Phosphorylase kinase from chicken gizzard. Partial purification and characterization.

Phosphorylase kinase was partially purified (530-970-fold) from chicken gizzard smooth muscle by a procedure involving ammonium sulfate fractionation, chromatography on 8-(6-aminohexyl)adenosine-5'-phosphate--Sepharose 4B and glycerol density gradient ultracentrifugation. The final and most efficient purification step takes advantage of the relatively high molecular mass of gizzard phosphorylase kinase, which was found to be similar to that of rabbit skeletal muscle enzyme. The gizzard kinase, further purified to near homogeneity by calmodulin-Sepharose 4 B affinity chromatography, showed one main protein band of 61 kDa, upon dodecyl sulfate acrylamide gel electrophoresis. Four minor protein bands of higher molecular mass were also present but no protein stain was seen at the position of the gamma subunit. The gizzard phosphorylase kinase showed a high pH 6.8/8.2 activity ratio of 0.53, it was stimulated by Ca2+, inhibited up to 80% by EGTA and it was activated about 1.9-fold by calmodulin. The km value for ATP was 0.45 mM, while the K0.5 for rabbit muscle phosphorylase b was extremely low, more than 200-fold lower than the Km of nonactivated skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase for its protein substrate. High concentrations of phosphorylase b were found to be inhibitory. At 10 mg/ml phosphorylase b, the maximum activity of the kinase was inhibited fivefold. No evidence has been obtained indicating autophosphorylation or the existence of active and inactive forms of gizzard phosphorylase kinase. Limited proteolysis of the smooth muscle kinase with trypsin was accompanied by a twofold activation at pH 6.8.