Regulation and Identification of Na,K-ATPase α1 Subunit Phosphorylation in Rat Parotid Acinar Cells

The stimulation of fluid and electrolyte secretion in salivary cells results in ionic changes that promote rapid increases in the activity of the Na,K-ATPase. In many cell systems, there are conflicting findings concerning the regulation of the phosphorylation of the Na, K-ATPase alpha subunit, which is the catalytic moiety. Initially, we investigated the phosphorylation sites on the alpha 1 subunit in native rat parotid acinar cells using tandem mass spectrometry and identified two new phosphorylation sites (Ser(222), Ser(407)), three sites (Ser(217), Tyr(260), Ser(47)) previously found from large scale proteomic screens, and two sites (Ser(23), Ser(16)) known to be phosphorylated by PKC. Subsequently, we used phospho-specific antibodies to examine the regulation of phosphorylation on Ser(23) and Ser(16) and measured changes in ERK phosphorylation in parallel. The G-protein-coupled muscarinic receptor mimetic carbachol, the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, the Ca2+ ionophore ionomycin, and the serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitor calyculin A increased Ser(23) alpha 1 phosphorylation. Inhibition of classical PKC proteins blocked carbachol-stimulated Ser(23) alpha 1 subunit phosphorylation but not ERK phosphorylation, which was blocked by an inhibitor of novel PKC proteins. The carbachol-initiated phosphorylation of Ser(23) alpha 1 subunit was not modified by ERK or PKA activity. The Na, K-ATPase inhibitor ouabain reduced and enhanced the carbachol-promoted phosphorylation of Ser(23) and Ser(16), respectively, the latter because ouabain itself increased Ser(16) phosphorylation; thus, both sites display conformational-dependent phosphorylation changes. Ouabain-initiated phosphorylation of Ser(16) alpha 1 was not blocked by PKC inhibitors, unlike carbachol-or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-initiated phosphorylations, suggesting that this site was also a substrate for a kinase other than PKC.