Histone H1 kinase specific to the SPKK motif

A protein kinase phosphorylating sea urchin spermatogenous histones, H1 and H2B, was found in sea urchin egg homogenate and purified. The kinase is activated by cAMP and is composed of two different types of subunits with molecular masses 41 and 46 kDa. The kinase phosphorylates a peptide, Ser-Pro-Arg-Lys-Ser-Pro-Arg-Lys, which is a double repeat of the DNA-binding SPKK motif [Suzuki M., (1989) EMBO J. 8, 797-804]. We name this kinase SPkinase because it exclusively phosphorylates H1 and H2B, the only histones containing SPKK motifs. Phosphorylation of H1 by SPkinase decreases the DNA-binding ability of H1. This paper is the first to report purification of a kinase which affects the DNA-binding ability of a gene regulatory protein.