Tyrosine hydroxylase in rat brain dopaminergic nerve terminals. Multiple-site phosphorylation in vivo and in synaptosomes.

Tyrosine hydroxylase, which catalyzes the initial step in catecholamine biosynthesis, is phosphorylated at serines 8, 19, 31, and 40 in intact pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells (Haycock, J.W. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 11682-11691). After 32Pi labeling of rat corpus striata in vivo or rat corpus striatal synaptosomes, 32P incorporation into tyrosine hydroxylase occurred predominantly at serines 19, 31, and 40. Electrical stimulation (30 Hz, 20 min) of the medial forebrain bundle (containing the afferent dopaminergic fibers) increased 32P incorporation into each of the three sites. Brief depolarization of the synaptosomes with elevated [K+]o (20-60 mM, 5-30 s) or veratridine (50 microM, 2 min) produced a selective increase in 32P incorporation into Ser19. Phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (1 microM, 5 min) increased 32P incorporation into Ser31, and cAMP-acting agents such as forskolin (10 microM, 5 min) increased 32P incorporation into Ser40. In contrast, 32P incorporation into Ser8, which was usually detectable but very low, was not regulated either in vivo or in situ by any of the activators of signal transduction pathways. In synaptosomes, the only treatment found to increase Ser8 phosphorylation was okadaic acid (a protein phosphatase inhibitor), which increased 32P incorporation into all four phosphorylation sites. Thus, three different signal transduction systems appear to mediate the physiological regulation of tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation at three different sites.