Expression and phosphorylation of a MARCKS-like protein in gastric chief cells: further evidence for modulation of pepsinogen secretion by interaction of Ca2+/calmodulin with protein kinase C

In gastric chief cells, agents that activate protein kinase C (PKC) stimulate pepsinogen secretion and phosphorylation of an acidic 72-kDa protein. The isoelectric point and molecular mass of this protein are similar to those for a common PKC substrate; the MARCKS (for Myristoylated Alanine-Rich C Kinase Substrate) protein. We examined expression and phosphorylation of the MARCKS-like protein in a nearly homogeneous suspension of chief cells from guinea pig stomach. Western blotting of fractions from chief cell lysates with a specific MARCKS antibody resulted in staining of a myristoylated 72-kDA protein (pp72), associated predominantly with the membrane fraction. Using permeabilized chief cells, we examined the effect of PKC activation (with the phorbol ester PMA), in the presence of basal (100 nM) or elevated cellular calcium (1 microM), on pepsinogen secretion and phosphorylation of the 72-KDa MARCKS-like protein. Secretion was increased 2.3-, 2.6-, and 4.5-fold by incubation with 100 nM PMA, 1 microM calcium, and PMA plus calcium, respectively. A PKC inhibitor (1 microM CGP 41 251) abolished PMA-induced secretion, but did not alter calcium-induced secretion. This indicates that calcium-induced secretion is independent of PKC activation. Chief cell proteins were labeled with 32P-orthophosphate and phosphorylation of pp72 was detected by autoradiography of 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gels. In the presence of basal calcium, PMA (100 nM) caused a > two-fold increase in phosphorylation of pp72. Without PMA, calcium did not alter phosphorylation of pp72. However, 1 microM calcium caused an approx. 50% attenuation of PMA-induced phosphorylation of pp72. Experiments with a MARCKS "phosphorylation/calmodulin binding domain peptide" indicated that calcium/calmodulin inhibits phosphorylation of pp72 by binding to the phosphorylation/calmodulin binding domain and not by inhibiting PKC activity. These observations support the hypothesis that, in gastric chief cells, interplay between calcium/calmodulin binding and phosphorylation of a common domain on the 72-kDa MARCKS-like protein plays a role in modulating pepsinogen secretion.