Effect of denaturation on the susceptibility of proteins to enzymic phosphorylation

Heat-denatured chicken egg white lysozyme and the reduced carboxymethylated maleylated derivative of this protein were found to serve as substrates for rabbit skeletal muscle cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. The native form of the protein was not a substrate. Two phosphoryl groups per mole of lysozyme were incorporated in the reaction. It was determined that the phosphoryl moieties were bound to serine 24 and serine 50 in the modified protein. Serine 24 was phosphorylated approximately 3 times as fast as serine 50. Reduced carboxymethylated maleylated derivatives of bovine serum albumin, phosphorylase b, and creatine kinase also served as substrates for the protein kinase whereas their native forms did not. The reduced carboxymethylated maleylated derivative of the inhibitory subunit of troponin was a poorer substrate than the native form of the protein. Maleylated histones F1 and F2b were also poorer substrates than the nonderivatized forms. The significance of these experiments with reference to the specificity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase is discussed.