Bone sialoprotein (BSP) is a multifunctional, highly phosphorylated, and glycosylated protein with key roles in biomineralization and tissue remodeling. This work identifies the complete topographical distribution and precise location of both the in vitro and in vivo phosphorylation sites of bovine BSP by a combination of stateof-the-art techniques and approaches. In vitro phosphorylation of native and deglycosylated BSPs by casein kinase II identified seven phosphorylation sites by solidphase N-terminal peptide sequencing that were within peptides 12-22 (LEDS(P)EENGVFK), 42-62 (FAVQSSSD-
SS(P)EENGNGDS(P)S(P)EE), 80 -91 (EDS(P)DENEDEE-S(P)E), and 135-145 (EDES(P)DEEEEEE). The in vivo phosphorylation regions and sites were identified by use of a novel thiol reagent, 1-S-mono[14 C]carboxymethyldithiothreitol. This approach identified all of the phosphopeptides defined by in vitro phosphorylation, but two additional phosphopeptides were defined at residues, 250 -264 (DNGYEIYES(P)ENGDPR), and 282-289 (GYDS(P)YDGQ). Furthermore, use of native BSP and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-offlight mass spectrometry identified several of the above peptides, including an additional phosphopeptide at residues 125-130 (AGAT(P)GK) that was not defined in either of the in vitro and in vivo studies described above. Overall, 7 in vitro and 11 in vivo phosphorylation sites were identified unequivocally, with natural variation in the quantitative extent of phosphorylation at each in vivo phosphorylation site.Evidence supporting many facets of the observed biological functions of bone sialoprotein (BSP) 1 and osteopontin (OPN) has been accumulating, with a wide range of implications in both mineralizing and non-mineralizing tissues. BSP and OPN are the major non-collagenous extracellular matrix (ECM) phosphoproteins of calcified tissues such as bone and cartilage. Their intimate relationship with biomineralization suggests that they play key roles during the development and maintenance of these tissues (1-8). In vitro studies using BSP and OPN indicate that, whereas BSP induces calcium phosphate apatite formation (4 -6, 9), OPN lacks this property or is inhibitory (3, 4, 10). The biological functions of BSP and OPN are not limited to mineral deposition, but impact cell behavior such as cell motility, cell adhesion, and bone resorption (10 -16). Despite extensive studies, however, the precise roles of these phosphoproteins remain to be clearly defined. Although some in vitro studies indicate that BSP promotes bone resorption and hence participates in bone degradation (17), other studies such as those using glucocorticoids, which increase expression of this protein, suggest its involvement in the anabolic phase of bone remodeling (18). In this laboratory, in vivo implants of BSP-collagen composites in the calvarial critical defect bone repair model (19) and during reparative dentinogenesis (7, 8, 20 -22) highlighted the impact of BSP during biomineralization and new bone/dentin formation.As interest continues and evid...