Phosphorylation of Liver Histone Following the Administration of Glucagon and Insulin

The administration of glucagon to rats causes a marked increase in the phosphorylation of a specific serine residue in lysine-rich (f1) histone of liver during a one-hour period following the administration of the hormone. It is proposed that histone phosphorylation is the mechanism by which glucagon, and perhaps other hormones whose actions are mediated by adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic phosphate (cyclic AMP), induce RNA synthesis in target tissues. The incorporation of32P-phosphate into lysine-rich histone is determined by isolation of a tryptic peptide which contains the phosphorylated serine residue. This peptide is identical to the major tryptic phosphopeptide obtained from lysine-rich histone after phosphorylation in vitro by a purified cyclic AMP-dependent liver histone kinase preparation; the partial sequence Lys-Ala-SerPO4(Thr,Ser,Glu,Pro2,Gly,Val,Ile,Leu)Lys has been determined for the peptide. Hydrocortisone and adrenocorticotrophic hormone do not cause a detectable increase in histone phosphorylation in liver. However, insulin, which like glucagon induces an actinomycin sensitive synthesis of liver enzymes, also causes increased histone phosphorylation.