title: NH2-terminal modification of the phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit allows functional expression in mammalian cells.
abstract: Functional expression of recombinant wild-type phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit has been unsuccessful in the past. A nine-amino-acid peptide sequence (YP-YDVPDYA) derived from the influenza hemagglutinin protein was used to modify the NH2 and/or COOH terminus of the phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit. Addition of the nine-amino-acid sequence at the NH2 terminus allowed recombinant phosphatase 2A expression as a predominantly cytosolic phosphatase 2A enzyme. The 12CA5 monoclonal antibody that recognizes the nine-amino-acid hemagglutinin peptide sequence was used to immunoprecipitate the epitope-tagged phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit. Assay of the immunoprecipitated epitope-tagged phosphatase 2A demonstrated an okadaic acid-sensitive dephosphorylation of [32P] histone H1 and [32P]myelin basic protein similar to that measured with the wild-type enzyme. Functional phosphatase activity could be demonstrated for the NH2-terminal modified phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit following transient expression in COS cells or stable expression in Rat1a cells. In contrast, the COOH-terminal-modified phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit was very poorly expressed. The NH2-, COOH-modified subunit, having the nine-amino-acid hemagglutinin peptide sequence encoded at both termini of the polypeptide, was also expressed as a functional phosphatase 2A enzyme. Thus, NH2-terminal modification of the phosphatase 2A catalytic subunit results in a functional plasmid-expressed enzyme. The unique nine-amino-acid epitope-tag sequence also provides a method to easily resolve the recombinant phosphatase 2A from the endogenous wild-type gene product and related phosphatases expressed in cells.
authors.affiliation: Division of Basic Sciences, National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, Denver, Colorado 80206.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Wadzinski
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Eisfelder
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Peruski
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Mumby
authors.forename: G L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007700:Kinetics; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054648:Protein Phosphatase 2; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D010749:Phosphoprotein Phosphatases; D054648:Protein Phosphatase 2