Purification of a protein phosphatase from Acanthamoeba that dephosphorylates and activates myosin II.

The actin-activated ATPase activity of myosin II from Acanthamoeba castellanii is inhibited by phosphorylation of 3 serine residues near the carboxyl end of the heavy chain of the molecule. We have purified a protein phosphatase from Acanthamoeba using myosin II as a substrate. This phosphatase has a molecular weight of 39,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and an isoelectric point in urea of 5.2. The enzyme also is active against other phosphoserine protein substrates such as turkey gizzard smooth muscle myosin light chain, but not against a synthetic phosphotyrosine protein substrate. It does not hydrolyze ATP or p-nitrophenol phosphate. No effector has been found to increase substantially the activity of the enzyme as isolated, but it is inhibited by ATP, pyrophosphate, and NaF. This inhibition is reduced in the presence of MnCl2. The Mg2+-dependent actin-activated ATPase of myosin II is activated by dephosphorylation of phosphorylated myosin II by the phosphatase. Its broad substrate specificity, molecular weight, and response to protein phosphatase inhibitors suggest that the Acanthamoeba protein phosphatase is a type 2A phosphatase (Cohen, P. (1982) Nature (Lond.) 206, 613-620).