Abstract
P13suc1 sepharose-conjugated beads were used to extract the kinases that phosphorylate neurofilaments in the squid giant axon. Using Western blots and in vitro kinase assays, we demonstrated the presence of an active cdc2-like kinase and its putative regulators such as cyclin E, p13, and p67 in axoplasm and a P13-axoplasm complex (P13-Ax). Protein kinase A (PKA) and casein kinase (CK) I and II were also found in the P13-Ax. Western blot analysis of the P13-Ax also demonstrated several axonal cytoskeletal components; e.g., neurofilaments (NFs; NF 60, 70, and 220), tubulin, actin, and microtubule-associated proteins. NF 220 and tubulin were phosphorylated by the kinases in the P13-Ax. To determine whether NFs bound directly to the P13 beads, or bound indirectly by association with cdc2 kinase, a washed, axon-derived neurofilament preparation that contained NFs, PKA, CKl, and tubulin, but no cdc2-like kinase, yielded no bound proteins after incubation with P13suc1. The wash supernatant from the neurofilament preparation, however, containing the cdc2-like kinase, did yield cytoskeletal components that bound to P13suc1. Moreover, a bacterial-expressed cdk5 associated with P13 beads was able to complex with selected cytoskeletal components in the washed neurofilament preparation. These data indicate that direct binding of P13 beads with a cdc2-like kinase could extract active multimeric complexes composed of axonal cytoskeletal proteins and kinases. Application of P13 chromatography may be useful in characterizing the network of functional interactions among cytoskeletal elements and protein kinases in neurons.
