Phosphorylation of a vesicular monoamine transporter by casein kinase II

The vesicular monoamine transporters (VMATs) package monoamine neurotransmitters into secretory vesicles for regulated exocytotic release. One isoform occurs in the adrenal gland (VMAT1) and another in the brain (VMAT2). To assess their potential for regulation, we have investigated the phosphorylation of the VMATs. Using heterologous expression in Chinese hamster ovary, PC12, and COS cells, we find that rat VMAT2, but not VMAT1, is constitutively phosphorylated. Phosphoamino acid analysis indicates that this phosphorylation occurs on serine residues, and the analysis of VMAT1-VMAT2 chimeras and site-directed mutagenesis localize the phosphorylation sites to serines 512 and 514 at the carboxyl terminus of VMAT2. Since these residues occur in an acidic region, we tested the ability of the acidotropic kinases casein kinase I (CKI) and casein kinase II (CKII) to phosphorylate bacterial fusion proteins containing the carboxyl terminus of VMAT2. Purified CKI and CKII phosphorylate the wild-type carboxyl terminus of VMAT2, but not a double mutant with both serines 512 and 514 replaced by alanine. The protein kinase inhibitor CKI-7 and unlabeled GTP both block in vitro phosphorylation by cell homogenates, indicating a role for CKII and possibly CKI in vivo. Both kinases phosphorylate the VMAT2 fusion protein to a much greater extent than a similar fusion protein containing the carboxyl terminus of VMAT1, consistent with differential phosphorylation of the two transporters observed in intact cells. These results provide the first demonstration of phosphorylation of a vesicular neurotransmitter transporter and a potential mechanism for differential regulation of the two VMATs.