Phosphorylation switches specific for the cardiac isoform of myosin binding protein-C: a modulator of cardiac contraction?

Cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cardiac MyBP-C, cardiac C protein) belongs to a family of proteins implicated in both regulatory and structural functions of striated muscle. For the cardiac isoform, regulatory phosphorylation in vivo by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) upon adrenergic stimulation is linked to modulation of cardiac contraction. The sequence of human cardiac MyBP-C now reveals regulatory motifs specific for this isoform. Site-directed mutagenesis identifies a LAGGGRRIS loop in the N-terminal region of cardiac MyBP-C as the key substrate site for phosphorylation by both PKA and a calmodulin-dependent protein kinase associated with the native protein. Phosphorylation of two further sites by PKA is induced by phosphorylation of this isoform-specific site. This phosphorylation switch can be mimicked by aspartic acid instead of phosphoserine. Cardiac MyBP-C is therefore specifically equipped with sensors for adrenergic regulation of cardiac contraction, possibly implicating cardiac MyBP-C in cardiac disease. The gene coding for cardiac MyBP-C has been assigned to the chromosomal location 11p11.2 in humans, and is therefore in a region of physical linkage to subsets of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC). This makes cardiac MyBP-C a candidate gene for chromosome 11-associated FHC.     

Phosphorylation of skeletal and cardiac muscle C-proteins by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase

Catecholamines are known to influence the contractility of cardiac and skeletal muscles, presumably via cAMP-dependent phosphorylation of specific proteins. We have investigated the in vitro phosphorylation of myofibrillar proteins by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase of fast- and slow-twitch skeletal muscles and cardiac muscle with a view to gaining a better understanding of the biochemical basis of catecholamine effects on striated muscles. Incubation of canine red skeletal myofibrils with the isolated catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and Mg-[gamma-32P]ATP led to the rapid incorporation of [32P]phosphate into five major protein substrates of subunit molecular weights (MWs) 143,000, 60,000, 42,000, 33,000, and 11,000. The 143,000 MW substrate was identified as C-protein; the 42,000 MW substrate is probably actin; the 33,000 MW substrate was shown not to be a subunit of tropomyosin and, like the 60,000 and 11,000 MW substrates, is an unidentified myofibrillar protein. Isolated canine red skeletal muscle C-protein as phosphorylated to the extent of approximately 0.5 mol Pi/mol C-protein. Rabbit white skeletal muscle and bovine cardiac muscle C-proteins were also phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, both in myofibrils and in the isolated state. Cardiac C-protein was phosphorylated to the extent of 5-6 mol Pi/mol C-protein, whereas rabbit white skeletal muscle C-protein was phosphorylated at the level of approximately 0.5 mol Pi/mol C-protein. As demonstrated earlier by others, C-protein of skeletal and cardiac muscles inhibited the actin-activated myosin Mg2+-ATPase activity at low ionic strength in a system reconstituted from the purified skeletal muscle contractile proteins (actin and myosin).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Hypercontractile properties of cardiac muscle fibers in a knock-in mouse model of cardiac myosin-binding protein-C

Myosin-binding protein-C (MyBP-C) is a component of all striated-muscle sarcomeres, with a well established structural role and a possible function for force regulation. Multiple mutations within the gene for cardiac MyBP-C, one of three known isoforms, have been linked to familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Here we generated a knock-in mouse model that carries N-terminal-shortened cardiac MyBP-C. The mutant protein was designed to have a similar size as the skeletal MyBP-C isoforms, whereas known myosin and titin binding sites as well as the phosphorylatable MyBP-C motif were not altered. We have shown that mutant cardiac MyBP-C is readily incorporated into the sarcomeres of both heterozygous and homozygous animals and can still be phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Although histological characterization of wild-type and mutant hearts did not reveal obvious differences in phenotype, left ventricular fibers from homozygous mutant mice exhibited an increased Ca(2+) sensitivity of force development, particularly at lower Ca(2+) concentrations, whereas maximal active force levels remained unchanged. The results allow us to propose a model of how cMyBP-C may affect myosin-head mobility and to rationalize why N-terminal mutations of the protein in some cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy could lead to a hypercontractile state.     

Phosphorylation of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase by protein kinase C. Comparative study of the phosphorylated sites

Smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase is phosphorylated in vitro by protein kinase C purified from human platelets. When myosin light chain kinase which has calmodulin bound is phosphorylated by protein kinase C, 0.8-1.1 mol of phosphate is incorporated per mol of myosin light chain kinase with no effect on its enzyme activity. Phosphorylation of myosin light chain kinase with no calmodulin bound results in the incorporation of 2-2.4 mol of phosphate and significantly decreases the rate of myosin light chain kinase activity. The decrease in myosin light chain kinase activity is due to a 3.3-fold increase in the concentration of calmodulin necessary for the half-maximal activation of myosin light chain kinase. The sites phosphorylated by protein kinase C and the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase were compared by two-dimensional peptide mapping following extensive tryptic digestion of phosphorylated myosin light chain kinase. The single site phosphorylated by protein kinase C when calmodulin is bound to myosin light chain kinase (site 3) is different from that phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (site 1). The additional site that is phosphorylated by protein kinase C when calmodulin is not bound appears to be the same site phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (site 2). These studies confirm the important role of site 2 in binding calmodulin to myosin light chain kinase. Sequential studies using both protein kinase C and the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase suggest that the phosphorylation of site 1 also plays a part in decreasing the affinity of myosin light chain kinase for calmodulin.     

Phosphorylation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor by cAMP-dependent protein kinase

The phosphorylation of canine cardiac and skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase has been studied. A high-molecular-weight protein (Mr 400,000) in cardiac microsomes was phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. A monoclonal antibody against the cardiac ryanodine receptor immunoprecipitated this phosphoprotein. In contrast, high-molecular-weight proteins (Mr 400,000-450,000) in canine skeletal microsomes isolated from extensor carpi radialis (fast) or superficial digitalis flexor (slow) muscle fibers were not significantly phosphorylated. In agreement with these findings, the ryanodine receptor purified from cardiac microsomes was also phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Phosphorylation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor in microsomal and purified preparations occurred at the ratio of about one mol per mol of ryanodine-binding site. Upon phosphorylation of the cardiac ryanodine receptor, the levels of [3H]ryanodine binding at saturating concentrations of this ligand increased by up to 30% in the presence of Ca2+ concentrations above 1 microM in both cardiac microsomes and the purified cardiac ryanodine receptor preparation. In contrast, the Ca2+ concentration dependence of [3H]ryanodine binding did not change significantly. These results suggest that phosphorylation of the ryanodine receptor by cAMP-dependent protein kinase may be an important regulatory mechanism for the calcium release channel function in the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum.     

Myosin binding protein-C: enigmatic regulator of cardiac contraction

Myosin binding protein C (MyBPC) is a sarcomeric protein whose role in sarcomere structure and regulation of contraction is currently under investigation. It is a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily and is found in the C-zone of the A-band of the sarcomere. The elongated structure of MyBPC is composed of a series of immunoglobulin and fibronectin domains, with the C-terminal domains binding to the myosin thick filament and the N-terminal domains interacting with the myosin subfragment-2 (S2) neck region and possibly the actin thin filament. The functions of MyBPC are to stabilise the sarcomere structure and to regulate contraction. When phosphorylated near its N-terminus, MyBPC no longer binds myosin-S2, causing an increase in the ordering of the myosin heads, ATPase activity, F_max and Ca²⁺ sensitivity of contraction. Mutations in MyBPC have been found to cause familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) and changes in MyBPC phosphorylation have been linked to cardiac ischaemia-reperfusion injury.     

The alpha- and beta-isoforms of the inhibitor protein of the 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase: characteristics and tissue- and developmental-specific expression.

The inhibitor protein (PKI) of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase was first characterized from rabbit skeletal muscle. More recently a form of PKI was isolated and cloned from rat testis which shares relatively limited amino acid sequence with the rabbit skeletal muscle form. We have now isolated a cDNA from rat brain which encodes a protein corresponding to the rabbit skeletal muscle PKI. This establishes the presence of the "skeletal muscle" and "testis" proteins in the same species and therefore that they clearly represent distinct isoforms. We have also demonstrated that the isoform from testis, like the skeletal muscle isoform, is specific for the cAMP-dependent protein kinase and that it is able to inhibit this enzyme when expressed in cultured JEG-3 cells. Both forms contain the five specific amino acid recognition determinants which have been shown to be required for high affinity binding to the protein kinase catalytic site, although there is some noted lack of conservation of codons used for these residues. Overall, the two rat isoforms are only 41% identical at the amino acid level and 46% at the level of coding nucleotides. We propose that the rabbit skeletal muscle and rat testis forms be designated PKI alpha and PKI beta, respectively. Using Northern blot analysis, we have examined the tissue distribution of the two forms in the rat and their relative expression during development. In the adult rat, mRNA of the PKI alpha species is highest in muscle (both skeletal and cardiac) and brain (cortex and cerebellum).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Troponin from the myocardium and skeletal muscles: structure and properties

The literary and experimental data on the structure and properties of cardiac and skeletal muscle troponin are reviewed. The cation--binding sites of cardiac and skeletal muscle troponin C are distinguished by specificity; the sites localized in the C-terminal part of the protein molecule can bind both Ca2+ and Mg2+, whereas the sites localized at the N-end specifically bind Ca2+. The use of bifunctional reagents revealed a number of helical sites within the structure of cardiac troponin C (residues 84-92 and 150-158) and of skeletal muscle troponin C (residues 90-98 and 125-136). A comparison of experimental data with the results of an X-ray analysis testifies to the presence in the central part of the troponin C molecule of a long alpha-helical sequence responsible for troponin C interaction with the inhibiting peptide of troponin I. The efficiency of interaction of troponin components depends on Ca2+ concentration; the integrity of the overall troponin complex is mainly provided for by troponin C interaction with troponin I and by troponin I interaction with troponin T. The interaction between troponins T and C is relatively weak, especially in the case of cardiac troponin components. Both skeletal and cardiac muscles synthesize several troponin T isoforms differing in length and amino acid composition of N-terminal 40-60 member peptides. Troponin T isoforms can undergo phosphorylation by several protein kinases. The single site of troponin T which exists in a phosphorylated state in vivo (residue Ser-1) undergoes phosphorylation by specific protein kinase (troponin T kinase) related to casein kinases II. It was assumed that the phosphorylation of Ser-1 residue of troponin T as well as the synthesis of troponin T isoforms differing in the structure of the N-terminal peptide, provides for the regulation of interaction between two neighbouring tropomyosin molecules.     

Phosphorylation of smooth muscle actin by the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase

Partially purified smooth muscle (chicken gizzard) actomyosin contains two major substrates of cAMP-dependent protein kinase: a protein of M_r = 130,000, identified as the calmodulin-dependent myosin light chain kinase, and a protein of M_r = 42,000. This latter protein was shown by a variety of electrophoretic procedures to be actin. Purified smooth muscle actin also was phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The rate of phosphorylation of smooth muscle actin was significantly enhanced by depolyjerization of actin. A maximum of 2.0 mol phosphate could be incorporated per mol G-actin. Skeletal muscle F-actin was not significantly phosphorylated by protein kinase; however, skeletal G-actin is a substrate for the protein kinase although its rate of phosphorylation was significantly slower than that of smooth muscle G-actin.     

Phosphorylation of regulatory light chain a (RLC-a) in smooth muscle myosin of scallop, Patinopecten yessoensis

One of the two regulatory light chains, RLC-a, of scallop smooth muscle myosin was fully phosphorylated by myosin light chain kinase of chicken gizzard muscle. The residue phosphorylated was Ser. It may be the Ser at number 11 from the N-terminal. The sequence of 9 residues around the Ser-11, QRATSNVFA, is identical with that around the phosphorylatable Ser of LC20 of chicken gizzard myosin. RLC-a was also phosphorylated slowly by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The phosphorylation of RLC-a may be involved in the regulatory system for the catch contraction of scallop muscle.     

Phosphorylation of bovine cardiac C-protein by protein kinase C

C-protein, a thick filament-associated protein, has been isolated from bovine myocardium and found to be a substrate in vitro of the Ca2+- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (protein kinase C). Incorporation of approximately 1.6 mol Pi/mol C-protein was observed. This phosphorylation was dependent on both Ca2+ and a phospholipid (L-alpha-phosphatidyl-L-serine was used). Phosphate incorporation specifically into C-protein was verified by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and autoradiography and was almost exclusively into serine residues (86.9%), with only a small amount of phosphothreonine (13.1%) and no phosphotyrosine being detected. Two-dimensional thin-layer electrophoresis of a chymotryptic digest of phosphorylated C-protein indicated site specificity of phosphorylation. Cardiac C-protein is known to be a substrate of cAMP-dependent protein kinase both in vitro and in vivo (Jeacocke, S.A. and England, P.J. (1980) FEBS Lett. 122, 129-132). Isolated bovine cardiac C-protein was rapidly phosphorylated, to the extent of 5 mol/mol, by the purified catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Phosphorylation catalyzed by these two protein kinases was not additive, suggesting that the sites phosphorylated by protein kinase C are also phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Chicken cardiac muscle has also been shown to contain a Ca2+, calmodulin-dependent protein kinase which phosphorylates C-protein (Hartzell, H.C. and Glass, D.B. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 15587-15596). The physiological role of cardiac C-protein may therefore be subject to regulation by multiple protein kinases.     

Phosphorylation of the cardiac isoform of calsequestrin in cultured rat myotubes and rat skeletal muscle.

Calsequestrin is a high-capacity Ca(2+)-binding protein and a major constituent of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of both skeletal and cardiac muscle. Two isoforms of calsequestrin, cardiac and skeletal muscle forms, have been described which are products of separate genes. Purified forms of the two prototypical calsequestrin isoforms, dog cardiac and rabbit fast-twitch skeletal muscle calsequestrins, serve as excellent substrates for casein kinase II and are phosphorylated on distinct sites (Cala, S.E. and Jones, L.R. (1991) J. Biol. Chem 266, 391-398). Dog cardiac calsequestrin is phosphorylated at a 50 to 100-fold greater rate than is rabbit skeletal muscle calsequestrin, and only the dog cardiac isoform contains endogenous Pi on casein kinase II phosphorylation sites. In this study, we identified and examined both calsequestrin isoforms in rat muscle cultures and homogenates to demonstrate that the cardiac isoform of calsequestrin in rat skeletal muscle was phosphorylated in vivo on sites which are phosphorylated by casein kinase II in vitro. Phosphorylation of rat skeletal muscle calsequestrin was not detected. In tissue homogenates, cardiac and skeletal muscle calsequestrin isoforms were both found to be prominent substrates for endogenous casein kinase II activity with cardiac calsequestrin the preferred substrate. In addition, these studies revealed that the cardiac isoform of calsequestrin was the predominant form expressed in skeletal muscle of fetal rats and cultured myotubes.     

Purification and characterization of bovine cardiac calmodulin-dependent myosin light chain kinase.

Myosin light chain kinase, which is located primarily in the soluble fraction of bovine myocardium, has been isolated and purified approximately 1200-fold with 16% yield by a three-step procedure. The approximate content of soluble myosin light chain kinase in heart is calculated to be 0.63 microM. The isolated kinase is active only as a ternary complex consisting of the kinase, calmodulin, and Ca2+; the apparent Kd for calmodulin is 1.3 nM. The enzyme also exhibits a requirement for Mg2+ ions. Myosin light chain kinase is a monomeric enzyme with Mr = 85,000. The enzyme exhibits a Km for ATP of 175 microM, and a K0.5 for the regulatory light chain of cardiac myosin of 21 microM. The optimum pH is 8.1. Kinase activity is specific for the regulatory light chain of myosin. The specific activity of the isolated enzyme (30 nmol 32P/min/mg of protein) is considerably less than and corresponding values reported for the skeletal and smooth muscle light chain kinases. This is probably due to proteolysis during extraction of the myocardium, a phenomenon which has, as yet, proven impossible to eliminate. In contrast to the smooth muscle enzyme (Adelstein, R.S., Conti, M.A., Hathaway, D.R., and Klee, C.B. (1978) J. Biol. Chem. 253, 8347-8350), the cardiac kinase is not phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Phosphorylation of mammalian myosin light chain kinases by the catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase and by cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase

The phosphorylation of the calmodulin-dependent enzyme myosin light chain kinase, purified from bovine tracheal smooth muscle and human blood platelets, by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase and by cGMP-dependent protein kinase was investigated. When myosin light chain kinase which has calmodulin bound is phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, 1 mol of phosphate is incorporated per mol of tracheal myosin light chain kinase or platelet myosin light chain kinase, with no effect on the catalytic activity. Phosphorylation when calmodulin is not bound results in the incorporation of 2 mol of phosphate and significantly decreases the activity. The decrease in myosin light chain kinase activity is due to a 5 to 7-fold increase in the amount of calmodulin required for half-maximal activation of both tracheal and platelet myosin light chain kinase. In contrast to the results with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase cannot phosphorylate tracheal myosin light chain kinase in the presence of bound calmodulin. When calmodulin is not bound to tracheal myosin light chain kinase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates only one site, and this phosphorylation has no effect on myosin light chain kinase activity. On the other hand, cGMP-dependent protein kinase incorporates phosphate into two sites in platelet myosin light chain kinase when calmodulin is not bound. The sites phosphorylated by the two cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases were compared by two-dimensional peptide mapping following extensive tryptic digestion of the phosphorylated myosin light chain kinases. With respect to the tracheal myosin light chain kinase, the single site phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase when calmodulin is not bound appears to be the same site phosphorylated in the tracheal enzyme by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase when calmodulin is bound. With respect to the platelet myosin light chain kinase, the additional site that was phosphorylated by cGMP-dependent protein kinase when calmodulin was not bound was different from that phosphorylated by the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase.     

Structural and functional characterization of calponin fragments

Calponin from chicken gizzard consists of two principal components, possibly isoforms, separable by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing. Cleavage with 2-nitro-5-thiocyanobenzoic acid indicated that calponin contains 2 cysteine residues. Purified fragments of 30 and 21 kDa retained the following properties of the intact protein: actin-, tropomyosin- and calmodulin-binding, and ability to inhibit the actin-activated MgATPase activity of smooth muscle myosin. Both fragments, like intact calponin, were phosphorylated by protein kinase C which inhibited their binding to actin and relieved their inhibition of the ATPase. Tryptic digestion of calponin phosphorylated by protein kinase C generated 3 phosphopeptides with the following N-terminal sequences: FASQQGMTAYGTR, GASQQGMTVYGLP, and NHSGHVQ, each possessing a single phosphoserine.     

A novel interaction of cGMP-dependent protein kinase I with troponin T

cGMP-dependent protein kinase (cGK) is a major intracellular receptor of cGMP and is implicated in several signal transduction pathways. To identify proteins that participate in the cGMP/cGK signaling pathway, we employed the yeast two-hybrid system with cGK Ialpha as bait. cDNAs encoding slow skeletal troponin T (skTnT) were isolated from both mouse embryo and human skeletal muscle cDNA libraries. The skTnT protein interacted with cGK Ibeta but not with cGK II nor cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The yeast two-hybrid and in vitro binding assays revealed that the N-terminal region of cGK Ialpha, containing the leucine zipper motif, is sufficient for the association with skTnT. In vivo analysis, mutations in cGK Ialpha, which disrupted the leucine zipper motif, were shown to completely abolish the binding to skTnT. Furthermore, cGK I also interacted with cardiac TnT (cTnT) but not with cardiac troponin I (cTnI). Together with the observations that cTnI is a good substrate for cGK I and is effectively phosphorylated in the presence of cTnT in vitro, these findings suggest that TnT functions as an anchoring protein for cGK I and that cGK I may participate in the regulation of muscle contraction through phosphorylation of TnI.     

Regulation of cardiac glycogen synthase by phosphorylation: catalysis of inactivation by cAMP-dependent and cAMP-independent protein kinases and comparison with the phosphorylation of the skeletal muscle enzyme

Glycogen synthase has been purified from bovine heart to near homogeneity by a procedure including zonal sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation. The purified enzyme had a subunit molecular weight of 88,000 ± 2000, an $\text{I}\text{D}$ ratio of between 0.8 and 1.0, and contained less than 0.1 mol of covalently bound phosphate per mole of subunit. The rates, extent, and sites of phosphorylation of the cardiac enzyme were compared with those of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase as catalyzed by both the cardiac cAMP-dependent and a cardiac cAMP-independent protein kinases. The cardiac glycogen synthase was phosphorylated up to 1 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, to at least 2 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit by the cAMP-independent protein kinase, and to at least 3 mol of phosphate/mol of subunit with the two protein kinases together. There was a linear correlation between the extent of phosphorylation and conversion of cardiac synthase I to the glucose 6-phosphate-dependent form. This correlation was independent of which kinase(s) catalyzed the phosphorylation. Maximum inactivation occurred at an incorporation of 2 mol of phosphate per subunit. Under equivalent conditions, the rates of phosphorylation of cardiac and skeletal muscle glycogen synthase by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase were identical. In contrast, the cardiac enzyme was phosphorylated at a faster rate by the homologous cardiac cAMP-independent protein kinase than was the skeletal muscle synthase by the latter cardiac protein kinase. Analysis of the sites of phosphorylation of the cardiac and skeletal muscle glycogen synthases by CNBr cleavage and trypsin hydrolysis indicated minor differences in the derived phosphopeptides.     

Phosphorylation of the light-chain components of myosin from cardiac and red skeletal muscles.

1. The light-chain components of myosin from cardiac muscle (19000 and 27000 daltons) and of rabbit soleus and crureus muscles (19000, 27000 and 29000 daltons) were characterized. 2. The 19000-dalton components in carciac- and red-skeletal-muscle myosins were spontaneously modified to a component of slightly higher net negative charge. 3. The 19000-dalton component in cardiac and red skeletal muscles and their modified forms were phosphorylated by myosin light-chain kinase. 4. Evidence was obtained for the presence of myosin light-chain kinase in cardiac and red skeletal muscles. 5. Myosin light-chain kinase catalysed the phosphorylation of the whole light-chain fraction from white and red skeletal muscle at similar rates. The light-chain fraction of cardiac-muscle myosin was phosphorylated at a significantly lower rate. 6. The light-chain components of cardiac-muscle myosin and their phosphorylated froms were separated by ion-exchange chromatography and their amino acid compositions determined.     

Molluscan catch muscle myorod and its N-terminal peptide bind to F-actin and myosin in a phosphorylation-dependent manner

Myorod is expressed exclusively in molluscan catch muscle and localizes on the surface of thick filaments together with twitchin and myosin. This protein is an alternatively spliced product of the myosin heavy-chain gene containing the C-terminal rod part of myosin and a unique N-terminal domain. We have recently reported that this unique domain is a target for phosphorylation by gizzard smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and molluscan twitchin, which contains a MLCK-like domain. To elucidate the role of myorod phosphorylation in catch muscle, a peptide corresponding to the specific N-terminal region of the protein was synthesized in phosphorylated and unphosphorylated form. We report, for the first time, that unphosphorylated full-length myorod and its unphosphorylated N-terminal synthetic peptide are able to interact with rabbit F-actin and thin filaments from molluscan catch muscle. The binding between thin filaments and the peptide was Ca²⁺-dependent. In addition, we found that phosphorylated N-terminal peptide of myorod has higher affinity for myosin compared to the unphosphorylated peptide. Together, these observations suggest the direct involvement of the N-terminal domain of myorod in the regulation of molluscan catch muscle.