Dephosphorylation and deactivation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II in betaTC3-cells is mediated by Mg2+- and okadaic-acid-sensitive protein phosphatases.

The alpha-toxin-permeabilized betaTC3 cell has been utilized as an experimental model for the identification of protein phosphatases responsible for the dephosphorylation and deactivation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM kinase II) in situ. In this model, the elevation of Ca2+ from 0.05 to 10 microM induced the near-total conversion of CaM kinase II into a Ca2+/calmodulin-independent (autonomous) form characteristic of autophosphorylated, activated enzyme. On the removal of Ca2+, the activation state of CaM Kinase II rapidly returned to prestimulated levels. This reversal was slowed, but not prevented, by the inhibitors of protein phosphatase-1 (PP-1) and PP-2A, okadaic acid and calyculin A, and by the selective chelation of Mg2+ by the addition of EDTA. Near-complete prevention of enzyme deactivation, however, was observed in the combined presence of both okadaic acid and EDTA. Under these conditions, CaM kinase II phosphatase was more sensitive to calyculin A relative to okadaic acid, characteristic of the involvement of PP-1. CaM kinase II deactivation was not affected by FK-506, eliminating the involvement of PP-2B in this process. These data suggest that CaM kinase II dephosphorylation and deactivation in the pancreatic beta-cell is mediated by the combined action of an okadaic-acid-sensitive phosphatase and a Mg2+-dependent phosphatase, such as PP-2C.