title: Alterations of ciliate phosducin phosphorylation in Blepharisma japonicum cells.
abstract: We have previously reported that motile photophobic response in ciliate Blepharisma japonicum correlates with dephosphorylation of a cytosolic 28 kDa phosphoprotein (PP28) exhibiting properties similar to those of phosducin. Here we demonstrate in in vivo phosphorylation assay that the light-elicited dephosphorylation of the PP28 is significantly modified by cell incubation with substances known to modulate protein phosphatase and kinase activities. Immunoblot analyses showed that incubation of ciliates with okadaic acid and calyculin A, potent inhibitors of type 1 or 2A protein phosphatases, distinctly increased phosphorylation of PP28 in dark-adapted cells and markedly weakened dephosphorylation of the ciliate phosducin following cell illumination. An enhancement of PP28 phosphorylation was also observed in dark-adapted ciliates exposed to 8-Br-cAMP and 8-Br-cGMP, slowly hydrolysable cyclic nucleotide analogs and 3-isobutyryl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX), a non-specific cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDEs) inhibitor. Only slight changes in light-evoked dephosphorylation levels of PP28 were observed in cells treated with the cyclic nucleotide analogs and IBMX. Incubation of ciliates with H 89 or KT 5823, highly selective inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), respectively, decreased PP28 phosphorylation levels in dark-adapted cells, whereas the extent of light-evoked dephosphorylation of the phosphoprotein was only slightly influenced. Cell treatment with higher Ca2+ concentration together with ionophore A23187 in culture medium resulted in marked increase in PP28 phosphorylation levels, while quite an opposite effect was observed in cells exposed to Ca2+ chelators, EGTA or BAPTA/AM as well as calmodulin antagonists, such as trifluoperazine (TFP), W-7 or calmidazolium. Light-dependent dephosphorylation was not considerably affected by these treatments. The experimental findings presented here suggest that an endogenous light-dependent protein kinase-phosphatase system may be engaged in the alteration of phosducin phosphorylation in ciliate B. japonicum thereby to modulate the cell motile photophobic behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 3, Pasteur Street, PL - 02 093 Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sobierajska
authors.forename: Hanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fabczak
authors.forename: Stanisław
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fabczak
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology; D002147:Calmodulin / Q000378:metabolism; D016798:Ciliophora / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017869:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D004533:Egtazic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005136:Eye Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020555:GTP-Binding Protein Regulators; D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D010750:Phosphoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002147:Calmodulin; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D005136:Eye Proteins; D020555:GTP-Binding Protein Regulators; D009712:Nucleotides, Cyclic; D010750:Phosphoproteins; C065631:phosducin; D004533:Egtazic Acid; D017869:Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; D010744:Phosphoric Monoester Hydrolases; D002118:Calcium