Dataset Information

Different head environments in tarantula thick filaments support a cooperative activation process.

ABSTRACT: Myosin filaments from many muscles are activated by phosphorylation of their regulatory light chains (RLCs). Structural analysis of relaxed tarantula thick filaments shows that the RLCs of the interacting free and blocked myosin heads are in different environments. This and other data suggested a phosphorylation mechanism in which Ser-35 of the free head is exposed and constitutively phosphorylated by protein kinase C, whereas the blocked head is hidden and unphosphorylated; on activation, myosin light chain kinase phosphorylates the monophosphorylated free head followed by the unphosphorylated blocked head, both at Ser-45. Our goal was to test this model of phosphorylation. Mass spectrometry of quickly frozen, intact muscles showed that only Ser-35 was phosphorylated in the relaxed state. The location of this constitutively phosphorylated Ser-35 was analyzed by immunofluorescence, using antibodies specific for unphosphorylated or phosphorylated Ser-35. In the relaxed state, myofibrils were labeled by anti-pSer-35 but not by anti-Ser-35, whereas in rigor, labeling was similar with both. This suggests that only pSer-35 is exposed in the relaxed state, while in rigor, Ser-35 is also exposed. In the interacting-head motif of relaxed filaments, only the free head RLCs are exposed, suggesting that the constitutive pSer-35 is on the free heads, consistent with the proposed mechanism.

SUBMITTER: Sulbaran G

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3824520 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Different head environments in tarantula thick filaments support a cooperative activation process.

Sulbarán Guidenn G Biasutto Antonio A Alamo Lorenzo L Riggs Claire C Pinto Antonio A Méndez Franklin F Craig Roger R Padrón Raúl R

Biophysical journal 20131101 9

Myosin filaments from many muscles are activated by phosphorylation of their regulatory light chains (RLCs). Structural analysis of relaxed tarantula thick filaments shows that the RLCs of the interacting free and blocked myosin heads are in different environments. This and other data suggested a phosphorylation mechanism in which Ser-35 of the free head is exposed and constitutively phosphorylated by protein kinase C, whereas the blocked head is hidden and unphosphorylated; on activation, myosi ...[more]

PMID: 24209856

Similar Datasets

Project description:Phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) N-terminal extension (NTE) activates myosin in thick filaments. RLC phosphorylation plays a primary regulatory role in smooth muscles and a secondary (modulatory) role in striated muscles, which is regulated by Ca(2+)via TnC/TM on the thin filament. Tarantula striated muscle exhibits both regulatory systems: one switches on/off contraction through thin filament regulation, and another through PKC constitutively Ser35 phosphorylated swaying free heads in the thick filaments that produces quick force on twitches regulated from 0 to 50% and modulation is accomplished recruiting additional force-potentiating free and blocked heads via Ca(2+)4-CaM-MLCK Ser45 phosphorylation. We have used microsecond molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of tarantula RLC NTE to understand the structural basis for phosphorylation-based regulation in tarantula thick filament activation. Trajectory analysis revealed that an inter-domain salt bridge network (R39/E58,E61) facilitates the formation of a stable helix-coil-helix (HCH) motif formed by helices P and A in the unphosphorylated NTE of both myosin heads. Phosphorylation of the blocked head on Ser45 does not induce any substantial structural changes. However, phosphorylation of the free head on Ser35 disrupts this salt bridge network and induces a partial extension of helix P along RLC helix A. While not directly participating in the HCH folding, phosphorylation of Ser35 unlocks a compact structure and allows the NTE to spontaneously undergo coil-helix transitions. The modest structural change induced by the subsequent Ser45 diphosphorylation monophosphorylated Ser35 free head facilitates full helix P extension into a single structurally stable α-helix through a network of intra-domain salt bridges (pS35/R38,R39,R42). We conclude that tarantula thick filament activation is controlled by sequential Ser35-Ser45 phosphorylation via a conserved disorder-to-order transition.

Project description:The contractile properties of fast-twitch and slow-twitch skeletal muscles are primarily determined by the myosin isoform content and modulated by a variety of sarcomere proteins. X-ray diffraction studies of regulatory mechanisms in muscle contraction have focused predominately on fast- or mixed-fibre muscle with slow muscle being much less studied. Here, we used time-resolved X-ray diffraction to investigate the dynamic behaviour of the myofilament proteins in relatively pure slow-twitch-fibre rat soleus (SOL) and pure fast-twitch-fibre rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle during twitch and tetanic contractions at optimal length. During twitch contractions the diffraction signatures indicating a transition in the myosin heads from ordered OFF states, where heads are held close to the thick filament backbone, to disordered ON states, where heads are free to bind to thin filaments, were found in EDL and not in SOL muscle. During tetanic contraction, changes in the disposition of myosin heads as active tension develops is a quasi-stepwise process in EDL muscle whereas in SOL muscle this relationship appears to be linear. The observed reduced extensibility of the thick filaments in SOL muscle as compared to EDL muscles indicates a molecular basis for this behaviour. These data indicate that for the EDL, thick filament activation is a cooperative strain-induced mechano-sensing mechanism, whereas for the SOL, thick filament activation has a more graded response. These different approaches to thick filament regulation in fast- and slow-twitch muscles may be adaptations for short-duration, strong contractions versus sustained, finely controlled contractions, respectively. KEY POINTS: Fast-twitch muscle and slow-twitch muscle are optimized for strong, short-duration contractions and for tonic postural activity, respectively. Structural events (OFF to ON transitions) in the myosin-containing thick filaments in fast muscle help determine the timing and strength of contractions, but these have not been studied in slow-twitch muscle. The X-ray diffraction signatures of structural OFF to ON transitions are different in fast extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and slow soleus (SOL) muscle, being completely absent during twitches in soleus muscle and blunted during tetanic contractions SOL as compared to EDL Quasi-stepwise thick filament structural OFF to ON transitions in fast twitch muscle may be an adaptation for rapid, ballistic movements, whereas more graded OFF to ON structural transitions in slow-twitch muscle may be an adaptation for slower, finer motions.

Project description:Striated muscle contraction is a highly cooperative process initiated by Ca²? binding to the troponin complex, which leads to tropomyosin movement and myosin cross-bridge (XB) formation along thin filaments. Experimental and computational studies suggest skeletal muscle fiber activation is greatly augmented by cooperative interactions between neighboring thin filament regulatory units (RU-RU cooperativity; 1 RU?=?7 actin monomers+1 troponin complex+1 tropomyosin molecule). XB binding can also amplify thin filament activation through interactions with RUs (XB-RU cooperativity). Because these interactions occur with a temporal order, they can be considered kinetic forms of cooperativity. Our previous spatially-explicit models illustrated that mechanical forms of cooperativity also exist, arising from XB-induced XB binding (XB-XB cooperativity). These mechanical and kinetic forms of cooperativity are likely coordinated during muscle contraction, but the relative contribution from each of these mechanisms is difficult to separate experimentally. To investigate these contributions we built a multi-filament model of the half sarcomere, allowing RU activation kinetics to vary with the state of neighboring RUs or XBs. Simulations suggest Ca²? binding to troponin activates a thin filament distance spanning 9 to 11 actins and coupled RU-RU interactions dominate the cooperative force response in skeletal muscle, consistent with measurements from rabbit psoas fibers. XB binding was critical for stabilizing thin filament activation, particularly at submaximal Ca²? levels, even though XB-RU cooperativity amplified force less than RU-RU cooperativity. Similar to previous studies, XB-XB cooperativity scaled inversely with lattice stiffness, leading to slower rates of force development as stiffness decreased. Including RU-RU and XB-RU cooperativity in this model resulted in the novel prediction that the force-[Ca²?] relationship can vary due to filament and XB compliance. Simulations also suggest kinetic forms of cooperativity occur rapidly and dominate early to get activation, while mechanical forms of cooperativity act more slowly, augmenting XB binding as force continues to develop.

Dataset Information

Different head environments in tarantula thick filaments support a cooperative activation process.

Publications

Different head environments in tarantula thick filaments support a cooperative activation process.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets