Second messenger-specific protein kinases in a salt-absorbing intestinal epithelium

Calcium, adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP), and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) can regulate the same or different ion transport processes within an epithelium, presumably via independent protein phosphorylation mechanisms. Because there have been few detailed studies characterizing these processes in epithelia, we examined the distribution of Ca-, cAMP-, and cGMP-specific protein kinases and substrates in vitro in a homogenous salt-absorbing epithelium, the winter flounder intestine. In this tissue cGMP and Ca inhibit Na-K-2Cl cotransport, cAMP increases anion permeability, and phorbol esters do not affect ion transport. The Ca-specific kinases are calmodulin (CaM) dependent. The tissue possesses type III Ca-CaM protein kinase and its specific substrate elongation factor 2 and type II but not type I Ca-CaM kinase. Addition of phosphatidylserine (PS) and Ca to crude or DEAE-cellulose-purified cytosol neither increased the phosphorylation of exogenous histone H1 substrate nor that of any endogenous substrates. Although these suggest the absence of Ca-phospholipid-dependent kinase (PKC), the cytosol has a 78-kDa protein recognizable by a highly specific polyclonal sheep antibody to rat brain PKC. Both the particulate and cytosolic fractions possess cAMP-specific binding proteins and cAMP-specific phosphoprotein substrates. The particulate fraction cAMP-binding proteins are of molecular mass 50 kDa (pI 5.2) and 48 kDa with multiple isoforms (pI 5.6-6.2); these proteins generate different peptide maps. The cytosol chiefly contains a 50-kDa (pI 5.2) cAMP binding protein that is similar to the particulate 50-kDa protein on peptide mapping. The flounder cAMP binding proteins have the same pI but lower molecular mass and different peptide profiles than the rat brain RII (54/52 kDa) and RI (50 kDa) cAMP regulatory proteins. The cGMP-specific protein kinase was less prominent, very low levels of cGMP-specific binding proteins being detected either by equilibrium binding or by photoaffinity labeling. A prominent kinase substrate in homogenates is a 50-kDa protein, the phosphorylation of which is increased by Ca and cGMP but decreased by cAMP. When intact tissue was prelabeled with 32Pi and then exposed to cGMP, the phosphorylation of a number of substrates including that of a 50-kDa protein was increased. In summary, the flounder intestine possesses the necessary protein phosphorylation mechanisms to account for the regulation of its ion transport processes by second messengers.