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Structure of the tropomyosin overlap complex from chicken smooth muscle: insight into the diversity of N-terminal recognition.

ABSTRACT: Tropomyosin is a stereotypical alpha-helical coiled coil that polymerizes to form a filamentous macromolecular assembly that lies on the surface of F-actin. The interaction between the C-terminal and N-terminal segments on adjacent molecules is known as the overlap region. We report here two X-ray structures of the chicken smooth muscle tropomyosin overlap complex. A novel approach was used to stabilize the C-terminal and N-terminal fragments. Globular domains from both the human DNA ligase binding protein XRCC4 and bacteriophage varphi29 scaffolding protein Gp7 were fused to 37 and 28 C-terminal amino acid residues of tropomyosin, respectively, whereas the 29 N-terminal amino acids of tropomyosin were fused to the C-terminal helix bundle of microtubule binding protein EB1. The structures of both the XRCC4 and Gp7 fusion proteins complexed with the N-terminal EB1 fusion contain a very similar helix bundle in the overlap region that encompasses approximately 15 residues. The C-terminal coiled coil opens to allow formation of the helix bundle, which is stabilized by hydrophobic interactions. These structures are similar to that observed in the NMR structure of the rat skeletal overlap complex [Greenfield, N. J., et al. (2006) J. Mol. Biol. 364, 80-96]. The interactions between the N- and C-terminal coiled coils of smooth muscle tropomyosin show significant curvature, which differs somewhat between the two structures and implies flexibility in the overlap complex, at least in solution. This is likely an important attribute that allows tropomyosin to assemble around the actin filaments. These structures provide a molecular explanation for the role of N-acetylation in the assembly of native tropomyosin.

SUBMITTER: Frye J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2883815 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Structure of the tropomyosin overlap complex from chicken smooth muscle: insight into the diversity of N-terminal recognition.

Frye Jeremiah J Klenchin Vadim A VA Rayment Ivan I

Biochemistry 20100601 23

Tropomyosin is a stereotypical alpha-helical coiled coil that polymerizes to form a filamentous macromolecular assembly that lies on the surface of F-actin. The interaction between the C-terminal and N-terminal segments on adjacent molecules is known as the overlap region. We report here two X-ray structures of the chicken smooth muscle tropomyosin overlap complex. A novel approach was used to stabilize the C-terminal and N-terminal fragments. Globular domains from both the human DNA ligase bind ...[more]

PMID: 20465283

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Project description:Coiled-coil tropomyosin, localized on actin filaments in virtually all eukaryotic cells, serves as a gatekeeper regulating access of the motor protein myosin and other actin-binding proteins onto the thin filament surface. Tropomyosin's modular pseudo-repeating pattern of approximately 39 amino acid residues is designed to allow binding of the coiled-coil to successive actin subunits along thin filaments. Even though different tropomyosin isoforms contain varying numbers of repeat modules, the pseudo-repeat length, in all cases, matches that of a single actin subunit. Thus, the seven pseudo-repeats of 42nm long muscle tropomyosin bind to seven successive actin subunits along thin filaments, while simultaneously bending into a super-helical conformation that is preshaped to the actin filament helix. In order to form a continuous cable on thin filaments that is free of gaps, adjacent tropomyosin molecules polymerize head-to-tail by means of a short (?9 residue) overlap. Several laboratories have engineered peptides to mimic the N- and C-terminal tropomyosin association and to characterize the overlap structure. All overlapping domains examined show a compact N-terminal coiled-coil inserting into a partially opened C-terminal partner, where the opposing coiled-coils at the overlap junction face each other at up to ?90° twist angles. Here, Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out to determine constraints on the formation of the tropomyosin overlap complex and to assess the amount of twisting exhibited by full-length tropomyosin when bound to actin. With the exception of the last 20-40 C- and N-terminal residues, we find that the average tropomyosin structure closely resembles a "canonical" model proposed in the classic work of McLachlan and Stewart, displaying perfectly symmetrical supercoil geometry matching the F-actin helix with an integral number of coiled-coil turns, a coiled-coil helical pitch of 137Å, a superhelical pitch of 770Å, and no localized pseudo-rotation. Over the middle 70% of tropomyosin, the average twisting of the coiled-coil deviates only by 10° from the canonical model and the torsional freedom is very small (std. dev. of 7°). This small degree of twisting cannot yield the orthogonal N- and C-termini configuration observed experimentally. In marked contrast, considerable coiled-coil unfolding, splaying and twisting at N- and C-terminal ends is observed, providing the conformational plasticity needed for head-to-tail nexus formation.

Project description:The proteins involved in smooth muscle's molecular contractile mechanism - the anti-parallel motion of actin and myosin filaments driven by myosin heads interacting with actin - are found as different isoforms. While their expression levels are altered in disease states, their relevance to the mechanical interaction of myosin with actin is not sufficiently understood. Here, we analyzed in vitro actin filament propulsion by smooth muscle myosin for [Formula: see text]-actin ([Formula: see text]A), [Formula: see text]-actin-tropomyosin-[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text]), [Formula: see text]-actin-tropomyosin-[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text]), [Formula: see text]-actin ([Formula: see text]A), [Formula: see text]-actin-tropomyosin-[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text]), and [Formula: see text]-actin-tropomoysin-[Formula: see text] ([Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text]). Actin sliding analysis with our specifically developed video analysis software followed by statistical assessment (Bootstrapped Principal Component Analysis) indicated that the in vitro motility of [Formula: see text]A, [Formula: see text]A, and [Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text] is not distinguishable. Compared to these three 'baseline conditions', statistically significant differences ([Formula: see text]) were: [Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text] - actin sliding velocity increased 1.12-fold, [Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text] - motile fraction decreased to 0.96-fold, stop time elevated 1.6-fold, [Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text] - run time elevated 1.7-fold. We constructed a mathematical model, simulated actin sliding data, and adjusted the kinetic parameters so as to mimic the experimentally observed differences: [Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text] - myosin binding to actin, the main, and the secondary myosin power stroke are accelerated, [Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text] - mechanical coupling between myosins is stronger, [Formula: see text]A-Tm[Formula: see text] - the secondary power stroke is decelerated and mechanical coupling between myosins is weaker. In summary, our results explain the different regulatory effects that specific combinations of actin and smooth muscle tropomyosin have on smooth muscle actin-myosin interaction kinetics.

Dataset Information

Structure of the tropomyosin overlap complex from chicken smooth muscle: insight into the diversity of N-terminal recognition.

Publications

Structure of the tropomyosin overlap complex from chicken smooth muscle: insight into the diversity of N-terminal recognition.

Similar Datasets

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