Identification of a region of fast skeletal troponin T required for stabilization of the coiled-coil formation with troponin I

We have previously identified evolutionarily conserved heptad hydrophobic repeat (HR) domains in all isoprotein members of troponin T (TnT) and troponin I (TnI), two subunits of the Ca(2+)-regulatory troponin complex. Our suggestion that the HR domains are involved in the formation of a coiled-coil heterodimer of TnT and TnI has been recently confirmed by the crystal structure of the core domain of the human cardiac troponin complex. Here we studied a series of recombinant deletion mutants of the fast skeletal TnT to determine the minimal sequence required for stable coiled-coil formation with the HR domain of the fast skeletal TnI. Using circular dichroism spectroscopy, we measured the alpha helical content of the coiled-coil formed by the various TnT peptides with TnI HR domain. Sedimentation equilibrium experiments confirmed that the individual peptides of TnT were monomeric but formed heterodimers when mixed with HR domain of TnI. Isothermal titration calorimetry was then used to directly measure the affinity of the TnT peptides for the TnI HR domain. Surprisingly we found that the HR regions alone of the fast skeletal TnT and TnI, as defined earlier, were insufficient to form a coiled-coil. Furthermore we showed that an additional 14 amino acid residues N-terminal to the conserved HR region (TnT residues 165-178) are essential for the stable coiled-coil formation. We discuss the implication of our finding in the fast skeletal troponin isoform in the light of the crystal structure of the cardiac isoform.     

The predicted coiled-coil domain of myosin 10 forms a novel elongated domain that lengthens the head

Myosin 10 contains a region of predicted coiled coil 120 residues long. However, the highly charged nature and pattern of charges in the proximal 36 residues appear incompatible with coiled-coil formation. Circular dichroism, NMR, and analytical ultracentrifugation show that a synthesized peptide containing this region forms a stable single alpha-helix (SAH) domain in solution and does not dimerize to form a coiled coil even at millimolar concentrations. Additionally, electron microscopy of a recombinant myosin 10 containing the motor, the three calmodulin binding domains, and the full-length predicted coiled coil showed that it was mostly monomeric at physiological protein concentration. In dimers the molecules were joined only at their extreme distal ends, and no coiled-coil tail was visible. Furthermore, the neck lengths of both monomers and dimers were much longer than expected from the number of calmodulin binding domains. In contrast, micrographs of myosin 5 heavy meromyosin obtained under the same conditions clearly showed a coiled-coil tail, and the necks were the predicted length. Thus the predicted coiled coil of myosin 10 forms a novel elongated structure in which the proximal region is a SAH domain and the distal region is a SAH domain (or has an unknown extended structure) that dimerizes only at its end. Sequence comparisons show that similar structures may exist in the predicted coiled-coil domains of myosins 6 and 7a and MyoM and could function to increase the size of the working stroke.     

Accessibility of the distal heme face, rather than Fe-His bond strength, determines the heme-nitrosyl coordination number of cytochromes c': evidence from spectroscopic studies

The heme coordination chemistry and spectroscopic properties of Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome c' (RCCP) have been compared to data from Alcaligenes xylosoxidans (AXCP), with the aim of understanding the basis for their different reactivities with nitric oxide (NO). Whereas ferrous AXCP reacts with NO to form a predominantly five-coordinate heme-nitrosyl complex via a six-coordinate intermediate, RCCP forms an equilibrium mixture of six-coordinate and five-coordinate heme-nitrosyl species in approximately equal proportions. Ferrous RCCP and AXCP both exhibit high Fe-His stretching frequencies (227 and 231 cm(-)(1), respectively), suggesting that factors other than the Fe-His bond strength account for their differences in heme-nitrosyl coordination number. Resonance Raman spectra of ferrous-nitrosyl RCCP confirm the presence of both five-coordinate and six-coordinate heme-NO complexes. The six-coordinate heme-nitrosyl of RCCP exhibits a fairly typical Fe-NO stretching frequency (569 cm(-)(1)), in contrast to the relatively high value (579 cm(-)(1)) of the AXCP six-coordinate heme-nitrosyl intermediate. It is proposed that NO experiences greater steric hindrance in binding to the distal face of AXCP, as compared to RCCP, leading to a more distorted Fe-N-O geometry and an elevated Fe-NO stretching frequency. Evidence that RCCP has a more accessible distal coordination site than in AXCP stems from the fact that ferric RCCP readily forms a heme complex with exogenous imidazole, whereas AXCP does not. A model is proposed in which distal heme-face accessibility, rather than the proximal Fe-His bond strength, determines the heme-nitrosyl coordination number in cytochromes c'.     

Chemical modification of cysteine residues is a misleading indicator of their status as active site residues in the vitamin K-dependent gamma-glutamyl carboxylation reaction

The enzymatic activity of the vitamin K-dependent proteins requires the post-translational conversion of specific glutamic acids to gamma-carboxy-glutamic acid by the integral membrane enzyme, gamma-glutamyl carboxylase. Whether or not cysteine residues are important for carboxylase activity has been the subject of a number of studies. In the present study we used carboxylase with point mutations at cysteines, chemical modification, and mass spectrometry to examine this question. Mutation of any of the free cysteine residues to alanine or serine had little effect on carboxylase activity, although C343A mutant carboxylase had only 38% activity compared with that of wild type. In contrast, treatment with either thiol-reactive reagent 4-acetamido-4'-maleimidylstilbene-2,2'-disulfonic acid, disodium salt, or sodium tetrathionate, caused complete loss of activity. We identified the residues modified, using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry, as Cys(323) and Cys(343). According to our results, these residues are on the cytoplasmic side of the microsomal membrane, whereas catalytic residues are expected to be on the lumenal side of the membrane. Carboxylase was partially protected from chemical modification by factor IXs propeptide. Although all mutant carboxylases bound propeptide with normal affinity, chemical modification caused a >100-fold decrease in carboxylase affinity for the consensus propeptide. We conclude that cysteine residues are not directly involved in carboxylase catalysis, but chemical modification of Cys(323) and Cys(343) may disrupt the three-dimensional structure, resulting in inactivation.     

Short-range axonal/dendritic transport by myosin-V: A model for vesicle delivery to the synapse

Myosin-V is a versatile motor involved in short-range axonal/dendritic transport of vesicles in the actin-rich cortex and synaptic regions of nerve cells. It binds to several different kinds of neuronal vesicles by its globular tail domain but the mechanism by which it is recruited to these vesicles is not known. In this study, we used an in vitro motility assay derived from axoplasm of the squid giant axon to study the effects of the globular tail domain on the transport of neuronal vesicles. We found that the globular tail fragment of myosin-V inhibited actin-based vesicle transport by displacing native myosin-V and binding to vesicles. The globular tail domain pulled down kinesin, a known binding partner of myosin-V, in affinity isolation experiments. These data confirmed earlier evidence that kinesin and myosin-V interact to form a hetero-motor complex. The formation of a kinesin/myosin-V hetero-motor complex on vesicles is thought to facilitate the coordination of long-range movement on microtubules and short-range movement on actin filaments. The direct interaction of motors from both filament systems may represent the mechanism by which the transition of vesicles from microtubules to actin filaments is regulated. These results are the first demonstration that the recombinant tail of myosin-V inhibits vesicle transport in an in vitro motility assay. Future experiments are designed to determine the functional significance of the interaction between myosin-V and kinesin and to identify other proteins that bind to the globular tail domain of myosin-V.