Discrimination of multiple forms of phosphoprotein phosphatase in bovine thyroid

Phosphoprotein phosphatases (phosphoprotein phosphohydrolase, EC 3.1.3.16) were partially purified from bovine thyroid with phosphorylated mixed histones, H1 histone and casein as substrates. Utilizing DEAE-cellulose chromatography, (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, gel filtration before and after freeze-thawing in 0.2 M 2-mercaptoethanol and histone-Sepharose chromatography, four fractions of enzyme activity were obtained and were designated as phosphatases I, IIA, IIB, and III. Phosphatases I had an apparent molecular weight of 155,000 and was dependent on Mn2+ for maximal activity. The enzyme had the greatest activity with histone H1 and was greatly stimulated by NaCl with phosphohistones as substrate. Phosphatases IIA and IIB had a molecular weight of about 70,000, were stimulated over 5-fold by Mn2+ and had much higher activities with phosphohistones than with casein in the presence of the cation. Phosphatase III, a possible catalytic subunit of larger molecular weight forms, had an apparent molecular weight of 30,000, was generally independent of Mn2+ and had high activities using all three substrates. Phosphatases I, IIA, and III were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by sodium pyrophosphate (PPi), ATP, potassium phosphate (Pi) and sodium fluoride (NaF) when they were added directly to the reaction mixture with phosphorylated mixed histones as substrate. PPi was the most potent inhibitor and phosphatase III was the most sensitive to inhibition. PPi, ATP and NaF probably inactivated phosphatase III activity by removing an essential metal ion. After extensive dialysis to remove these inhibitors, the inactivated enzyme could be fully activated by Mn2+, but not by Mg2+, Ba2+, Cu2+, Cd2+, Ca2+, Zn2+ and Fe2+. Whereas the enzyme pretreated with Pi retained about 80% activity after dialysis, its activity was not further stimulated by Mn2+. The inactivated (demetallized) enzyme was less reactivated by Mn2+ in the presence of mM concentration of Pi. Moreover, the Mn2+-reactivated enzyme was again inactivated by Pi, NaF and ATP. Among them Pi was the most potent inactivator. These results suggest that Pi may have another inhibitory effect on metal ion binding besides on substrate binding and also that phosphatase III might be a metalloenzyme. In bovine thyroid, there are at least two major phosphoprotein phosphatases which may have different properties. Metal ion stimulation of phosphatase I and IIA activities may be through an interaction with the substrate or with a metal ion binding site on the regulatory subunit. The lowest molecular weight enzyme (phosphatase III) probably does not exist naturally in the cell.