Primary structure of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase establishes a new family of eukaryotic protein kinases.

We recently reported molecular cloning of the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, the first mitochondrial protein kinase to be cloned (Popov, K. M., Zhao, Y., Shimomura, Y., Kuntz, M. J., and Harris, R. A. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 13127-13130). From a search for proteins related to the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, a cDNA encoding the 434 amino acid residues corresponding to pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase has been cloned from a rat heart cDNA library. Evidence that the clone codes for pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase includes: (a) the deduced amino acid sequence is identical to the partial sequence of the kinase determined by direct sequencing; (b) expression of the cDNA in Escherichia coli resulted in synthesis of a protein that phosphorylated and inactivated the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex; (c) kinase activity of the recombinant protein is sensitive to inhibition by a specific inhibitor of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase; and (d) antiserum raised against the recombinant protein recognized the protein subunit known to correspond to pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase in a highly purified preparation of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex. Like the branched chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase kinase, pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase lacks motifs usually associated with eukaryotic Ser/Thr-protein kinases. Considerable sequence similarity exists between these mitochondrial protein kinases and members of the prokaryotic histidine kinase family, a diverse set of sensing and response systems important in the regulation of bacterial processes. Thus, molecular cloning of these proteins establishes a new eukaryotic family of protein kinases that is related to a prokaryotic family of protein kinases.