Native pyrophosphate gel analysis of smooth muscle myosin phosphorylated with protein kinase C

We have shown that the phosphorylation of smooth muscle regulatory myosin light chain (L20) with myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) produces faster moving bands (GMP1: heterodimer myosin with 1 unphosphorylated L20 and 1 mono-phosphorylated L20, GMP2: homodimer myosin with 2 mono-phosphorylated L20S) on native pyrophosphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PP1 PAGE) (J. Biochem. 100, 259-268, 1986; J. Biochem. 100, 1681-1684, 1986). However, the mobility of the myosin phosphorylated, at its L20, with protein kinase C (PK-C) was the same that of the unphosphorylated myosin (GM) on PPi PAGE. When the myosin prephosphorylated with MLCK was further phosphorylated with PK-C, PPi PAGE analysis showed only one band comigrating with GM, i.e., GMP1 and GMP2 migrated to the same position as GM. Conversely, when the myosin prephosphorylated with PK-C was further phosphorylated with MLCK, GMP1 and GMP2 were not produced. Thus the effect of L20 phosphorylated with PK-C is quite the opposite of that with MLCK, and the former predominated over the latter. We speculate that phosphorylation of L20 with PK-C "freezes" myosin in the inactive state.