Dephosphorylation of pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate complexes by pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate phosphatase

1. Pig heart pyruvate dehydrogenase phosphate complex in which all three sites of phosphorylation were completely phosphorylated was re-activated at a slower rate by phosphatase than complex predominantly phosphorylated in site 1. The ratio of initial rates of re-activation was approx. 1:5 with a comparatively crude preparation of phosphatase and with phosphatase purified by gel filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. 2. The ratio of apparent first-order rate constants during dephosphorylation of fully phosphorylated complex averaged 1/3.8/1.3 for site 1/site 2/site 3. Only site-1 dephosphorylation was linearly correlated with re-activation of the complex throughout dephosphorylation. Dephosphorylation of site 3 was linearly correlated with re-activation after an initial burst of dephosphorylation. 3. Because dephosphorylation of site 1 was always associated with dephosphorylation of site 2, it is concluded that dephosphorylation cannot be purely random. 4. The ratio of apparent first-order rate constants for dephosphorylation of site 1 (partially/fully phosphorylated complexes) averaged 1.72. This ratio is smaller than the ratio of approx. 5 for the initial rates of re-activation. Possible mechanisms involved in the diminished rate of re-activation of fully phosphorylated complex are discussed.