Regulation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II by brain gangliosides

Purified rat brain Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II) is stimulated by brain gangliosides to a level of about 30% the activity obtained in the presence of Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM). Of the various gangliosides tested, GT1b was the most potent, giving half-maximal activation at 25 microM. Gangliosides GD1a and GM1 also gave activation, but asialo-GM1 was without effect. Activation was rapid and did not require calcium. The same gangliosides also stimulated the autophosphorylation of CaM-kinase II on serine residues, but did not produce the Ca2+-independent form of the kinase. Ganglioside stimulation of CaM-kinase II was also present in rat brain synaptic membrane fractions. Higher concentrations (125-250 microM) of GT1b, GD1a, and GM1 also inhibited CaM-kinase II activity. This inhibition appears to be substrate-directed, as the extent of inhibition is very dependent on the substrate used. The molecular mechanism of the stimulatory effect of gangliosides was further investigated using a synthetic peptide (CaMK 281-309), which contains the CaM-binding, inhibitory, and autophosphorylation domains of CaM-kinase II. Using purified brain CaM-kinase II in which these regulatory domains were removed by limited proteolysis. CaMK 281-309 strongly inhibited kinase activity (IC50 = 0.2 microM). GT1b completely reversed this inhibition, but did not stimulate phosphorylation of the peptide on threonine-286. These results demonstrate that GT1b can partially mimic the effects of Ca2+/CaM on native CaM-kinase II and on peptide CaMK 281-309.