Phosphorylation of the inositol trisphosphate receptor in isolated rat hepatocytes

The inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) in brain has been shown to be a substrate for several different protein kinases in vitro. We have studied the phosphorylation of the IP3R in intact cells by using isolated hepatocytes and an antibody to immunoprecipitate the receptor protein from detergent extracts. Stimulation of 32P-labeled hepatocytes with glucagon or N6,2'-O-dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (db-cAMP) markedly increased phosphorylation of the IP3R. However, no increase was observed in response to angiotensin II, vasopressin, 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate, or epidermal growth factor. The kinetics of phosphorylation in response to glucagon was both rapid and transient. In agreement with previous studies, physiological concentrations of Ca2+ stimulated D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) binding to permeabilized hepatocytes (Pietri, F., Hilly, M., and Mauger, J.-P. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 17478-17485). Pretreatment of cells with db-cAMP had no effect on binding in the absence of added Ca2+ but enhanced binding measured in the presence of basal low concentrations (0.16-0.25 microM) of Ca2+ and decreased the concentration of Ca2+ required for half-maximal stimulation. The effect of db-cAMP was associated with an increase in affinity of the IP3 binding site without a change in maximum number of binding sites. Preincubation of intact hepatocytes with okadaic acid alone produced an increase in basal phosphorylation of the IP3R, and maximal phosphorylation of the receptor was observed in the presence of both okadaic acid and db-cAMP. However, okadaic acid blocked the effect of db-cAMP and inhibited the effect of Ca2+ on IP3 binding. Detergent-solubilized binding sites were already fully activated and insensitive to modulation by Ca2+ or cAMP-dependent protein kinase. It is proposed that the receptor in native membranes is inhibited and that Ca2+ and cAMP-dependent protein kinase may act to relieve this inhibition.