Phosphoamino acids in proteasome subunits

Proteasomes, the major catalysts of the non-lysosomal proteolytic pathway in eukaryotic cells, were analyzed for their content of phosphoamino acids using polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and subsequent detection on Western blots by phosphoamino acid antibodies. No specific binding to proteasome subunits was observed with phosphoserine or phosphothreonine antibodies, whereas phosphotyrosine antibodies were bound by a single proteasome subunit, which was identified in rat as well as in human proteasomes as subunit C7-1. Since dephosphorylation of the subunit by phosphatases was not possible, analysis of phosphoamino acid content of all proteasome subunits was performed using another method. All proteasome subunits were isolated from 2D-polyacrylamide gels and subjected to partial acid hydrolysis. Phosphoamino acids were subsequently detected by capillary electrophoresis after their derivatization with phenylisothiocyanate. This analysis revealed no phosphorylated amino acid in subunit C7-1, however, subunit C3 contained phosphotyrosine and phosphothreonine, and phosphoserine was detected in subunits zeta, C5, C8 and C9.