Phosphorylation-dephosphorylation of yeast pyruvate dehydrogenase

Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC) was purified to homogeneity from baker's yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). No pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) kinase activity was detected at any stage of the purification. However, the purified PDC was phosphorylated and inactivated by purified PDH kinase from bovine kidney mitochondria, Mg2+, and [γ-32P]ATP. The protein-bound radioactivity was localized in the PDH α subunit. The phosphorylated, inactivated PDC was dephosphorylated and reactivated with purified bovine PDH phosphatase, Mg2+, and Ca2+. From a tryptic digest of phosphorylated yeast PDC a radioactive peptide was isolated by anion and reverse phase HPLC. The sequence of this tetradecapeptide is Tyr-Gly-Gly-His-Ser(P)-Met-Ser-Asp-Pro-Gly-Thr-Thr-Tyr-Arg. This sequence is very similar to the sequence of a tryptic phosphopeptide derived from the α subunit of bovine kidney and heart PDH: Tyr-His-Gly-His-Ser(P)-Met-Ser-Asp-Pro-Gly-Val-Ser-Tyr-Arg