CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase is a substrate for cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro

The role of phosphorylation/dephosphorylation in the regulation of CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase activity was investigated. Incubation of post mitochondrial supernatant with cAMP-dependent protein kinase (50 units) led to an increased (28%) recovery of the cytidylyltransferase in the cytosolic fraction, while incubation with an intestinal alkaline phosphatase (20 units) led to an increased (61%) recovery in the microsomal fraction. When pure cytidylyltransferase was incubated with washed microsomes in the presence of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (133 units), the enzyme associated with the supernatant fraction increased (3.12 +/- 0.02 to 3.77 +/- 0.03 nmol/min/ml) while that of the microsomal fraction decreased (1.36 +/- 0.01 to 0.56 +/- 0.05 nmol/min/ml) by 2.5-fold. The increase in the cytidylyltransferase activity in the supernatant corresponded to an increase in 32P incorporation into the cytidylyltransferase. Treatment with alkaline phosphatase (40 units) decreased the cytidylyltransferase activity in the supernatant (3.61 +/- 0.08 to 2.88 +/- 0.07 nmol/min/ml) while the activity in the microsomal fraction increased (0.56 +/- 0.08 to 1.16 +/- 0.06 nmol/min/ml) by 2-fold. The decrease in the cytidylyltransferase activity in the supernatant corresponded to a decrease in 32P incorporation into the cytidylyltransferase. Incubation of cytidylyltransferase with phosphatidylcholine vesicles in the presence of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (110 units) decreased the cytidylyltransferase activity by 30%. The decrease in cytidylyltransferase activity corresponded to an increase in 32P incorporation into the cytidylyltransferase. Treatment with alkaline phosphatase (20 units) resulted in a 41% increase in the cytidylyltransferase activity. The increase in cytidylyltransferase activity corresponded to a decrease in 32P incorporation into the cytidylyltransferase. Incubation of the cytidylyltransferase with [gamma-32P] ATP and cAMP-dependent protein kinase led to incorporation of 32P into the serine residues of cytidylyltransferase. If the cytidylyltransferase were preincubated with alkaline phosphatase prior to incubation with cAMP-dependent protein kinase, 2-fold more 32P (0.2 mol P/mol cytidylyltransferase) was incorporated into the cytidylyltransferase. Collectively, this data is in agreement with a role for reversible phosphorylation in the regulation of cytidylyltransferase.