Ca2+-dependent interaction of the inhibitory region of troponin I with acidic residues in the N-terminal domain of troponin C

Ca2+ regulation of vertebrate striated muscle contraction is initiated by conformational changes in the N-terminal, regulatory domain of the Ca2+-binding protein troponin C (TnC), altering the interaction of TnC with the other subunits of troponin complex, TnI and TnT. We have investigated the role of acidic amino acid residues in the N-terminal, regulatory domain of TnC in binding to the inhibitory region (residues 96-116) of TnI. We constructed three double mutants of TnC (E53A/E54A, E60A/E61A and E85A/D86A), in which pairs of acidic amino acid residues were replaced by neutral alanines, and measured their affinities for synthetic inhibitory peptides. These peptides had the same amino acid sequence as TnI segments 95-116, 95-119 or 95-124, except that the natural Phe-100 of TnI was replaced by a tryptophan residue. Significant Ca2+-dependent increases in the affinities of the two longer peptides, but not the shortest one, to TnC could be detected by changes in Trp fluorescence. In the presence of Ca2+, all the mutant TnCs showed about the same affinity as wild-type TnC for the inhibitory peptides. In the presence of Mg2+ and EGTA, the N-terminal, regulatory Ca2+-binding sites of TnC are unoccupied. Under these conditions, the affinity of TnC(E85A/D86A) for inhibitory peptides was about half that of wild-type TnC, while the other two mutants had about the same affinity. These results imply a Ca2+-dependent change in the interaction of TnC Glu-85 and/or Asp-86 with residues (117-124) on the C-terminal side of the inhibitory region of TnI. Since Glu-85 and/or Asp-86 of TnC have also been demonstrated to be involved in Ca2+-dependent regulation through interaction with TnT, this region of TnC must be critical for troponin function.