD98059 attenuated the light-induced phosphorylation of MAPK in the SCN. The present findings demonstrate that the light-induced activation of CaMKII plays an important role in the induction of Per1 and Per2 mRNA in the hamster SCN as well as phase shifting. These results suggest that gated induction of Per1 and/or Per2 genes through CaMKII-CREB/CRE accompanied with photic stimuli may be a critical step in phase shifting.

The importance of well characterized calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) II in hippocampal long term potentiation (LTP) is widely well established; however, several CaMKs other than CaMKII are not yet clearly characterized and understood. Here we report the activation of CaMKIV, which is phosphorylated by CaMK kinase and localized predominantly in neuronal nuclei, and its functional role as a cyclic AMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) kinase in high frequency stimulation (HFS)-induced LTP in the rat hippocampal CA1 region. CaMKIV was transiently activated in neuronal nuclei after HFS, and the activation returned to the basal level within 30 min. Phosphorylation of CREB, which is a CaMKIV substrate, and expression of c-Fos protein, which is regulated by CREB, increased during LTP. This increase was inhibited mainly by CaMK inhibitors and also by an inhibitor for mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade, although to a lesser extent. Our results suggest that CaMKIV functions as a CREB kinase and controls CREB-regulated gene expression during HFS-induced LTP in the rat hippocampal CA1 region.

The general mechanism underlying memory and learning is an area under intense investigation and debate, yet this mechanism still remains elusive. Auditory fear conditioning (when a tone is paired with a foot shock) is a simple associative form of learning for which many mechanistic details are known. Lesions of the lateral/basolateral nuclei of the amygdala result in the selective impairment of fear conditioning, indicating that this is a key region for this type of learning. Fear conditioning induces a lasting synaptic potentiation in the lateral nuclei of the amygdala. In addition, recent results from several laboratories suggest that N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation in the amygdala is required for the acquisition and expression of cue-conditioned fear responses using several kinds of antagonists. Little is known, however, about the signal transduction pathway and molecular substrate underlying fear conditioning. Here we use NMDA receptor-deficient mice to demonstrate that calmodulin-dependent kinase II, CaMKIIbeta, and CaMKIIalpha activation involves the NR2A subunit in the lateral/basolateral amygdala during memory retrieval following auditory fear conditioning. These results suggest that auditory fear conditioning involves a close linkage between NMDA2A receptors and the CaMKII cascade.

The regulation of expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) was investigated by treatment with PGE2 in human endometrial adenocarcinoma cell line HEC-1B. One μM PGE2 could stimulate the expression of COX-2 approximately twofold in this cell line. The same concentration of PGE2 also stimulated activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) and protein kinase B (PKB). PGE2-induced MAP kinase activation was sensitive to a MAP kinase kinase (MEK) inhibitor, PD098059, and a protein kinase A inhibitor, H-89. PD098059 and H-89 also partially inhibited the expression of COX-2 stimulated by PGE2. PGE2 could stimulate the activation of PKB, which was sensitive to phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, wortmannin. Whereas wortmannin alone partially inhibited the expression of COX-2, a combination of wortmannin and PD098059 totally inhibited PGE2-mediated COX-2 expression. These results suggest that MAP kinase and PI3K pathways are stimulated with PGE2, and that both of these pathways a...

Recent advances in molecular genetics provide strong evidence for a relationship between hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and hippocampus-dependent memory. The alpha-CaM kinase II knock-out mouse and transgenic mice expressing a mutant form of CaM kinase II clearly demonstrate that CaM kinase II plays a prominent role in hippocampal LTP and hippocampus-dependent memory. Furthermore, the observation that there is a diversity of silent as well as functional synapses has shed light on the molecular basis of learning and memory during development as well as in adult brain. Here we present a working model of CaM kinase II activity as a memory molecule in hippocampal LTP and describe molecular targets of CaM kinase II involved in the establishment of functional synapses following LTP induction.

To understand the cell signaling of protein kinases, it is essential to monitor their activity in each of the subcellular compartments. Here we developed a method to visualize the activities of Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) in the cytoplasm, plasma membrane, and nucleus, separately, by utilizing targeted phosphorylation motifs and phosphorylation-specific antibodies. This approach was used to monitor the activities of post-synaptic CaMKII in cultured hippocampal neurons. Strong stimulation of the neurons by N-methyl-d-aspartate led to global activations of CaMKII in the cell bodies and dendrites. On the other hand, weak stimulation by removal of Mg(2+) block of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors induced CaMKII signaling localized within single dendritic spines. Post-synaptic CaMKII is thought to modify synaptic efficiency. The present data for the first time demonstrate the activation of CaMKII localized within single dendritic spines and are consistent with the notion that synaptic efficiency is modified by CaMKII in single or multiple spine level depending on the strength of receptor activation.

Bromocriptine, a dopamine D2 receptor agonist, is a therapeutic agent for patients with prolactinoma and hyperprolactinemia. In this study we demonstrated that bromocriptine induced activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, with concomitant induction of apoptosis in rat pituitary adenoma cell line GH3 cells. Treatment of GH3 cells for 48 h with bromocriptine increased the p38 MAP kinase activity up to 3- to 5fold and simultaneously increased the number of apoptotic cells. Inclusion in the medium of SB212090 or SB203580, specific p38 MAP kinase inhibitors, completely abolished the bromocriptineinduced activation of p38 MAP kinase and significantly reduced the number of apoptotic cells. The bromocriptine-induced p38 MAP kinase activation was not prevented by S(2)-eticropride hydrochloride, a specific D2 receptor antagonist. Treatment with either epidermal growth factor (EGF) or thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), which stimulates p44/42 MAP kinase, rescued cells from the bromocriptine-induced apoptosis, with concomitant inhibition of the bromocriptine-induced p38 MAP kinase activation. These results suggest that bromocriptine induces apoptosis in association with p38 MAP kinase activation, and that the p44/42 MAP kinase signaling through EGF and TRH receptors has an opposing effect on p38 MAP kinase activation as well as on apoptosis induced with bromocriptine in GH3 cells.

The membrane-associated guanylate kinase proteins have been known to interact various membrane receptors with their N-terminal segments designated the PDZ domains and to cluster these receptors at the target site of the cell membrane. NE-dlg/SAP102, a neuronal and endocrine tissue-specific MAGUK family protein, was found to be expressed in both dendrites and cell bodies in neuronal cells. Although NE-dlg/SAP102 localized at dendrites was shown to interact with N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor 2B via the PDZ domains to compose postsynaptic density, the binding proteins existing in the cell body of the neuron are still unknown. Here we report the isolation of a novel NE-dlg/SAP102-associated protein, p51-nedasin. Nedasin has a significant homology with amidohydrolase superfamily proteins and shows identical sequences to a recently identified protein that has guanine aminohydrolase activity. Nedasin has four alternative splice variants (S, V1, V2, and V3) that exhibited different C-terminal structures. NE-dlg/SAP102 is shown to interact with only the S form of nedasin which is predominantly expressed in brain. The expression of nedasin in neuronal cells increases in parallel with the progress of synaptogenesis and is mainly detected in cell bodies where it co-localizes with NE-dlg/SAP102. Furthermore, nedasin interferes with the association between NE-dlg/SAP102 and NMDA receptor 2B in vitro. These findings suggest that alternative splicing of nedasin may play a role in the formation and/or structural change in synapses during neuronal development by modifying clustering of neurotransmitter receptors at the synaptic sites.

The roles of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in long-term potentiation (LTP) were investigated in the CA1 area of hippocampal slices, using electrophysiological and biochemical approaches. A brief high-frequency stimulation, but not low-frequency stimulation, delivered to Schaffer collateral/commissural afferents produced a stable LTP and activated both CaM kinase II and 42 kDa MAPK. Different from the activity of CaM kinase II, the increase in MAPK activity was transient. At a concentration of 50 μm,but not of 30 μm,PD098059, a potent inhibitor of MAPK kinase, markedly inhibited the induction of LTP. Although the two concentrations had similar inhibitory effects on MAPK activity, only 50 μmPD098059 suppressed the activation of CaM kinase II. Application of calmidazolium, an antagonist of calmodulin, blocked both CaM kinase II activation and the LTP induction without affecting the increase in 42 kDa MAPK activity. Application of neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) promoted the induction of LTP, with concomitant activation of CaM kinase II. Under the same conditions, BDNF failed to activate MAPK in hippocampal slices. These results indicate that, although the LTP induction is accompanied by increases in two kinase activities, only CaM kinase II activation is required for this event.

We examined whether mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is activated by thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in GH3 cells, and whether MAP kinase activation is involved in secretion of prolactin from these cells. Protein kinase inhibitors-such as PD098059, calphostin C, and genistein-and removal of extracellular Ca 2+ inhibited MAP kinase activation by TRH. A cAMP analogue activated MAP kinase in these cells. Effects of cAMP on MAP kinase activation were inhibited by PD098059. TRH-induced prolactin secretion was not inhibited by levels of PD098059 sufficient to inhibit MAP kinase activation but was inhibited by wortmannin (1 μM) and KN93. Treatment of GH3 cells with either TRH or cAMP significantly inhibited DNA synthesis and induced morphological changes. The effects stimulated by TRH were reversed by PD098059 treatment, but the same effects stimulated by cAMP were not. Treatment of GH3 cells with TRH for 48 h significantly increased the prolactin content in GH3 cells and decreased growth hormone content. The increase in prolactin was completely abolished by PD098059, but the decrease in growth hormone was not. These results suggest that TRH-induced MAP kinase activation is involved in prolactin synthesis and differentiation of GH3 cells, but not in prolactin secretion.

Calcineurin belongs to the family of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase, protein phosphatase 2B. Calcineurin is the only protein phosphatase which is regulated by a second messenger, Ca2+. Furthermore, calcineurin is highly localized in the central nervous system, especially in those neurons vulnerable to ischemic and traumatic insults. For these reasons, calcineurin is considered to play important roles in neuron-specific functions. Recently, on the basis of the finding that FK506 and cyclosporin A serve as calcineurin-specific inhibitors, this enzyme has become the subject of much study. It is clear that calcineurin is involved in many neuronal (or non-neuronal) functions such as neurotransmitter release, regulation of receptor functions, signal transduction systems, neurite outgrowth, gene expression and neuronal cell death. In this review, we describe the calcineurin functions, functions of the substrates, and the pathogenesis of traumatic and ischemic insults, and we discuss the potential role of calcineurin. There are many similarities in traumatic and ischemic pathogenesis of the brain in which the release of excessive glutamate is followed by an intracellular Ca2+ increase. However, the intracellular cascade which leads to neuronal cell death after the release of excess Ca2+ is unclear. Although calcineurin is thought to be a key toxic enzyme on the basis of studies using immunosuppressants (FK506 or cyclosporin A), many of the functions of the substrates for calcineurin protect against neuronal cell death. We concluded that calcineurin is a bi-directional enzyme for neuronal cell death, having protective and toxic actions, and the balance of the bi-directional effects may be important in ischemic and traumatic pathogenesis.

We investigated the changes in the enzyme activity and immunoreactivity of calcineurin in the rat hippocampus after transient forebrain ischemia. Immediately after 20-min transient forebrain ischemia, calcineurin activity decreased to about 40% of the control in the CA1 region and to about 55% in other regions. Protein phosphatase 2A activity showed no remarkable changes. By 12 h after ischemia, calcineurin activity recovered, more in the CA1 region than in other regions. At 24 h it decreased again, but only in the CA1 region. Immunohistochemical- and immunoblot analyses showed no remarkable change in calcineurin in any region of the hippocampus within 12 h after ischemia. Thus, the activity of calcineurin is dissociated from its immunoreactivity and quantity. Several studies have suggested that unknown inhibitory factor(s) and/or reversible changes in calcineurin act to modify enzyme activity after ischemia. In contrast, phosphatase 2A activity underwent no obvious changes during the post-ischemia period we examined. This unique time course of calcineurin activity may contribute to the mechanism of ischemic neuronal injury.

NE-dlg/SAP102, a neuronal and endocrine tissue-specific membrane-associated guanylate kinase family protein, is known to bind to C-terminal ends of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor 2B (NR2B) through its PDZ (PSD-95/Dlg/ZO-1) domains. NE-dlg/SAP102 and NR2B colocalize at synaptic sites in cultured rat hippocampal neurons, and their expressions increase in parallel with the onset of synaptogenesis. We have identified that NE-dlg/SAP102 interacts with calmodulin in a Ca2+-dependent manner. The binding site for calmodulin has been determined to lie at the putative basic alpha-helix region located around the src homology 3 (SH3) domain of NE-dlg/SAP102. Using a surface plasmon resonance measurement system, we detected specific binding of recombinant NE-dlg/SAP102 to the immobilized calmodulin with a Kd value of 44 nM. However, the binding of Ca2+/calmodulin to NE-dlg/SAP102 did not modulate the interaction between PDZ domains of NE-dlg/SAP102 and the C-terminal end of rat NR2B. We have also identified that the region near the calmodulin binding site of NE-dlg/SAP102 interacts with the GUK-like domain of PSD-95/SAP90 by two-hybrid screening. Pull down assay revealed that NE-dlg/SAP102 can interact with PSD-95/SAP90 in the presence of both Ca2+ and calmodulin. These findings suggest that the Ca2+/calmodulin modulates interaction of neuronal membrane-associated guanylate kinase proteins and regulates clustering of neurotransmitter receptors at central synapses.

Orthovanadate is known to be an inhibitor of protein tyrosine phosphatases. However, we found that it inhibited calcineurin which has the activity of a serine/threonine protein phosphatase, using casein phosphorylated by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase as a substrate. Orthovanadate inhibits the Mn2+-activated activity of purified calcineurin to 20%; this is not the case without Mn2+. Furthermore, 10 mM dithiothreitol (DTT) reversed the inhibitory effects of orthovanadate. Orthovanadate showed the same inhibitory effect for calcineurin activity in homogenates as for the purified enzyme; the inhibitory effect was reversed by DTT. These results indicate that orthovanadate inhibits not only protein tyrosine phosphatases as reported, but also serine/threonine phosphatase activity of calcineurin.

Myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (MARCKS), a major substrate for protein kinase C, is distributed in a variety of cells. It has been reported that phosphorylation of MARCKS at serines 152 and 156 according to the numbering of rat brain MARCKS can be used as an indicator for protein kinase C activation in intact cells. To detect the activation of protein kinase C in vivo, we produced a specific antibody against MARCKS phosphorylated at serines 152 and 156. We synthesized a phosphopeptide which contained phosphoserines 152 and 156 and prepared the antibody specific for this phosphopeptide. Immunoblot analysis with both purified MARCKS and the cytosol fraction from rat brain revealed that the antibody reacted only with MARCKS phosphorylated by protein kinase C. The antibody was suitable for immunoblot analysis and immunostaining with cultured human coronary artery smooth muscle cells. Phosphorylation of MARCKS was increased about eightfold by the treatment of the cells with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a protein kinase C activator. Furthermore, treatment of the cells with endothelin-1 and tumor necrosis factor α increased phosphorylation of MARCKS. Interestingly, phosphorylation of MARCKS was clearly observed in smooth muscle cells in atherosclerotic lesion of subjects at autopsy. These results suggest that the antibody is useful for examination of the activation of protein kinase C in vascular smooth muscle cells in vivo.

Rapamycin is an immunosuppressant that effectively controls various immune responses; however, its action in the signal transduction of lymphocytes has remained largely unknown. We show here that a phosphoprotein encoded by mouse α4 (mα4) gene transmitting a signal through B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) is associated with the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A (PP2Ac). The middle region of α4, consisting of 109 amino acids (94-202), associates directly with PP2Ac, irrespective of any other accessory molecule. Rapamycin treatment disrupts the association of PP2Ac/α4 in parallel with the inhibitory effect of lymphoid cell proliferation. The effect of rapamycin was inhibited with an excess amount of FK506 that potentially completes the binding to FKBP. Rapamycin treatment also suppresses the phosphatase activity of cells measured by in vitro phosphatase assay. Introduction of the mα4 cDNA into Jurkat cells or the increased association of PP2Ac/α4 by the culture with low serum concentration confers cells with rapamycin resistance. Moreover, glutathione S-transferase (GST)-α4 augments the PP2A activity upon myelin basic protein (MBP) and histone in the in vitro assay. These results suggest that α4 acts as a positive regulator of PP2A and as a new target of rapamycin in the activation of lymphocytes.

We examined the immunohistochemical regional distribution of calcineurin (Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase) in the adult rat hippocampus, following various regional destruction. In the normal adult rat hippocampus, the calcineurin immunoreactivity showed a characteristic pattern. This protein phosphatase was detected in all layers of the CA1 subfield, including the cytoplasm of the pyramidal cells, whereas it was strongly evident in the stratum lucidum and moderately so in the cytoplasm of pyramidal cells in the CA3 subfield. Seven days after transient forebrain ischemia, which induced destruction of CA1 pyramidal cells, the calcineurin immunoreactivity decreased in all layers of the CA1 subfield, while the immunoreactivity for synapsin I, a marker of the presynaptic site, was preserved. Seven days after the intraventricular injection of kainate, which induced destruction of CA3 pyramidal cells, the calcineurin immunoreactivity in the stratum lucidum was preserved, although the immunostaining pattern of the stratum lucidum changed when CA3 pyramidal cells were destroyed. Seven days after mechanical destruction of the dentate gyrus and CA4 subfield, which induced destruction of mossy fibers, the calcineurin immunoreactivity in the stratum lucidum was lost, except in the far site of the stratum lucidum. In the CA1 subfield, calcineurin was mainly located in postsynaptic sites, while it was mainly located in the presynaptic sites in the mossy fibers of the CA3 subfield. The immunohistochemistry of adjacent sections with antibodies of microtubule-associated protein 2 and synapsin I, which are markers of postsynaptic and presynaptic sites respectively, supports these results. Thus, calcineurin has a different synaptical distribution in the rat hippocampus.

Effects of the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A (CsA), a specific inhibitor of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein phosphatase (PP2B), were examined with regard to the induction of insulin secretion from MIN6 cells, a glucose-responsive cell line derived from mouse insulinoma. CsA had no effect on basal insulin secretion from MIN6 cells, but did increase glucose-, tolbutamide-, and KCl-induced insulin secretion. Treatment of the cells with CsA resulted in a dose-dependent increase in insulin secretion, which was maximal at 3 microM. CsA inhibited PP2B activity in a dose-dependent manner, and the increase in insulin secretion correlated with the decrease in PP2B activity. In 32P-labeled cells, treatment with CsA for 30 min increased phosphorylation of synapsin I-like protein by 50 +/- 5.7%. As revealed by one-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping of 32P-labeled synapsin I-like protein, treatment with CsA for 30 min increased phosphorylation of site II of synapsin I-like protein by 59 +/- 8%, which is phosphorylated by calmodulin kinase II. Messenger RNAs, which hybridize with complementary DNAs of calcineurin A and B subunits from rat brain, were detected in MIN6 cells. Western blot analysis showed a 61-kDa band, which interacts with rat brain calcineurin A antibody. Similar increases in secretagogue-induced insulin secretion with CsA were observed for HIT-T15 cells. These results suggest that CsA stimulates glucose-induced insulin secretion by inhibiting the activity of PP2B, an event that may be involved in mechanisms governing glucose-induced insulin secretion via dephosphorylation of synapsin I-like protein in MIN6 cells.

We examined the effects of 2,5-hexanedione (2,5-HD) and acrylamide (ACR) on the muscle fiber types and myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform composition of the slow-twitch soleus and fast-twitch plantaris muscles of rats. We employed two differently designed experiments with respect to the dosage levels and treatment periods for developing clinical neuropathies. When male Wistar rats were subcutaneously injected with 4.5 mmol of 2,5-HD/kg or 0.4 mmol of ACR/kg, 5 days a week, they developed paralysis of the hindlimbs in 4 weeks (high-dosage experiment). When they were subcutaneously injected with 3.5 mmol of 2,5-HD/kg or 0.35 mmol of ACR/kg, 5 days a week, paralysis of the hindlimbs did not develop until 6 weeks (low-dosage experiment). We examined mainly the rats treated with the neurotoxicants for 4 and 8 weeks in the high- and low-dosage experiments, respectively. Significant decreases in the maximum motor conduction velocity of the sciatic nerves were observed in the hindlimbs of the rats in both experiments. The weights of the soleus and plantaris muscles were significantly reduced in the 2,5-HD-treated rats in both experiments, while in the ACR-treated rats, the weights of both muscles decreased only in the low-dosage experiment. We could not detect any changes in the fiber type composition of the muscles by any of the treatments. However, biochemical analysis revealed decreases in the values (percentage) of the relative amounts of fast-type MHC IIa and IIb isoforms to total MHC isoforms in the 2,5-HD-treated rats, but not in the ACR-treated rats in the high-dosage experiment. In contrast, significant differences in the relative amounts of MHC isoforms were not observed after administration of the low dosage of 2,5-HD. These results suggest that 2,5-HD preferentially disorders the muscle fibers which contain the MHC II isoform. These effects may occur only after the relatively acute intoxication of 2,5-HD at a high dosage.

The observation that autophosphorylation converts CaM kinase II from the Ca(2+)-dependent form to the Ca(2+)-independent form has led to speculation that the formation of the Ca(2+)-independent form of the enzyme could encode frequency of synaptic usage and serve as a molecular explanation of "memory". In cultured rat hippocampal neurons, glutamate elevated the Ca(2+)-independent activity of CaM kinase II through autophosphorylation, and this response was blocked by an NMDA receptor antagonist, D-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoate (AP5). In addition, we confirmed that high, but not low frequency stimulation, applied to two groups of CA1 afferents in the rat hippocampus, resulted in LTP induction with concomitant long-lasting increases in Ca(2+)-independent and total activities of CaM kinase II. In experiments with 32P-labeled hippocampal slices, the LTP induction in the CA1 region was associated with increases in autophosphorylation of both alpha and beta subunits of CaM kinase II 1 h after LTP induction. Significant increases in phosphorylation of endogenous CaM kinase II substrates, synapsin I and microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), which are originally located in presynaptic and postsynaptic regions, respectively, were also observed in the same slice. All these changes were prevented when high frequency stimulation was applied in the presence of AP5 or a calmodulin antagonist, calmidazolium. Furthermore, in vitro phosphorylation of the AMPA receptor by CaM kinase II was reported in the postsynaptic density and infusion of the constitutively active CaM kinase II into the hippocampal neurons enhanced kainate-induced response. These results support the idea that CaM kinase II contributes to the induction of hippocampal LTP in both postsynaptic and presynaptic regions through phosphorylation of target proteins such as the AMPA receptor, MAP2 and synapsin I.

It has been reported that many tau sites in neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) are abnormally phosphorylated. We investigated the phosphorylation of tau in the hippocampus of nondemented patients and Alzheimer''s disease patients by immunostaining with five site-specific antibodies against phosphorylated tau. In the pretangle stage, tau in neuropil threads was phosphorylated at serines 199, 202 and 409, numbered according to the longest human tau isoform, whereas tau in some neuronal soma was phosphorylated at serines 199, 202, 409 and 422. Tau at the stage of NFT was phosphorylated at serine 396 and threonine 231 in addition to serines 199, 202, 409 and 422. In the advanced stage, tau in ghost tangles was phosphorylated mainly at serine 396. These results suggest that the phosphorylation of each site in tau differs among the maturing stages of neurofibrillary change and that abnormal phosphorylation of tau in the neuronal soma occurs at 199, 202, 409 and 422 earlier than at threonine 231 and serine 396.

We have reported that many sites of tau in fetal brain (fetal-tau) as well as in paired helical filaments (PHF-tau) are phosphorylated. In the present study, we used site-specific antibodies and peptide mapping to examine protein phosphatases involved in dephosphorylation of fetal-tau and PHF-tau. Immunoblot analysis and electrophoretic mobility showed that protein phosphatases 1 and 2A and calcineurin could dephosphorylate fetal-tau and PHF-tau. Phosphoserines 199, 202, 396, and 413 and phosphothreonine 231, numbered according to the longest human tau isoform, were dephosphorylated, as shown by the immunoblot analysis. Phosphoserine 422 was dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin, but not by protein phosphatase 1. Peptide mapping with Achromobacter lyticus protease 1 showed that phosphoserines 199, 202, 235, and 396 and phosphothreonine 231 were dephosphorylated by protein phosphatases. Fetal-tau was more rapidly dephosphorylated by protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin than PHF-tau. Interestingly, PHF-tau which had not been solubilized with guanidine HCl was little dephosphorylated by protein phosphatases. Thus, PHF-tau in neurofibrillary tangles of Alzheimer's disease brain is likely to be resistant to dephosphorylation by protein phosphatases.

Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) may play a key role in the regulation of insulin secretion. We obtained evidence for the presence of CaM kinase II and its substrate, a 84-kilodalton (kDa) protein, in mouse insulinoma MIN6 cells. CaM kinase II from MIN6 cells has one subunit of 55 kDa, determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, is autophosphorylated in a Ca2+/CaM-dependent manner, and phosphorylates several substrates that serve for rat brain CaM kinase II. In the membrane fraction of MIN6 cells, we identified a 84-kDa protein that was immunoreactive with the antirat brain synapsin I antibody. One-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography revealed the sites of the phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (cAMP kinase) and that by CaM kinase II to be site 1 (10 kDa) and site 2 (30 kDa), respectively, therefore, the same as for rat brain synapsin I. In this context, we tentatively termed it synapsin I-like protein. In 32P-labeled cells, nonfuel insulin secretagogues, such as ionomycin, KCl, and tolbutamide, and a fuel secretagogue, glucose, stimulated autophosphorylation of CaM kinase II and the phosphorylation of synapsin I-like protein. These secretagogues potentiated the Ca(2+)-independent activity of CaM kinase II and secretion of insulin from MIN6 cells. The 84-kDa protein is apparently a newly identified member of the synapsin family. We suggest that CaM kinase II regulates insulin secretion via phosphorylation of synapsin I-like protein.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (kinase II) and protein phosphatase 2B (calcineurin) immunoreactivity in the rat hippocampus was studied 100 days after ischemic damage to hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. One-hundred days after ischemia, only a few CA1 pyramidal neurons survived and they exhibited enhanced kinase II and calcineurin immunoreactivity in their basal and apical dendrites. The stratum lucidum of the CA3 (mossy fiber terminal area) had enhanced kinase II and calcineurin immunoreactivity. These results suggest activity-dependent regulation and redistribution of kinase II and calcineurin after intervention in neuronal circuitry.

The abnormally phosphorylated forms of tau factor are major constituents of neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease brain. In order to investigate protein phosphatases which are related to dephosphorylation of abnormal phosphorylation sites, we examined the dephosphorylation of tau factor phosphorylated by three proline-directed type protein kinases. Tau factor phosphorylated by cdc2 kinase and tau protein kinase II was dephosphorylated by the holoenzyme of protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin, while either the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A or protein phosphatase 2C could not catalyze the dephosphorylation. From the kinetic analysis, we concluded that tau factors phosphorylated by the protein kinases serve as good substrates for protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin. On the other hand, tau factor phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase 3α was dephosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatases 2A as well as the holoenzyme of protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin. It has been reported that serines 199, 202 and 396 according to the numbering of the longest human tau isoform are among the major abnormal phosphorylation sites of tau factor. We synthesized two phosphopeptides which contained phosphoserines 199 and 202 or phosphoserine 396 and prepared the polyclonal antibodies specific for the phosphopeptides. Using these antibodies, we confirmed that the holoenzyme of protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin could dephosphorylate phosphoserines 199, 202 and 396 in tau factor. The catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 2A could dephosphorylate phophoserine 396 but not phosphoserines 199 and 202. Neurofibrillary tangles in Alzheimer's disease brain were immunostained with both antibodies but the normal neurons in the normal aged brains were not. These results suggest that protein phosphatase 2A and calcineurin can be involved in the dephosphorylation of abnormal phosphorylation sites in tau factor and that the dephosphorylation of phosphoserine 396 is differently regulated from phosphoserines 199 and 202.

We established an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for atrial myosin light chain 1 (ALC1) using monoclonal antibodies KA1 and KB1, which were specific for ALC1 and for both ALC1 and ventricular myosin light chain 1, respectively. The serum ALC1 levels of healthy subjects were 0.28 +/- 0.14 ng/ml (mean +/- SD). The tissue ALC1 levels of normal adult human atria were much higher than those of ventricles (p < 0.01, 2,120 +/- 1,200 in right atria, 2,180 +/- 1,450 in left atria vs. 36.0 +/- 20.2 in right ventricles, 37.7 +/- 15.3 in left ventricles, ng/mg of proteins). The tissue ALC1 levels of ventricular aneurysms were significantly higher than those of normal ventricles (p < 0.01, 206.7 +/- 101.8). These results indicate that ALC1 is augmented in aneurysms and that the EIA provides a useful tool to investigate the roles of ALC1.