Golgi apparatus mammary gland casein kinase: monitoring by a specific peptide substrate and definition of specificity determinants

The casein kinase from the Golgi apparatus of lactating mammary gland (GEF-CK) is distinct from ubiquitous ‘casein kinases’ termed protein kinases CK1 and CK2 and appears to define a family of secretory pathways protein kinases that phosphorylate seryl residues followed by an acidic residue at position +2. In this report we show that a new synthetic peptide substrate derived from β-casein (β[28–40]) is suitable for the fast, efficient and selective monitoring of GEF-CK, being unaffected by CK1 and CK2, and we define the consensus sequence of this protein kinase as being Ser-Xaa-Glu/SerP, distinct from that of CK2 (Ser/Thr-X-X-Glu/Asp/SerP/TyrP). In particular, the failure to recognize Asp as crucial specificity determinant prevents the phosphorylation of the specific CK2 peptide substrate RRRADDSDDDD by GEF-CK. Thus, peptide substrates are now available for the fast and specific monitoring of all the three classes of ‘casein kinases’, CK1, CK2 and GEF-CK.