Identification of chromaffin granule-binding proteins. Relationship of the chromobindins to calelectrin, synhibin, and the tyrosine kinase substrates p35 and p36.

At least 23 soluble proteins (chromobindins) bind to chromaffin granule membranes in the presence of Ca2+. In order to further the identification of the chromobindins and to determine the roles they may play in exocytosis or other aspects of chromaffin cell biology, several of these proteins were compared to other known membrane-binding proteins. Chromobindin 4 was identified as a 32-kDa protein called calelectrin or endonexin. Immunologically related proteins were detected in bovine brain and human platelets. Chromobindin 20 was identified as a 67-kDa variant of calelectrin and was found to have the activities of the synexin inhibitory protein, synhibin. Chromobindin 8 was identified as p36, a substrate for the tyrosine-specific kinase, pp60v-src. Chromobindin 8 was also demonstrated to undergo phosphorylation predominantly on alkali-sensitive sites during stimulation of the chromaffin cell with 20 microM nicotine. Chromobindin 6 was identified as p35, a substrate for the tyrosine kinase activity associated with the epidermal growth factor receptor. Chromobindin 9, which is known to be a substrate for protein kinase C (Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent enzyme), was found to be immunologically related to p35 and may be a precursor of chromobindin 6. The identification of these proteins from the chromaffin system may be useful in the characterization of similar, complex groups of membrane-binding proteins that have been observed in other systems.