Specific dephosphorylation of phosphoproteins by protein-serine and -tyrosine kinases.

Five protein kinases are shown to serve as specific phosphatases in the absence of ADP. Although the rates of hydrolysis are very slow compared to the forward phosphorylation rates under optimal conditions, they are of the same order as the reverse reaction in the presence of ADP. Because cells contain approximately equal to 3 mM ATP, neither the reverse reaction nor the phosphatase is likely to play a physiological role. beta-casein B phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase A) is specifically dephosphorylated by protein kinase A but not by polypeptide-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase P). beta-casein B phosphorylated by protein kinase P is specifically dephosphorylated by protein kinase P but not by protein kinase A. Histone H1 phosphorylated by protein kinase C is dephosphorylated by the same enzyme in the absence of ADP. In all cases tested addition of ADP and F1-ATPase accelerates moderately the rate of dephosphorylation. Native H+-ATPase from yeast plasma membranes is isolated mainly in the phosphorylated form. It is dephosphorylated and rephosphorylated by protein kinase P but not by protein kinase A. Protein-tyrosine kinase of the epidermal growth factor receptor phosphorylates the random synthetic polypeptide poly(Glu80Tyr20). The phosphorylated polymer is specifically dephosphorylated in the absence of ADP by epidermal growth factor receptor preparations but not by insulin receptor preparations. The same polymer phosphorylated by insulin receptor is dephosphorylated by insulin receptor but not by epidermal growth factor receptor preparations. By using a cycle of dephosphorylation-rephosphorylation, it is possible to identify proteins that are phosphorylated by these protein kinases in vivo. Should this method be applicable to additional protein kinases, it should be possible to estimate the quantitative contribution of each protein kinase to a single phosphoprotein.