Phosphohistidine phosphatase 1 (PHPT1) also dephosphorylates phospholysine of chemically phosphorylated histone H1 and polylysine

  • Pia Ek Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
  • Bo Ek Department of Chemistry, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
  • Örjan Zetterqvist Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
Keywords: Histone H1, phosphohistidine phosphatase, phospholysine, phospholysine phosphatase, PHP, PHPT1, protein histidine phosphatase

Abstract

Background. Phosphohistidine phosphatase 1 (PHPT1), also named protein histidine phosphatase (PHP), is a eukaryotic enzyme dephosphorylating proteins and peptides that are phosphorylated on a histidine residue. A preliminary finding that histone H1, which lacks histidine, was phosphorylated by phosphoramidate and dephosphorylated by PHPT1 prompted the present investigation.

Methods. Histone H1 and polylysine were phosphorylated at a low concentration (3.9 mM) of phosphoramidate. Their dephosphorylation by recombinant human PHPT1 was investigated by using a DEAE-Sepharose spin column technique earlier developed by us for studies on basic phosphoproteins and phosphopeptides. Determination of protein-bound, acid-labile phosphate was performed by a malachite green method. Mass spectrometry (MS) was used to investigate the occurrence of N-ϵ-phospholysine residues in a phosphorylated histone H1.2 preparation, and to measure the activity of PHPT1 against free N-ω-phosphoarginine.

Results. Histone H1.2, which lacks histidine, was phosphorylated by phosphoramidate on several lysine residues, as shown by MS. PHPT1 was shown to dephosphorylate phosphohistone H1 at a rate similar to that previously described for the dephosphorylation of phosphohistidine-containing peptides. In addition, phosphopolylysine was an equally good substrate for PHPT1. However, no dephosphorylation of free phosphoarginine by PHPT1 could be detected.

Conclusion. The finding that PHPT1 can dephosphorylate phospholysine in chemically phosphorylated histone H1 and polylysine demonstrates a broader specificity for this enzyme than known so far.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Published
2015-01-09
How to Cite
Ek P., Ek B., & Zetterqvist Örjan. (2015). Phosphohistidine phosphatase 1 (PHPT1) also dephosphorylates phospholysine of chemically phosphorylated histone H1 and polylysine. Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, 120(1). https://doi.org/10.3109/03009734.2014.996720
Section
Original Articles