Purification and characterization of a possible protooncogene fyn product, p59fyn, from a rat brain particulate

T Miyauchi1, M Ariki, H Usui

  • 1Department of Biochemistry, Hiroshima University School of Medicine.

Journal of Biochemistry
|December 1, 1992
PubMed

Insights

Researchers purified a rat brain tyrosine-protein kinase, p59fyn, and found its activity increases with enzyme concentration, suggesting intermolecular catalysis. This discovery offers insights into kinase regulation mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Tyrosine-protein kinases play crucial roles in cellular signaling pathways.
  • Identifying and characterizing specific kinases, such as those in the src-family, is essential for understanding their functions.
  • Rat brain is a rich source of diverse kinase enzymes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To solubilize and separate tyrosine-protein kinases from rat brain particulate fractions.
  • To purify and characterize a specific kinase, p59fyn.
  • To investigate the catalytic properties and activation mechanisms of purified p59fyn.

Main Methods:

  • Solubilization of kinases from rat brain particulate fraction.
  • Separation using casein-Toyopearl column chromatography.
  • Purification and characterization by SDS-PAGE and isoelectric focusing.
  • Enzyme kinetics studies using Mg2+, Mn2+, ATP, and tyrosine-glutamate copolymers.

Main Results:

  • Four tyrosine-protein kinases, including p59fyn, were identified.
  • p59fyn was purified 490-fold as a 59-kDa protein.
  • Purified p59fyn autophosphorylated on tyrosine residues and showed increased kinase activity.
  • Enzyme concentration dependence suggested intermolecular catalysis with Mg2+ and first-order kinetics with Mn2+.

Conclusions:

  • p59fyn is a tyrosine-protein kinase present in rat brain.
  • The kinase exhibits distinct activation mechanisms dependent on divalent cations (Mg2+ vs. Mn2+).
  • Intermolecular catalysis may be involved in the activation of p59fyn under specific conditions.

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