Comparison of phosphorylation of ribosomal proteins from HeLa and Krebs II ascites-tumour cells by cyclic AMP-dependent and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinases.

Phosphorylation of eukaryotic ribosomal proteins in vitro by essentially homogeneous preparations of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit and cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase was compared. Each protein kinase was added at a concentration of 30nM. Ribosomal proteins were identified by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Almost identical results were obtained when ribosomal subunits from HeLa or ascites-tumour cells were used. About 50-60% of the total radioactive phosphate incorporated into small-subunit ribosomal proteins by either kinase was associated with protein S6. In 90 min between 0.7 and 1.0 mol of phosphate/mol of protein S6 was incorporated by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Of the other proteins, S3 and S7 from the small subunit and proteins L6, L18, L19 and L35 from the large subunit were predominantly phosphorylated by the cyclic AMP-dependent enzyme. Between 0.1 and 0.2 mol of phosphate was incorporated/mol of these phosphorylated proteins. With the exception of protein S7, the same proteins were also major substrates for the cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase. Time courses of the phosphorylation of individual proteins from the small and large ribosomal subunits in the presence of either protein kinase suggested four types of phosphorylation reactions: (1) proteins S2, S10 and L5 were preferably phosphorylated by the cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase; (2) proteins S3 and L6 were phosphorylated at very similar rates by either kinase; (3) proteins S7 and L29 were almost exclusively phosphorylated by the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase; (4) protein S6 and most of the other proteins were phosphorylated about two or three times faster by the cyclic AMP-dependent than by the cyclic GMP-dependent enzyme.