Phosphorylation of McArdle phosphorylase induces activity

In McArdle disease, myophosphorylase deficiency, enzyme activity is absent but the presence of an altered enzyme protein can frequently be demonstrated. We have found that phosphorylation of this protein in vitro can result in catalytic activity. We studied muscle of four patients; all lacked myophosphorylase activity, but myophosphorylase protein was demonstrated by immunodiffusion or gel electrophoresis. Incubation of muscle homogenate supernatants with cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and ATP resulted in phosphorylase activity. The activated enzyme comigrated with normal human myophosphorylase in gel electrophoresis. Incubation with [γ-32P]ATP resulted in incorporation of 32P into the band possessing phosphorylase activity. Activation of phosphorylase by cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase was inhibited by antibodies to normal human myophosphorylase or by inhibitory protein to cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase. Incubation of muscle homogenates with phosphorylase b kinase and ATP also resulted in phosphorylase activity. After the action of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase, the resulting activity was similar to that of phosphorylase b. However, incubation with phosphorylase kinase resulted in activity similar to that of phosphorylase a. For several reasons, it is not likely that McArdle disease is due to lack of normal phosphorylation, but restoration of activity to the mutant protein by phosphorylation may provide a clue to understanding the mechanism of this genetic defect.