Efficient Modification of Alpha-Synuclein Serine 129 by Protein Kinase CK1 Requires Phosphorylation of Tyrosine 125 as a Priming Event

S129-phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is abundantly found in Lewy-body inclusions of Parkinson’s disease patients. Residues neighboring S129 include the α-syn tyrosine phosphorylation sites Y125, Y133, and Y136. Here, we use time-resolved NMR spectroscopy to delineate atomic resolution insights into the modification behaviors of different serine and tyrosine kinases targeting these sites and show that Y125 phosphorylation constitutes a necessary priming event for the efficient modification of S129 by CK1, both in reconstituted kinase reactions and mammalian cell lysates. These results suggest that α-syn Y125 phosphorylation augments S129 modification under physiological in vivo conditions

Site-Specific Mapping and Time-Resolved Monitoring of Lysine Methylation by High-Resolution NMR Spectroscopy

Methylation and acetylation of protein lysine residues constitute abundant post-translational modifications (PTMs) that regulate a plethora of biological processes. In eukaryotic proteins, lysines are often mono-, di-, or trimethylated, which may signal different biological outcomes. Deconvoluting these different PTM types and PTM states is not easily accomplished with existing analytical tools. Here, we demonstrate the unique ability of NMR spectroscopy to discriminate between lysine acetylation and mono-, di-, or trimethylation in a site-specific and quantitative manner. This enables mapping and monitoring of lysine acetylation and methylation reactions in a nondisruptive and continuous fashion. Time-resolved NMR measurements of different methylation events in complex environments including cell extracts contribute to our understanding of how these PTMs are established <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>

Site-Specific Mapping and Time-Resolved Monitoring of Lysine Methylation by High-Resolution NMR Spectroscopy

Methylation and acetylation of protein lysine residues constitute abundant post-translational modifications (PTMs) that regulate a plethora of biological processes. In eukaryotic proteins, lysines are often mono-, di-, or trimethylated, which may signal different biological outcomes. Deconvoluting these different PTM types and PTM states is not easily accomplished with existing analytical tools. Here, we demonstrate the unique ability of NMR spectroscopy to discriminate between lysine acetylation and mono-, di-, or trimethylation in a site-specific and quantitative manner. This enables mapping and monitoring of lysine acetylation and methylation reactions in a nondisruptive and continuous fashion. Time-resolved NMR measurements of different methylation events in complex environments including cell extracts contribute to our understanding of how these PTMs are established <i>in vitro</i> and <i>in vivo</i>

A Multiplexed NMR-Reporter Approach to Measure Cellular Kinase and Phosphatase Activities in Real-Time

Cell signaling is governed by dynamic changes in kinase and phosphatase activities, which are difficult to assess with discontinuous readout methods. Here, we introduce an NMR-based reporter approach to directly identify active kinases and phosphatases in complex physiological environments such as cell lysates and to measure their individual activities in a semicontinuous fashion. Multiplexed NMR profiling of reporter phosphorylation states provides unique advantages for kinase inhibitor studies and reveals reversible modulations of cellular enzyme activities under different metabolic conditions