S‐Phase phosphorylation of lamin B2

Lamin B2 modification in synchronously dividing populations of human diploid fibroblasts was determined by 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis and [32P]orthophosphate labelling. In quiescent (G0) and G1 cultures of HDF, lamin B2 migrated as 2 spots on 2-dimensional gels. In contrast, in S-phase populations of HDF lamin B2 migrated as a single basic species. The level of lamin B2 phosphorylation was determined after immunoisolation from [32P]orthophosphate labelled cells. The results of these experiments indicated a 2-3-fold increase in the steady state level of lamin B2 phosphorylation in S-phase HDF compared with G0 HDF. Consistent with this evidence, tryptic peptide maps revealed the presence of a phosphopeptide in S-phase lamin B2 which was absent from G0 lamin B2. Since all of the phosphate incorporated into S-phase and G0 lamin B2 was recovered in serine residues we conclude that the S-phase specific phosphopeptide did not represent either of the cdc2 sites associated with entry nuclear lamina breakdown.