The myosin filament. XII. Effect of MgATP on assembly

Summary The effect of MgATP on myosin filament assembly has been studied. Filaments were assembled by a standard dilution procedure involving two steps, dilution from 0.6 to 0.3m KCl and from 0.3 to 0.15m KC1 with a different rate of dilution in each step. This standard dilution procedure gives filaments which are structurally similar to native filaments in that they have a sharp length distribution around 1.5 m, a diameter of 16 nm and they vary in length with KCl concentration in a similar manner to native filaments. The addition of 1mm MgATP leads to a sharpening of the length distribution around 1.5 m without change in the 16 nm diameter. Filaments assembled by dialysis or by rapid dilution are not similarly affected by the presence of MgATP indicating that the standard dilution procedure produces filaments which are more closely similar to native filaments than those produced by these other methods. MgAMPPNP and magnesium pyrophosphate have the same effect as MgATP thus eliminating the possibility that phosphorylation of the myosin is involved in the effect. The effect of MgATP is not directly related to its binding to the active site of the myosin molecule since a 5001 mole ratio of MgATP to myosin is required for the effect. It is therefore likely that the effect of MgATP is related to other binding sites on the myosin molecule.The presence of MgATP leads to molecular rearrangements which finely tune the molecular organization of the filaments formed by the standard dilution procedurein vitro. It is likely that the MgATP present in living cells may similarly be responsible for the fine tuning of the molecular assembly of the myosin filaments to produce uniform lengthsin vivo.     

The distribution of the charged residues in myosin hinge region and its relationship to the distribution of charged residues in the rest of myosin rod

Summary Fourier transform analysis of the amino acid sequence of the hinge region from both rabbit skeletal myosin and nematode myosin indicates that the basic residues show strong periodicity of 25.7 residues whereas the periodicity of acidic residues is very weak. Other 100 residue segments of the rod sequence of nematode myosin show an alternation between regions in which the 28 residue repeat is predominantly basic and regions in which it is predominantly acidic. The strong basic and weak acidic near 28 residue repeat of the hinge region appears to form part of this pattern. This alternation suggests that the packing of myosin rods is more favourable when the neighbouring molecules are staggered by about 100 residues or odd multiples of 100 residues, which is consistent with the observed repeats (14.6 and 44.0 nm) of cross-bridges.     

Smooth muscle myosin filament assembly under control of a kinase-related protein (KRP) and caldesmon

Kinase-related protein (KRP) and caldesmon are abundant myosin-binding proteins of smooth muscle. KRP induces the assembly of unphosphorylated smooth muscle myosin filaments in the presence of ATP by promoting the unfolded state of myosin. Based upon electron microscopy data, it was suggested that caldesmon also possessed a KRP-like activity (Katayama et al., 1995, J Biol Chem 270: 3919–3925). However, the nature of its activity remains obscure since caldesmon does not affect the equilibrium between the folded and unfolded state of myosin. Therefore, to gain some insight into this problem we compared the effects of KRP and caldesmon, separately, and together on myosin filaments using turbidity measurements, protein sedimentation and electron microscopy. Turbidity assays demonstrated that KRP reduced myosin filament aggregation, while caldesmon had no effect. Additionally, neither caldesmon nor its N-terminal myosin binding domain (N152) induced myosin polymerization at subthreshold Mg²⁺ concentrations in the presence of ATP, whereas the filament promoting action of KRP was enhanced by Mg²⁺. Moreover, the amino-terminal myosin binding fragment of caldesmon, like the whole protein, antagonizes Mg²⁺-induced myosin filament formation. In electron microscopy experiments, caldesmon shortened myosin filaments in the presence of Mg²⁺ and KRP, but N152 failed to change their appearance from control. Therefore, the primary distinction between caldesmon and KRP appears to be that caldesmon interacts with myosin to limit filament extension, while KRP induces filament propagation into defined polymers. Transfection of tagged-KRP into fibroblasts and overlay of fibroblast cytoskeletons with Cy3KRP demonstrated that KRP colocalizes with myosin structures in vivo. We propose a new model that through their independent binding to myosin and differential effects on myosin dynamics, caldesmon and KRP can, in concert, control the length and polymerization state of myosin filaments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Renal potassium transport: contributions of individual nephron segments and populations.

General features of the processes that contribute to renal potassium excretion are understood from clearance, stop-flow, micropuncture, and in vitro microperfusion experiments. However, the complex architecture of the kidney has made it difficult to examine individual nephron segments in all parts of the kidney. Accordingly, the extent to which distinguishable nephron populations, such as superficial and deep, may differ in their contributions to overall potassium excretion are not known. Also, the nature of transport processes across the successive segments of the nephrons (including not only the underlying cellular mechanisms, but even the direction of transport) is not known for all segments in any one nephron population. Excreted potassium is derived both from filtered potassium that escapes reabsorption and from secreted potassium. The filtered portion is large in amphibians and may be larger than generally recognized in mammals. The remainder is secreted primarily by distal nephron segments (distal tubule and cortical collecting duct). Potassium is also secreted into descending limbs of Henle loops; apparently this fraction is recycled from collecting ducts, and so does not represent an additional quantity of potassium transferred from blood to tubule fluid. Systemic factors that affect potassium excretion (potassium intake, sodium chloride intake, mineralocorticoid hormone levels, acid-base balance, and diuretic treatments) do so by modifying the net uptake of potassium from blood to cell and by altering the rate of fluid flow through the distal nephron. Under most circumstances, the distal nephron in the cortex appears to secrete potassium and the medullary collecting duct reabsorbs potassium. Although it is clear that successive nephron segments transport potassium in different ways, evidence to date does not indicate that potassium is handled differently by superficial nephrons compared to nephrons whose glomeruli lie in the deeper levels of the cortex.     

The structure of the vertebrate striated muscle thin filament: a tribute to the contributions of Jean Hanson

Our current understanding of the structure of the thin filaments of muscle and the molecular mechanism by which thin filaments regulate muscle contraction are reviewed and discussed. We focus, in particular, on the crucial role played by Jean Hanson in these studies and on later contributions from those whose work she influenced.     

Paramyosin and myosin content of the thick filament in the striated muscle ofLimulus

Summary The thick myofilaments of the striated muscle from the horseshoe crab (Limulus) are composed of the proteins paramyosin and myosin. Using quantitative gel electrophoresis we find that there are 1.02 paramyosin molecules for every myosin. This protein composition is consistent with scanning transmission electron microscopy measurements of isolated thick filament mass and the four-stranded helical filament structure reported previously by others if one assumes one myosin molecule per surface subunit as has been suggested.Polyclonal antibodies were used to distinguish myosin and paramyosin bands from others' of similar electrophoretic mobility as well as to detect aggregates and breakdown products by examination of gel patterns transferred to nitrocellulose membranes. Two-dimensional gel maps were utilized as a check for coelectrophoresing bands that might go undetected in one dimension. Coomassie Blue binding per mg of purified myosin or paramyosin was found to differ by less than 5%. Extinction coefficients forLimulus myosin and paramyosin as calibrated to dry weight measurements are also reported.     

The energetic contributions of scaffolding and coat proteins to the assembly of bacteriophage procapsids

In vitro assembly of bacteriophage P22 procapsids requires coat protein and sub-stoichiometric concentrations of the internal scaffolding protein. If there is no scaffolding protein, coat protein assembles aberrantly, but only at higher concentrations. Too much scaffolding protein results in partial procapsids. By treating the procapsid as a lattice that can bind and be stabilized by scaffolding protein we dissect procapsid assembly as a function of protein concentration and scaffolding/coat protein ratio. We observe that (i) the coat-coat association is weaker for procapsids than for aberrant polymer formation, (ii) scaffolding protein makes a small but sufficient contribution to stability to favor the procapsid form, and (iii) there are multiple classes of scaffolding protein binding sites. This approach should be applicable to other heterogeneous virus assembly reactions and will facilitate our ability to manipulate such in vitro reactions to probe assembly, and for development of nanoparticles.     

Antibody Fab assembly: the interface residues between CH1 and CL

The effective assembly of an antibody molecule requires the proper association of the light and heavy chains, namely the tight, canonical association of VH with VL, and of CH1 with CL. In this paper the interaction of CH1 is examined by looking at the degree of conservation of residues in the interface between CH1 and CL, where CH1 can belong to any of the heavy chain classes, and CL can be either lambda or kappa. The three-dimensional structures of four antibody Fabs have been examined to see which are the significant interacting residues and to see whether they also correspond to the conserved residues in the different classes. It was found that there are a few hydrophobic residues buried in the interface which make numerous contacts with residues of the other chain and which remain invariant, or else are highly conserved. Around the periphery of the interface there are numerous interacting residues that have appreciable variability. Within the interface there is a cavity, the function of which may be to permit some changes in the central interface residues while still preserving the same relative orientation of CH1 and CL.     

Voltage-dependent gating and block of the cyclic-GMP-dependent current in bovine rod outer segments.

The properties of the cyclic-GMP-activated conductance in the plasma membrane of bovine rod outer segments were studied in excised membranes. Multiple-channel and single-channel currents were recorded by the patch-clamp technique in symmetrical NaCl solutions which were free of divalent cations. The current-voltage relationship for the current, recorded when a large population of channels was activated, exhibited outward rectification. Rectification decreased as the concentration of cyclic-GMP was increased, and the concentration of cyclic-GMP required for half maximal activation of the channel decreased with depolarization. At a concentration of 1-3 microM cyclic-GMP, single-channel activity could be observed from these excised patches. The conductance of the open channel was 6 pS and was independent of the membrane potential. These results are consistent with the interpretation that under these conditions, the mechanism responsible for the outward rectification is due to an increase in the probability of an open channel as the membrane is depolarized. The cyclic-GMP-activated current could be blocked by L-cis-diltiazem. Block was voltage and time dependent. The time constant for the onset of block and its steady state level increased with depolarization. The extent of block by diltiazem was not enhanced as the cyclic-GMP concentration was increased, suggesting that the channel is not required to be open for block to occur. Complete block was never attained even for high concentrations of diltiazem. However, the diltiazem-resistant component of the cyclic-GMP-activated current could be blocked by tetracaine.     

The cGMP-gated channel of rod outer segments is not localized in bipolar cells of the mammalian retina.

It has recently been suggested (Nature, 346 (1990) 269-271) that ON-bipolar cells express the same biochemical cascade and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-gated cation channel as rod outer segments. An antibody directed against the cGMP-gated channel of bovine rod outer segments was applied to cryostat sections of rat and cat retinae. No immunocytochemical labelling was found in bipolar cells. Therefore, if those cells express a cGMP-gated channel, it must be immunologically different to the 63 kDa protein constituting the cGMP-gated channel of the outer segment.     

Fractal-related assembly of the axial filament in the demosponge Suberites domuncula: relevance to biomineralization and the formation of biogenic silica

The siliceous spicules of sponges (Porifera) show great variations of sizes, shapes and forms; they constitute the chief supporting framework of these animals; these skeletal elements are synthesized enzymatically by silicatein. Each sponge species synthesizes at least two silicateins, which are termed -alpha and -beta. In the present study, using the demosponge Suberites domuncula, we studied if the silicateins of the axial filament contribute to the shape formation of the spicules. For these experiments native silicateins have been isolated by a new Tris/glycerol extraction procedure. Silicateins isolated by this procedure are monomeric (24 kDa), but readily form dimers through non-covalent linkages; they show a considerable proteolytic activity that increases during the polymerization phase of the protein. The assembled silicateins (dimers, tetramers as well as hexamers) can be demonstrated in zymograms. The filament/aggregate formation from disassembled silicatein can be visualized by light microscopy and by transmission electron microscopic (TEM) analyses. Since in S. domuncula silicatein-alpha is four times more abundant in the axial filament than silicatein-beta we propose that four silicateins form a platform with serine clusters directed to the center. These serines of the con-axially arranged silicateins interact with silicatein-beta. We conclude that initially the silicateins re-assemble chaotically, and in the second phase order themselves to fractal-like structures, which subsequently form the filaments.     

Structure-function studies of the C3a-receptor: C-terminal serine and threonine residues which influence receptor internalization and signaling

The anaphylatoxic peptide C3a is a pro-inflammatory mediator generated during complement activation, whose specific G protein coupled receptor is expressed on granulocytes, monocytes, mast cells, activated lymphocytes, and in the nervous tissue. We have generated RBL-2H3 cell clones stably expressing mutants of the human C3a-receptor (C3aR) with combined alanine (Ala) substitutions of ten C-terminal serine (Ser) or threonine (Thr) residues, which may represent putative phosphorylation sites to characterize their role in ligand-induced C3aR internalization and signaling. Ser475/479 and Thr480/481 as well as Ser449 seemed not to be involved in ligand-induced receptor internalization. Either directly or by a conformational change they even "inhibit" C3aR internalization. In contrast, mutants with Ala substitutions at Ser465/470 and Thr463/466 were poorly internalized, and Thr463 seemed to be the most important C-terminal Thr or Ser residue directly effecting receptor internalization. However, it is likely that other C3aR regions additionally participate in this negative feed-back mechanism since even mutants with multiple Ala substitutions still internalized to a limited degree. Interestingly, in a mutant with a single exchange of Ser449 to Ala, the signal transduction assessed by a Ca(2+) assay and [(35)S]GTP gamma S-binding on HEK cells transiently co-transfected with G-alpha 16 or G-alpha O, respectively, was severely impaired, indicating that this residue of C3aR is involved in G protein coupling.     

The C-terminal helical domain of dengue virus precursor membrane protein is involved in virus assembly and entry

The role of the α-helical domain (MH) of dengue virus (DENV) precursor membrane protein in replication was investigated by site-directed mutagenesis. Proline substitutions of three residues (120, 123 and 127) at the C-terminus, but not those at the N-terminus of MH domain, reduced the virus-like particles of DENV1, DENV2 and DENV4 detected in supernatants. In a DENV2 replicon trans-packaging system, these three mutations suppressed particles detected; two of them (I123P and V127P) also affected viral entry. In the context of DENV2 genome-length RNA, all three mutations reduced virion assembly and virus spreading in cell culture. Analysis of revertants showed that mutation A120P could partially support viral infection cycle; in contrast, mutations I123P and V127P were lethal, and adaptations of I123P → I123L and V127P → V127L were required to restore the viral infection cycle. These findings demonstrate that the C-terminus of the MH domain is involved in both assembly and entry of DENV.     

The retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR) interacts with novel transport-like proteins in the outer segments of rod photoreceptors

Mutations in the retinitis pigmentosa GTPase regulator (RPGR) gene cause X-linked retinitis pigmentosa type 3 (RP3), a severe, progressive and degenerative retinal dystrophy eventually leading to complete blindness. RPGR is ubiquitously expressed, yet mutations in the RPGR gene lead to a retina-restricted phenotype. To date, all RP3 associated missense mutations that have been identified are located in the RCC1-homologous domain (RHD) of RPGR. To investigate the molecular pathogenesis of RP3, we screened retinal yeast two-hybrid libraries with the RHD of RPGR. We identified several alternatively spliced gene products, some with retina-restricted expression, that interact specifically with RPGR in vivo and in vitro. Thus, these proteins were named RPGR-interacting protein 1 (RPGRIP1) isoforms. They contain a C-terminal RPGR-interacting domain and stretches of variable coiled-coil domains homologous to proteins involved in vesicular trafficking. The interaction between RPGR and RPGRIP1 isoforms was impaired in vivo by RP3-associated mutations in RPGR. Moreover, RPGR and RPGRIP1 co-localize in the outer segment of rod photoreceptors, which is in full agreement with the retinitis pigmentosa phenotype observed in RP3 patients. The localization of RPGRIP1 at 14q11 makes it a strong candidate gene for RP16. These results provide a clue for the retina-specific pathogenesis in RP3, and hint towards the involvement of RPGR and RPGRIP1 in mediating vesicular transport-associated processes.     

The site of initiation of rod assembly on the RNA of a tomato and a cowpea strain of tobacco mosaic virus

Genome RNA of a tomato (T) and a cowpea (Cc) strain of tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), as well as RNA of the short particles of cowpea strain, were tritium labeled at the termini. Chromatographic analyis of the alkali-hydrolysate of these RNAs showed that they all have A(OH) at the 3'-terminus and are capped with m7G ppp at the 5'-terminus. The site of initiation of rod assembly for these strains was determined by sequential reconstitution of virus rods with proteins of two different strains followed by examination of distribution of the proteins on the reconstituted rods by electron microscopic serology. The initiation site on T-RNA was located at the same position as that of a common strain previously studied, being about 800 nucleotides away from the 3'-terminus. In contrast, the initiation site on Cc-RNA was found to be much closer to the 3'-terminus, only about 320 nucleotides away from the terminus, and hence within the coat protein cistron. The results showed that the internal initiation and the bidirectional elongation are a universal mechanism of assembly among TMV strains, but different strains may use different initiation sites. The location of the initiation site of the cowpea strain explained why the coat protein messenger RNA of this strain, but not that of the common and the tomato strains, is encapsidated to form short particles.     

Conserved aromatic residues as determinants in the folding and assembly of immunoglobulin variable domains

Detailed analysis of amino acid distribution, focusing on the “framework” regions of both heavy- and light-chain variable immunoglobulin (Ig) domains, distinguished those conserved sequence elements shared by both heavy-chain (VH) and light-chain (VL) domains from those conserved determinants unique to either VH or VL domains alone. Mapping of conserved chemical functionality onto characterized PDB structures showed the analogous placement and utilization of shared determinants in VH and VL structures that are generally similar. Identical Arginine–Aspartic acid ion-pairs located symmetrically on the lateral surfaces of VH and VL domains, respectively, as well as paired glutamine residues that constitute a central contact site between VH and VL domains represent clearly shared molecular features. Three sites of shared aromaticity were found localized to symmetrical sites lining the inaccessible interface of the VH–VL duplex, suggesting an expanded role for strategically conserved aromatic residues from a postulated determinant of individual Ig domain folding to now implicate conserved aromatic sites in the subsequent multi-subunit assembly of native antibody superstructure. Differential domain-specific conservation, representing evolutionary diversification and molecular asymmetry between heavy- and light-chain variable domains was limited, but included amino acids from each functional class and must be evaluated with regard to their possible involvement in heterologous aspects of IgV protein structure–function.     

The neuroepithelial cells of the fish gill filament: Indolamine-immunocytochemistry and innervation

The neuroepithelial cells (NECs) of the fish gill filament share several morphofunctional features with the cells of the neuroepithelial bodies in the lungs of air-breathing vertebrates. In the present study, a detailed indolamineimmunocytochemical analysis of the branchial neuroepithelial cells and nerves was undertaken in non-teleost and teleost species, with particular emphasis on the latter. In the rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, the chemical degeneration of either catecholaminergic (by 5- and 6-hydroxydopamines) or indolaminergic (by 5,6-dihydroxy-tryptamine) innervations associated with the NECs was studied using electron microscopy. In teleosts, the NECs are located primarily on the distal half of the filament. In the trout particularly, these cells are innervated mainly by non-indolaminergic nerves taking up sympathetic neurotoxins. The proximal half of the filament contains isolated NECs innervated additionally by intrinsic indolaminergic neurons. Serotonin-like immunoreactivity of the NECs is evident in the granular vesicles packed within the basal soma and processes which surround non-vascular and vascular smooth muscles in the filament. Apical processes from the neuroepithelial cells occasionally contact the water on the surface of the filament epithelium. The secretory function of the NECs is discussed with reference to the probable involvement of serotonin in the modulation of fish gill function. In addition, their connections with both central and branchial nervous system suggest a possible chemoreceptor role. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.