Protein phosphorylation threonine

The a subunits, for which two isoforms exist in mammals (al, a2), contain conventional protein serine/threonine kinase domains at the N-terminus, with a threonine residue in the activation loop (Thr-172) that must be phosphorylated by upstream kinases (see below) before the kinase is active. The kinase domain is followed by an autoinhibitory domain, whose effect is somehow relieved by interaction with the other subunits. The C-terminal domain of the a subunit is required for the formation of a complex with the C-terminal domain of the (3 subunit, which in turn mediates binding to the y subunit. The al and a2 catalytic subunit isoforms are widely distributed, although a2 is most abundant in muscle and may be absent in cells of the endothelial/hemopoietic lineage. 

In addition, eNOS is subject to protein phosphorylation. It can be phosphotylated on several serine (Ser), threonine (Thr), and tyrosine (Tyr) residues however, major changes in enzyme function have been reported for the phosphorylation of amino acid residues Seri 177 and Thr495 (in the human eNOS sequence) (Fig. 3). 

Phosphorylation is the reversible process of introducing a phosphate group onto a protein. Phosphorylation occurs on the hydroxyamino acids serine and threonine or on tyrosine residues targeted by Ser/Thr kinases and tyrosine kinases respectively. Dephosphorylation is catalyzed by phosphatases. Phosphorylation is a key mechanism for rapid posttranslational modulation of protein function. It is widely exploited in cellular processes to control various aspects of cell signaling, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, cell survival, cell metabolism, cell motility, and gene transcription. 

Cytoplasmic serine/threonine protein kinases catalyze the transfer of phosphate groups to serine and threonine residues of target proteins. Serine/threonine kinases have been recognized as the products of protooncogenes (e.g., c-mos, c-raj) or as kinases intimately involved with the regulation of serine/threonine kinase activity by cAMP. Some of these kinases specifically phosphorylate cellular structural proteins, such as histone, laminins, etc. Others phosphorylate still more kinases, resulting in either the activation or deactivation of downstream protein kinases. Specific examples in which serine/threonine kinases elicit specific cellular responses are discussed in this chapter. 

The functioning of G proteins may be influenced by phosphorylation. G proteins, as well as their associated receptors and RGS proteins, have been reported to undergo phosphorylation by a host of protein serine/ threonine kinases and protein tyrosine kinases. While the ramifications of receptor phosphorylation are becoming increasingly well understood (see Chs 23 and 24), the effect of phosphorylation of G proteins and RGS proteins, and its role in the regulation of physiological processes, have been more difficult to establish with certainty. This remains an important area of future investigation. 

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most important mechanisms in the regulation of cellular function. Proteins can be phosphorylated on serine, threonine or tyrosine residues. Most phosphorylation occurs on serine and threonine, with less than 1% on tyrosine (see Ch. 23). This perhaps accounts for the late discovery of tyrosine phosphorylation, which was found first on polyoma virus middle T antigen in 1979 by Hunter and colleagues [1,2]. 

Other PTMs may involve changes in the chemical nature of amino acids (e.g., citrullination or deimination). Because many of these modifications result in mass changes that are measurable by MS, they are amenable to detection by MS-based approaches. A number of emerging MS-based strategies allow the identification of PTMs. Several MS-based methods to determine the types and sites of protein phosphorylation and ubiquitination have been developed. Phosphorylation occurs mainly on serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues at a frequency ratio of 1800 200 1 in vertebrates.70 Although the phosphorylation of tyrosine residues occurs less frequently in the proteome, it has been extensively studied. 

Lopez-Borges S, Lazo PA (2000) The human vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRKl) phosphorylates threonine-18 within the mdm-2 binding site of the p53 tumour suppressor protein. Oncogene 19(32) 3656-3664... 

Kinase inhibitors such as H7, which inhibits serine threonine kinases, resulted in sustained JAK2/STAT activation, suggesting that besides protein dephosphorylation, protein phosphorylation is also required. Furthermore, both inhibition of protein synthesis with cycloheximide and inhibition of... 

Our results demonstrated that the identified subsets of the activated protein kinases significantly increased the accuracy of clinical outcome predictions. Most notably in the study, we evaluated protein phosphorylation levels instead of total protein expression levels. Protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation are well-characterized biochemical processes for protein kinases to conduct cellular signal transduction. Phosphorylation at certain tyrosine, serine, or threonine residues in kinases is a key step for their activation, and the measurement of these phosphorylations reflects their functional status in vivo. Thus, the protein kinase phosphorylation-based tissue microarray more accurately reveals the molecular mechanisms of breast cancers, and more accurately predicts the individualized survival and treatment response. 

Many enzymes may be regulated by covalent modification, most frequently by the addition or removal of phosphate groups from specific serine, threonine, or tyrosine residues of the enzyme. Protein phosphorylation is recognized as one of the primary ways in which cellular processes are regulated. 

Among the proteins phosphorylated in response to formation of cAMP are the P adrenergic receptors themselves. Phosphorylation occurs within a cluster of serine and threonine residues near the C terminus as is indicated in Fig. 11-6A by the action of various kinases including a receptor kinase156 1563 which may be anchored nearby.157 The effect of this C-terminal phosphorylation is to decrease the sensitivity of the receptor so that after a few minutes it conveys a diminished response. Thus, cAMP exerts feedback inhibition of its own synthesis. Desensitization upon continuous occupancy... 

Buerger K, Teipel SJ, Zinkowski R, et al. CSF tau protein phosphorylated at threonine 231 correlates with cognitive decline in MCI subjects. Neurology 2002 59(4) 627-629. 

This example not only highlights the effect of noncovalent ligand binding on association (and catalysis) but also the role played by covalent phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of selected residues (serine, threonine and tyrosine) in proteins. Phosphorylation/dephosphorylation is an extremely important regulator of the assembly, disassembly and other dynamic properties of many supramolecular structures. 

---