Phosphorylation of Rabphilin-3A, a putative target protein for Rab3A, by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase.

Rab3A small GTP-binding protein and its associated proteins, such as Rabphilin-3A, a putative target protein for Rab3A, MSS4, a stimulatory GDP/GTP exchange protein for Rab3A, and Rab GDI, a translocator for the Rab family members including Rab3A, are implicated in neurotransmitter release. We have investigated here the phosphorylation of these proteins by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A). Neither Rab3A, MSS4, nor Rab GDI was phosphorylated, but Rabphilin-3A was phosphorylated Rab GDI was phosphorylated, but Rabphilin-3A was phosphorylated at its N-terminal region. About 0.8 mol of phosphate was maximally incorporated into one mol of Rabphilin-3A. These results suggest that Rabphilin-3A is one of the targets for protein kinase A which modulates neurotransmitter release.