[Epidermal growth factor stimulates protein kinase activity, specific for ribosomal protein S6 in loach embryo...

The activity of a protein kinase specific to ribosomal protein S6 was determined in early loach embryos in basal conditions and after their treatment with epidermal growth factor (EGF). The cytosol of loach blastoderms isolated at the early gastrula stage possessed a high level of protein kinase activity catalysing incorporation of 0. 33 pmol.min-1.mg-1 of Pi into exogenous S6 protein of rat liver ribosomal 40S subunit. The treatment of embryos for 30 min with EGF (10 ng/ml) added to the incubation medium caused an 25% increase of total S6-kinase activity in cytosol compared with its counterpart in non-stimulated embryos. After chromatography of loach embryos cytosol on DE-52 three fractions possessing S6-kinase activity were revealed, which were eluted with 10 microM cAMP (I), 150 mM NaCl (II) and 300 mM NaCl (III), respectively. After treatment of blastoderms with EGF in the described conditions the enzymatic activity 2-fold decreased in fraction I, increased in fraction II 4-fold and remained practically unchanged in fraction III. The mitogen-stimulated kinase, apart from S6 protein, phosphorylated also casein and but not histone H1.