J.Antonio Villamarı́n

cAMP‐dependent phosphorylation activates phosphofructokinase from mantle tissue of the mollusc Mytilus galloprovincialis. Identification of the phosphorylated site

Phosphofructokinase from mantle tissue of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis was phosphorylated in vitro by a protein kinase isolated from the same tissue, homologous to mammalian cAMP‐dependent protein kinase; the maximal level of phosphorylation achieved was around 1 mol of Pi/mol of phosphofructokinase subunit. The covalent incorporation of phosphate leads to a notable increase in the enzyme activity assayed at near‐physiological concentrations of substrates and allosteric modulators and neutral pH. Tryptic digestion of labeled phosphofructokinase released a phosphopeptide whose sequence was Lys‐Asp‐Ser(P)‐Ile‐Trp‐Ile‐Gln‐Thr‐Gly‐Arg. This sequence showed high homology with the phosphopeptides from other invertebrates whose phosphofructokinase is also activated by cAMP‐dependent phosphorylation.

Characterization of a type I regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase from the bivalve mollusk Mytilus galloprovincialis

Two isoforms of the regulatory subunit (R) of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), named R(myt1) and R(myt2), had been purified in our laboratory from two different tissues of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis. In this paper, we report the sequences of several peptides obtained from tryptic digestion of R(myt1). As a whole, these sequences showed high homology with regions of type I R subunits from invertebrate and also from mammalian sources, but homology with those of fungal and type II R subunits was much lower, which indicates that R(myt1) can be considered as a type I R isoform. This conclusion is also supported by the following biochemical properties: (1) R(myt1) was proved to have interchain disulfide bonds stabilizing its dimeric structure; (2) it failed to be phosphorylated by the catalytic (C) subunit purified from mussel; (3) it has a higher pI value than that of the R(myt2) isoform; and (4) it showed cross-reactivity with mammalian anti-RIbeta antibody.

Identification of RII-binding proteins in the mollusc Mytilus galloprovincialis

Several proteins with M r 70 kDa from various tissues of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were specifically recognized in vitro by the regulatory subunit (type RIIα) of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (cAPK) from porcine heart. However, none of these proteins interacted with the regulatory subunit of cAPK from the mollusc itself. The results suggest that, unlike mammalian RII, regulatory subunit from mussel lacks the specific residues responsible for interaction with R‐binding proteins. Consequently, the identified molluscan RIIα‐binding proteins should play a distinct role from cAPK anchoring.

Filamin isoforms in molluscan smooth muscle.

The role of filamin in molluscan catch muscles is unknown. In this work three proteins isolated from the posterior adductor muscle of the sea mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were identified by MALDI-TOF/TOF MS as homologous to mammalian filamin. They were named FLN-270, FLN-230 and FLN-105, according to their apparent molecular weight determined by SDS-PAGE: 270kDa, 230kDa and 105kDa, respectively. Both FLN-270 and FLN-230 contain the C-terminal dimerization domain and the N-terminal actin-binding domain typical of filamins. These findings, together with the data from peptide mass fingerprints, indicate that FLN-270 and FLN-230 are different isoforms of mussel filamin, with FLN-230 being the predominant isoform in the mussel catch muscle. De novo sequencing data revealed structural differences between both filamin isoforms at the rod 2 segment, the one responsible for the interaction of filamin with the most of its binding partners. FLN270 but not FLN230 was phosphorylated in vitro by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. As for the FLN-105, it would be an N-terminal proteolytic fragment generated from the FLN-270 isoform or a C-terminally truncated variant of filamin. On the other hand, a 45-kDa protein that copurifies with mussel catch muscle filamins was identified as the mussel calponin-like protein. The fact that this protein coelutes with the FLN-270 isoform from a gel filtration chromatography suggests a specific interaction between both proteins.