Stimulation of nuclear protein kinase C leads to phosphorylation of nuclear inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor and accelerated calcium release by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate from isolated rat liver nuclei.

Rat liver nuclei inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (Malviya, A.N., Rogue, P., and Vincendon, G. (1990) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci U.S.A. 87, 9270-9274) is identified as a 220-kDa protein on Western blotting employing two types of antibodies (anti-goat and anti-rabbit) raised against purified rat brain inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R). Nuclear IP3R does not seem identical with microsomal IP3R in rat liver. Treatment of isolated rat liver nuclei with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate stimulates native protein kinase C activity severalfold. Nuclear IP3R is phosphorylated by stimulated protein kinase C, with accelerated as well as enhanced maximum 45Ca2+ release by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate from isolated nuclei, without altering 1,4,5-trisphosphate binding characteristics (KD and Bmax). Stimulation of nuclear protein kinase C is found physiologically relevant since lamin B2, a nuclear protein, is concomitantly phosphorylated. These data deal with functional consequences of nuclear IP3R phosphorylation by native protein kinase C in isolated rat liver nuclei. It is postulated that phosphorylation of nuclear IP3R, probably dephosphorylation also, subserves a key mechanism in nuclear calcium homeostasis.