There is considerable evidence that protein kinases play a role in regulation of the activity of the Na,K-ATPase, but the characteristics of direct kinase phosphorylation of Na,K-ATPase subunits are still not well understood. There are 36 sites that could qualify as protein kinase C motifs in rat alpha 1. Here we have used protein fragmentation with trypsin to localize the site of phosphorylation of the rat Na,K-ATPase alpha 1 subunit to within the first 32 amino acids of the N terminus and then used direct sequencing of the phosphorylated protein to determine which of two candidate serine residues was modified. The result was that at most 25% of the 32P was found on Ser-11, a site that is well conserved in Na,K-ATPase alpha 1 subunits. The remaining 75% or more of the 32P was found on Ser-18, a site that is absent in many Na,K-ATPase alpha subunit sequences. This accounts for the observation that dog and pig alpha 1 subunits can be phosphorylated by protein kinase C only to much lower levels than can rat alpha 1. It is also likely to be relevant to other known species-specific effects of protein kinase C on Na,K-ATPase.

Phospholemman (FXYD1) is a homolog of the Na,K-ATPase gamma subunit (FXYD2), a small accessory protein that modulates ATPase activity. Here we show that phospholemman is highly expressed in selected structures in the CNS. It is most abundant in cerebellum, where it was detected in the molecular layer, in Purkinje neurons, and in axons traversing the granule cell layer. Phospholemman was particularly enriched in choroid plexus, the organ that secretes CSF in the ventricles, where it colocalized with Na,K-ATPase in the apical membrane. It was also enriched, with Na,K-ATPase, in certain tanycytes or ependymal cells of the ventricle wall. Two different experimental approaches demonstrated that phospholemman physically associated with the Na,K-ATPase in cerebellum and choroid plexus: the proteins copurified after detergent treatment and co-immunoprecipitated from solubilized crude membranes using either anti-phospholemman or anti-Na,K-ATPase antibodies. Phospholemman antibodies precipitated all three Na,K-ATPase alpha subunit isoforms (alpha1-alpha3) from cerebellum, indicating that the interaction is not specific to a particular alpha isoform and consistent with the presence of phospholemman in both neurons and glia. Antibodies against the C-terminal domain of phospholemman reduced Na,K-ATPase activity in vitro without effect on Na+ affinity. At least two other FXYD family members have been detected in the CNS, suggesting that additional complexity of sodium pump regulation will be found.

Na,K-ATPase activity has been demonstrated to be regulated by a variety of hormones in different tissues. It is known to be directly phosphorylated on its ␣-subunit, but the functional effects of protein kinases remain controversial. We have developed a sensitive, antibodybased assay for detection of the level of phosphorylation of the ␣1-isoform of rat Na,K-ATPase at the serine residue that is most readily phosphorylated by protein kinase C (PKC) in vitro, Ser 18 . By stimulation of endogenous PKC and inhibition of phosphatase activity, it was possible to consistently obtain a very high stoichiometry of phosphorylation (close to 0.9) in several types of intact cells. This demonstrates the accessibility and competency of the site for endogenous phosphorylation. The cells used were derived from rat (NRK 52E, C6, L6, and primary cultures of cerebellar granule cells, representing epithelial cells, glia, muscle cells, and neurons). In the presence of the phosphatase inhibitor calyculin A, full phosphorylation was preserved during subsequent assays of enzyme activity in vitro. Assay of the hydrolysis of ATP in NRK and C6 cells, however, indicated that there was no significant effect of phosphorylation on the V max of the Na,K-ATPase or on the apparent affinity for Na ؉ . Any regulatory effect of PKC on sodium pump activity thus must be lost upon disruption or permeabilization of the cells and is not a direct consequence of enzyme alteration by covalent phosphorylation of Ser 18 .

Selective delta opioid receptor agonists are promising potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of various types of pain conditions. A spirocyclic derivative was identified as a promising hit through screening. Subsequent lead optimization identified compound 20 (ADL5859) as a potent, selective, and orally bioavailable delta agonist. Compound 20 was selected as a clinical candidate for the treatment of pain.

Elevated cAMP in NRK-52E and L6 cells causes a marked reduction in the phosphorylation of numerous phosphoproteins, as detected initially with phosphoserine-specific antibodies. Here, we show that elevation of cAMP in NRK cells by forskolin/3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) treatment decreased phosphorylation of substrates for different protein kinases, pointing to a common protein phosphatase as a target for cAMP-dependent regulation. Forskolin/IBMX treatment completely dephosphorylated a selective protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) substrate, elongation factor-2 (EF-2), at its Ca 2ϩ calmodulin-dependent kinase site, and decreased phosphorylation of substrates for cyclin-dependent kinases, including retinoblastoma (Rb) protein. As reported before, forskolin/IBMX also decreased phosphorylation of a protein kinase C substrate, the Na,K-ATPase. The cAMP-stimulated dephosphorylation was blocked by the protein phosphatases 1 (PP1) and PP2A inhibitor okadaic acid at concentrations selective for PP2A but was not blocked by tautomycin at concentrations selective for PP1. The data implicate PP2A as a cAMP-activated phosphatase. Contrary to expectation, we found evidence that cAMP-dependent activation of PP2A did not depend on protein kinase A (PKA). Pretreatment of cells with the PKA inhibitor H89 abolished PKA activity measured in cell extracts and significantly decreased cAMP-activated phosphorylation of a known PKA substrate, ARPP-19, in cells, but failed to block the cAMP-stimulated dephosphorylation of EF-2, Rb, and other proteins. This novel pathway of PP2A activation, acting on the time scale of minutes, represents yet another example of a cAMP-mediated, PKA-independent signaling mechanism. Because PP2A is active toward a variety of endogenous substrates, cAMP-stimulated dephosphorylation may have complicated the interpretation of many prior studies.