Metabolic depression in land snails: in vitro analysis of protein kinase involvement in pyruvate kinase control in isolated Otala lactea tissues.

Isolated tissues from the land snail Otala lactea were used to examine the relationship between protein kinase activity and phosphorylation-induced changes associated with metabolic depression. Hepatopancreas and foot muscle were removed from active and estivating land snails and incubated in vitro under aerobic and anoxic conditions. Pyruvate kinase (PK), cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA), and protein kinase second messenger compounds (cyclic AMP and inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate) were measured after incubating the tissues for 4 hours. Pyruvate kinase from the hepatopancreas of active snails was phosphorylated during anoxic incubations as indicated by changes in the I50 value for L-alanine. However, measurements of PKA activity and of cellular cAMP concentrations suggested that PKA activity was lower in these incubated tissues. When foot muscle was used as the tissue source, incubation under anoxic conditions produced no changes in PK activity even though PKA activity was drastically reduced. Analysis of changes in inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate concentrations after tissue incubation showed that they were not consistent with changes in PK activity in either organ. These results suggest that PKA and Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent protein kinase C do not phosphorylate PK during anoxia in land snails. The differences between values measured in incubated tissues and those measured in vivo suggest that isolated O. lactea tissues are not a good in vitro model system for studying metabolic changes associated with depressed metabolism.