Purification and characterization of a protein phosphatase that dephosphorylates pyruvate kinase in an anoxia tolerant animal.

A protein phosphatase that dephosphorylates pyruvate kinase (PK) in vitro was purified and characterized from the foot muscle of the anoxia tolerant gastropod mollusc Busycon canaliculatum. Purification involved three steps: negative chromatography through Blue Dextran and CM Sephadex, affinity chromatography on DEAE Sephadex and gel exclusion chromatography on Sephacryl S-400. Pyruvate kinase phosphatase (PK-Pase) activity was monitored by following changes in PK I50 values for L-alanine that had previously been linked to changes in the degree of PK phosphorylation. The purified PK-Pase gave a single band on SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with a molecular weight of 41 +/- 1 kdaltons. Isoelectric focusing analysis showed that the PK-Pase had an isoelectric point of 4.2 +/- 0.1. Kinetic analysis showed that the enzyme was a Type 2C protein phosphatase with a pH optimum of 6.5. Maximal activity required the presence of magnesium ions (KM = 7.9 +/- 0.6 microM) although high concentrations of Mg2+ were inhibitory (I50 = 2.3 +/- 0.4 mM). The protein phosphatase activity was not affected by either spermine, cAMP, cGMP, potassium phosphate, tartrate, NaF, HgCl2, citrate or concentrations of CaCl2 less than 10 mM. The enzyme could also use ATP, ADP, and GTP as substrates.