Purification, molecular cloning, and functional expression of the human nicodinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate-regulated thyroid hormone-binding protein.

The kidney and several other thyroid hormone-responsive tissues contain a NADP-regulated thyroid hormone (TH)-binding protein (THBP), with an apparent molecular mass of 36 kDa on SDS-PAGE, responsible for most of the intracellular high-affinity T3 and T4 binding. THBP was purified to homogeneity from human kidney cytosol and used to generate proteolytic peptides. Microsequencing of four peptides revealed identity to amino acid sequences deduced from a human cDNA homolog to a cDNA encoding kangaroo mu-crystallin. This protein is a major structural kangaroo lens protein with no known function in other species. A full-sized cDNA (TH5.9) was isolated by 5'- and 3'-rapid amplification of cDNA ends using a human brain cDNA library and gene-specific PCR primers, confirming identity to the previously cloned human cDNA. The TH5.9 cDNA encodes a 314-residue protein (theoretical mol wt = 33,775) with significant homologies (40 to 60%) with two bacterial enzymes: lysine cyclodeaminase and ornithine cyclodeaminase. The TH5.9 cDNA was expressed in Escherichia coli as a glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion protein. Purified GST fusion protein, but not GST, bound T3 specifically with high affinity [dissociation constant (Kd) = 0.5 nM] in the presence of NADPH, and was labeled by UV-driven cross-linking of underivatized [(125)I]T3. T3 binding and photoaffinity labeling of GST fusion protein were activated by NADPH [activation constant (K[act]) = 10(-8) M], but not by NADH. The expressed protein displays the appropriate binding properties, indicating that TH5.9 cDNA encodes the NADP-regulated THBP characterized in human tissues.

Solubilization, reconstitution and molecular properties of the triiodothyronine transport protein from rat erythrocyte membranes.

Triiodothyronine (T3) transport through the mammalian erythrocyte membrane is mediated by a transport system related to the aromatic amino acid transport system T. The T3-binding component of this transport system could be photolabeled with [125I]T3 as a 52-kD protein, and subsequently solubilized with non-ionic detergents. Upon purification by ion-exchange chromatography, the photolabeled 52-kD protein solubilized with octylglucoside (OG) resolved into several peaks, suggesting charge heterogeneity of labeled proteins. The saturable [125I]T3 binding to rat erythrocyte membranes was completely inhibited by non-ionic detergents at concentrations about 20 times lower than those that solubilized membrane. Therefore, detergent-free proteoliposomes were generated from the detergent-soluble extracts by treatment with a polystyrene adsorbent. Proteoliposomes prepared from OG-soluble extract contained the highest specific activity of T3 binding. The Kd of the T3 binding sites (4.5 nmol/l) and the competitive inhibition constant of tryptophan (120 mumol/l) were similar to those for native membranes. The photolabeling of the 52-kD protein in these proteoliposomes was prevented by tryptophan and T4, but not by leucine or the D-isomer of T3, corresponding to the transport specificity of system T. The 52-kD protein solubilized with OG from native membranes was partially purified by ion-exchange chromatography. The 52-kD protein was detected by photoaffinity labeling in the purified fraction only after addition of erythrocyte membrane phospholipids to generate proteoliposomes. This indicates that the association of 52-kD protein with phospholipids is critical for T3 binding.

Identification by photoaffinity labeling of a membrane thyroid hormone-binding protein associated with the triiodothyronine transport system in rat erythrocytes.

Photoaffinity labeling with underivatized T3 was used to identify T3-binding proteins in the membrane of rat erythrocytes. UV irradiation of ghosts and peripheral protein-depleted membranes in the presence of [125I]T3 resulted in the covalent attachment of 125I to membrane proteins (analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography). In the presence of the free radical scavenger dithiothreitol, 125I was selectively incorporated into a 45,000 mol wt band (p45) that was an integral membrane polypeptide. p45 photolabeling was half-inhibited by 14 nM unlabeled T3. This concentration is similar to the Km for T3 transport in rat erythrocytes and the Kd of the high affinity T3-binding sites under equilibrium binding conditions in the rat erythrocyte membrane. T4 and tryptophan also strongly inhibited p45 labeling, whereas the D-isomer of T3 was less efficient, and leucine had no effect. This corresponds to the specificity of the system T-related T3 transport system and T3-binding sites of rat erythrocytes. The SH-reagent N-ethylmaleimide prevented p45 labeling, unless T3 was present to protect the T3 transport activity and the high affinity T3-binding sites from inactivation. No saturable labeling of p45 or other polypeptides was detected in membranes prepared from human erythrocytes, which have very low T3 transport activity and no measurable high affinity T3-binding sites. p45 is not disulfide linked and is not a degradation product of higher mol wt polypeptides. Substrates and specific inhibitors of known erythrocyte membrane transporters did not alter p45 photolabeling, indicating that p45 is not functionally related to these transporters. We conclude that the photoaffinity-labeled T3-binding protein p45 has the properties expected of the T3-binding component of the T3 transport system in rat erythrocytes.

Triiodothyronine binding sites in the rat erythrocyte membrane: involvement in triiodothyronine transport and relation to the tryptophan transport System T.

The binding of L-triiodothyronine (T3) to rat erythrocyte membranes (ghosts and peripheral protein-depleted vesicles) was studied under equilibrium conditions. Ghosts contained high-affinity T3 binding sites whose dissociation constant (21 nM) was similar to the equilibrium-exchange Michaelis constant of T3 transport measured in ghosts. Each ghost contained about 8.10(3) high-affinity binding sites. The high-affinity T3 binding was stereospecific and was inhibited by L-tryptophan (Trp) but not by L-leucine. The iodothyronine and amino acid specificity of binding is therefore similar to that of System T, the erythrocyte T3/Trp transporter. These Trp-inhibitable high-affinity T3-binding sites were also present in peripheral protein-depleted membrane vesicles, indicating that they are integral part of the membrane. Ghosts prepared from human erythrocytes, which have very low System T transport activities, contained no detectable Trp-inhibitable high-affinity T3-binding sites. In rat erythrocyte ghosts, N-ethylmaleimide inactivated both the binding and the transport of T3. This inactivation was blocked by T3 and Trp with similar efficiencies. Phenylglyoxal, an arginine residue modifier, also inhibited both high-affinity T3 binding and System T transport activity. It is concluded that the Trp-inhibitable high-affinity T3-binding sites in the rat erythrocyte membrane are likely to be associated with System T.

Transport of thyroid hormones by human erythrocytes: kinetic characterization in adults and newborns.

The uptake of [125I]T3 and [125I]T4 by human erythrocytes was studied. The erythrocytes were obtained from adult subjects (28-41 yr old) and suspended in a protein-free medium. The half-times of equilibration for both T3 and T4 were 6 min. At equilibrium, T3 was concentrated 55-fold inside the cells, while T4 was concentrated 40 times, but these accumulations were not dependent on either cellular ATP or the transmembrane Na+ gradient. The amounts of cell-associated thyroid hormones were 20 times (T3) and 17 times (T4) higher than the amounts of free extracellular hormones at 5 X 10(9) erythrocytes/mL (the blood concentration). Oligomycin and phloretin inhibited T3-saturable transport (but not T4 transport) independently of cellular energy. We suggest that thyroid hormones are concentrated by intracellular trapping. The rates of T3 and T4 efflux from preloaded erythrocytes were similar to the influx rates. The initial velocities of T3 (but not T4) uptake and efflux were 70% saturable. The uptake was specific because the unlabeled analogs T4, triiodothyroacetic acid, rT3, D-T3, and D,L-thyronine inhibited [125I]T3 uptake 60, 125, 160, 190, and 1600 times less, respectively, than did unlabeled T3. The kinetic parameters of T3-saturable uptake, Km, and maximum velocity were determined for three groups of subjects: newborns, 28 to 41-yr-old adults, and 76 to 90-yr-old adults. The Km (67 nmol/L in 28 to 41-yr-old adults) was not age dependent, BUT the maximum velocity was significantly higher in newborns than in adults. We conclude that T3 transport across the human erythrocyte membrane is mediated mainly by facilitated diffusion, whereas T4 transport results from free diffusion. Human erythrocytes might act as a circulating pool of thyroid hormones, especially T3 in newborns.

Evidence for a close link between the thyroid hormone transport system and the aromatic amino acid transport system T in erythrocytes.

The transport of [125I]triiodothyronine ([125I]T3) and [3H]tryptophan ([3H]Trp) by washed rat erythrocytes was studied at 25 degrees C in the presence of leucine in order to block the neutral amino acid transport system L. Eadie-Hofstee plots of initial velocity data gave the following values of Km (micromolar) and Vmax (nanomole/min/10(8) cells): 0.122 +/- 0.007 and 0.140 +/- 0.021 for T3, and 558 +/- 28 and 17.4 +/- 2.3 for Trp (n = 5). The Trp transport system in rat erythrocytes is similar to the human erythrocyte aromatic amino acid-specific system T described by Rosenberg et al. (Rosenberg, R., Young, J. D., and Ellory, J. C. (1980) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 598, 375-384). Unlabeled aromatic amino acids (e.g. Trp, phenylalanine, tyrosine) competitively inhibited [125I]T3 uptake and unlabeled iodothyronine analogues (e.g. T3, D-T3, thyroxine, thyronine) competitively inhibited [3H]Trp uptake. The inhibition constants of these competitors measured with each labeled substrate were highly correlated. N-Ethylmaleimide irreversibly inhibited T3 and Trp transport and each substrate protected the transport system of the other from inactivation by N-ethylmaleimide. The Vmax of T3 and Trp transport by human erythrocytes were 500 and 120 times lower, respectively, than those of rat erythrocytes (0.30 and 126 pmol/min/10(8) cells, respectively). The T3 and Trp transport activities of sheep erythrocytes were undetectable. These results indicate that T3 and Trp either share a common multi-specific transport system or are transported by closely linked systems which interact in the erythrocyte membrane.

Erythrocyte-associated triiodothyronine in the rat: a source of hormone for target cells.

The accumulation of T3 by rat erythrocytes and its transfer to cultured rat hepatocytes were investigated. The amount of erythrocyte-associated T3 in whole rat blood was determined at 37 degrees C. The ratio of erythrocyte-associated T3 to plasma total T3 was 0.235 over a wide range of T3 concentrations, i.e. there is 25 times as much T3 in the erythrocyte compartment as free in the plasma. Influx and efflux of T3, which were shown previously to be carrier-mediated, proceeded rapidly (t 1/2 approximately 12-15 sec at 25 degrees C). These results suggest that erythrocytes are involved in the supply of T3 to target cells. This was checked by studying [125I]T3 uptake by cultured rat hepatocytes incubated either with erythrocyte suspensions pre-equilibrated with labelled T3 or with extracellular medium from the same erythrocyte suspensions. In protein-free medium, the initial velocity of T3 uptake was 1.5-fold faster in the presence of the erythrocyte suspension. Uptake was saturable, the apparent Km of T3 uptake (nmol/l) was 163 +/- 13 in the absence of erythrocytes and 102 +/- 6 in their presence. Vmax (fmol.min-1.well-1) was similar in both cases (477 +/- 26 and 511 +/- 20, respectively). In the presence of diluted plasma (1:16 dilution) and in the presence of the erythrocyte suspension, a 2-fold increase of initial velocity was obtained. Plasma by itself increased (4-5 times) the initial velocity of uptake.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The triiodothyronine carrier of rat erythrocytes: asymmetry and mechanisms of trans-inhibition.

The kinetic properties of the carrier-mediated transport of 3,5,3'-triiodo-L-thyronine (T3) in washed rat erythrocytes were investigated (1) by studying the effects of trans unlabelled T3 on influx and efflux of labelled substrate and (2) by testing some predictions of the theory of Lieb and Stein [1974) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 373, 165-177). The carrier was trans-inhibited by T3 on both sides of the membrane. Under zero-trans conditions, the carrier displayed asymmetrical properties, the Michaelis constant and the maximal velocity being more than 6-times higher for influx than for efflux. Under equilibrium-exchange conditions, the Michaelis constant was lower than the zero-trans values, as expected when trans-inhibition occurs. This kinetic behaviour is consistent with a carrier which is accessible to T3 simultaneously from both sides of the erythrocyte membrane.

Characterization of triiodothyronine transport and accumulation in rat erythrocytes.

The transport of L-T3 was studied in washed rat erythrocytes. L-T3 uptake was temperature sensitive: the initial velocity of uptake at low substrate concentration was 40 times higher at 37 C than at 0C whereas, at equilibrium, the ratio of cell-associated to extracellular L-T3 was about 7 times lower at 37 C than at 0 C. When [125I]L-T3-loaded erythrocytes were diluted into a serum albumin-containing medium, the efflux of L-T3 proceeded at a rate similar to that of influx. A large excess of unlabeled L-T3 in the medium blocked influx and efflux of labeled L-T3, indicating a saturable carrier-mediated transport process across the plasma membrane. the transport obeyed simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics with an apparent Km of 53 nM and a Vmax of 4.3 pmol/min.10(8) cells at 0 C. The Km increased only slightly with temperature whereas the Vmax was 100 times higher at 37 than at 0 C. The Arrhenius activation energy of uptake was 21 Cal/mol. The nonsaturable adsorption of L-T3 to the cells did not exceed 1% of the equilibrium levels at 0 C and 10% at 37 C. Uptake of L-T3 was very specific: unlabeled L-T4, D-T3, triiodothyroacetic acid, rT3, and DL-thyronine inhibited uptake with inhibition constant (Ki) values which were 35, 60, 65, 110, and 250 times, respectively, greater than the Km of L-T3. [125I]L-T4 uptake was negligible. L-T3 uptake and L-T4 inhibition of L-T3 uptake were pH dependent. It is suggested that only the unionized 4'-OH forms of the hormones were recognized by the transport system. At equilibrium, L-T3 was accumulated within the cell (apparent intracellular concentration approximately 50 times higher than that in the medium at 37 C). However, uptake was not dependent on the transmembrane Na+ gradient, suggesting facilitated rather than active transport. Analysis of L-T3 binding to erythrocyte cytosolic proteins suggested that they were implicated in the intracellular trapping of L-T3. At a concentration of 5 x 10(9) erythrocytes/ml (approximately the blood concentration), the amount of L-T3 accumulated in the cells was 13.5 times higher than the extracellular amount. We conclude that L-T3 is solely transported by a saturable, stereospecific, and Na+-independent carrier system. The intracellular accumulation and the rapid transmembrane movements of L-T3 suggest that erythrocytes might play a role in the interorgan transport of L-T3.

Characterization of a cytosolic triiodothyronine binding protein in atrium and ventricle of rat heart with different sensitivity toward thyroid hormone levels.

Cytosolic T3-binding protein (CTBP) has been identified in both the ventricle and atrium of adult rat hearts. Its biochemical characteristics and concentration have been determined in the two tissues as a function of thyroid hormone level. In both tissues association and dissociation constants were, respectively, k+1 = 1.3 x 10(8) M-1/min and k-1 = 0.025 min-1. Scatchard analysis of T3 equilibrium binding data revealed a single class of binding sites (Ka = 3.8 x 10(8) M-1). The maximal binding capacity (MBC) was 1400 fmol/mg protein in the ventricle and 730 fmol/mg protein in the atrium. The apparent mol wt of CTBP, determined by gel filtration, was 63.000. Among the thyroid hormone analogs tested in ventricular cytosol, D-T3 had the highest affinity, followed by L-T3, L-T4, 3,3',5-triiodothyroacetic acid, and rT3. These characteristics were very similar to those previously described for rat brain, and dog and rat liver and kidney CTBP. In hypothyroid rats MBC was only increased in the atrium (50-100%); after a single injection of T4 (2 micrograms/10 g BW 3 or 18 h before death) values returned to normal in the atrium and declined in the ventricle (-35%). During postnatal development, the highest MBC value (2000 fmol T3/mg protein) was observed in atria on day 10, i.e. when the serum T4 level was still low, and in the ventricle on day 30 (4000 fmol T3/mg protein) when the serum T4 level was at its highest. Binding affinities were similar in the two tissues at all ages studied. It was twice as high in both these tissues during the first week of development than in adulthood. These results favor a thyroid hormone down-regulation of the binding capacity of CTBP that would be more sensitive to the hormone in the atrium than in the ventricle.

Characterization of the thyroid hormone transport system of isolated hepatocytes.

Transport of 3,5-[3'-125I]triiodo-L-thyronine ([125I]T3) was studied in isolated rat liver hepatocytes. T3 transport was temperature-sensitive, the initial velocity of uptake, at low substrate concentration, was 60 times higher at 25 degrees C than at 0 degrees C. The activation energy of cellular uptake (26 kcal/mol) was different from that of binding to cytosolic proteins (6 kcal/mol), indicating that the latter was not the rate-limiting step. Uptake obeyed simple Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with an apparent Km of 0.34 microM and a Vmax of 0.15 fmol/min/cell at 25 degrees C. No simple diffusion occurred. Unlabeled T3, L-thyroxine (T4), 3,5,3'-triiodo-D-thyronine, and triiodothyroacetic acid inhibited T3 uptake with Kl values of 0.32, 1.4, 4.1, and 5.4 microM, respectively, indicating specificity of uptake which was different from specificity of intracellular binding sites. [125I]T4 was also taken up by a saturable process (Km = 0.65 microM and Vmax = 0.16 fmol/min/cell at 25 degrees C). T3 was a better competitor than T4 for the uptake of [125I]T4, indicating that both hormones were taken up by the same carrier system. Metabolic inhibitors had either no effect on T3 uptake or inhibitory effects unrelated to cellular ATP depletion. Uptake was not affected by modification of the membrane potential or the sodium ion gradient. T3 and T4 uptake was pH-dependent. It is suggested that the un-ionized 4'-OH form of the hormones was preferentially taken up. Inhibition of uptake by various compounds was compared to inhibition of thyroid hormone binding to transthyretin, nuclear receptor, and cytosolic-binding proteins. We conclude that, in freshly isolated hepatocytes, thyroid hormones are taken up by a saturable, stereospecific, Na+-independent carrier system.

Properties of neurofilament protein kinase.

Neurofilament (NF) protein kinase, partially purified from NF preparations [Toru-Delbauffe & Pierre (1983) FEBS Lett. 162, 230-234], was found to be distinct from both the casein kinase present in NFs and the cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase which is able to phosphorylate NFs. NF-kinase phosphorylated the three NF protein components. The amount of phosphate incorporated per molecule was higher for NF 200 than for NF 145 and NF 68. Other proteins present in the NF preparations were also used as NF-kinase substrates. Two of them might correspond to the myelin basic proteins with Mr values of 18,000 and 21,000. Four other substrates in the NF preparation were not identified (respective Mr values 53,000, 55,000, 65,000 and greater than 300,000). NF kinase also phosphorylated two additional brain-cell cytoskeletal elements: GFAp and vimentin. Casein, histones and phosvitin, currently used as substrates for protein kinase assays, were very poor phosphate acceptors. Half-maximal NF-kinase activity was obtained at an NF protein concentration of about 0.25 mg/ml in heated, salt-washed, NF preparations. The specific activity was about 5 pmol of 32P incorporated/min per microgram of NF kinase preparation protein. ATP was a phospho-group donor (Km 8 X 10(-5) M), but GTP was not. NF-kinase activity remained stable at 65 degrees C for more than 1 h. The enzyme was not degraded by storage at -20 degrees C for several months in a buffer containing 50% (w/v) sucrose. Maximal activity was obtained with 5 mM-Mg2+ (Mg2+ could be replaced by Co2+); Zn2+ and Cu2+ inhibited the reaction. NF-kinase was not dependent on cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP, Ca2+ or Ca2+ plus dioleoylglycerol and phosphatidylserine.

Cellular location of cytosolic triiodothyronine binding protein in primary cultures of fetal rat brain.

The evolution of a cytosolic triiodothyronine (T3) binding protein was studied in primary cultures of fetal rat brain. These cultures exhibited neuronal characteristics during the first week. T3 binding activity in cell supernatants increased during this period from 39 +/- 7 (mean +/- SD) to 159 +/- 24 fmoles T3/culture flask. A similar increase was observed in the soluble proteins. After day 8, neuronal death occurred and glial cells multiplied and differentiated. On day 11 an 86% drop in the binding activity was observed (24 +/- 7 fmoles T3/culture flask); the pool of soluble proteins remained stable. Scatchard analysis revealed two types of binding site in both 7- and 14-day cultured cell cytosols. Binding affinities were similar in both cytosols (KA1 approximately 1.5 X 10(9) M-1, KA2 approximately 1 X 10(8) M-1); in contrast, the number of sites was 4-fold smaller in 14-day cytosols. In subcultures mostly composed of glial cells, almost the same affinities were measured, but the numbers of both types of sites were 20 times smaller than in 7-day cells. These results show that in cell cultures from embryonic rat telencephalon, cytosolic T3 binding protein is mainly located in the neurons.

A high affinity thyroid hormone binding protein in the cytosol of embryonic rat brain cells in primary cultures.

A thyroid hormone binding protein(s) has been characterized in the cytosol of fetal rat brain cells in primary cultures. This protein is closely related to the one described in brain supernatants with respect to its electrophoretic mobility, binding kinetic parameters and estimated molecular weight (65 000 daltons). However, in contrast to the brain cytosolic binding protein, two classes of affinity sites for triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) have been demonstrated: a high affinity site (KA = 1.2-3.7(3) X 10(9) M-1 for T3 and KA = 3.7-5 X 10(8) M-1 for T4) and a low affinity site (KA = 0.8-1.4 X 10(8) M-1 for T3 and 1.6-2.9 X 10(7) M-1 for T4). The results are discussed with respect to their cellular significance.

Cytosolic thyroxine-binding protein and brain development.

The properties of cytosolic thyroxine binding protein were studied in the cortex and cerebellum of the rat at different stages of postnatal development: (1) Polyacrylamide-gel electrophoretic analysis showed that rat-brain cortex and cerebellum contain the same cytosolic thyroxine-binding protein which is very similar to the liver-corresponding entity. No changes in the electrophoretic mobility were seen during development in the 2 brain regions. In contrast, no defined triiodothyronine-binding component could be observed by the same technique. (2) Kinetic analysis studies revealed that the equilibrium of binding is reached in approximately 10 min whatever the brain region, the concentration of cytosolic protein and the stage of development. In all these cases saturation was obtained with the same thyroxine concentration (approximately 5 x 10(-7) M). Scatchard analysis also showed that whatever the experimental conditions, brain cytosolic protein contains a single class of thyroxine-binding sites with a K A of approximately 8 x 10(7) M-1. (3) Comparison of the K A during development showed that this constant remains unchanged from day 3 after birth until day 35 in both the cortex and the cerebellum. In contrast the number of binding sites significantly decreases in the cortex (approximately 2-fold; p less than 0.001) from day 3 to 35 with an already significant decline from day 3 to 6 (p less than 0.001). In the cerebellum this decline was even more marked since almost no binding activity was left at adulthood. Comparison of cortex and cerebellum binding activities also showed that this latter region contains approximately half the binding sites (p less than 0.001) at every stage of development studied.

Regulatory effects of iodide and thiocyanate on tyrosine oxidation catalyzed by thyroid peroxidase.

the effects of iodide, thiocyanate and perchlorate, three anions with the same molecular size, on the oxidation of tyrosine to 3,3'-bityrosine by several peroxidases were evaluated at pH 8.8, i.e. in conditions in which iodide is not oxidized. The following results were obtained: 1. Iodide greatly stimulates the rate of bityrosine formation in the presence of thyroid peroxidase. No effect was seen with horseradish peroxidase or lactoperoxidase. Maximal iodide effects were obtained with about 0.5 mM iodide and Km for iodide was equal to about 0.028 mM. These results suggest that thyroid peroxidase contains a simple class of regulatory binding sites for iodide. 2. SCN- mimics iodide effects; maximal stimulatory effects were seen with about 0.5 mM thiocyanate and Km for SCN- was equal to 0.1 mM. The effects of SCN- and those of iodide were not additive. These results suggest that SCN- binds to the same regulatory site as iodide but with a slightly lower affinity. No effect of SCN- was seen with horseradish peroxidase or lactoperoxidase. 3. ClO-4, another anion with the same molecular size as iodide and SCN-, had neither an effect on the oxidation of tyrosine to bityrosine nor did it prevent the stimulatory effect of iodide on this reaction. Bromide was without effect on the same reaction.

Phosphorylation of microtubule-associated proteins.

1. Tubulin is not an adenosine-3':5'-monophosphate-dependent (cyclic-AMP-dependent) protein kinase. Both entities have been clearly separated by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. With a tubulin preparation obtained by the polymerization-depolymerization technique protein kinase had a sedimentation coefficient of 8.7 S whereas tubulin sedimented with 6.4 S. After preincubation with both cyclic AMP and histone the kinase dissociated into its catalytic subunit with a sedimentation coefficient of 3.4 S. 2. Tubulin prepared by the polymerization-depolymerization technique was neither phosphorylated in vivo nor in vitro. On the contrary if this preparation was further purified by the Weisenberg's procedure (DEAE-Sephadex batch absorption) before incubation with [gamma-32 P]ATP, phosphorylation occurred. Thus, phosphorylation depended on the method used to purify tubulin i.e. was likely to an an artefact.