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Creso JG, Gokhan I, Rynkiewicz MJ, Lehman W, Moore JR, Campbell SG. In silico and in vitro models reveal the molecular mechanisms of hypocontractility caused by TPM1 M8R. Front Physiol 2024; 15:1452509. [PMID: 39282088 PMCID: PMC11392859 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1452509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2024] [Accepted: 08/19/2024] [Indexed: 09/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is an inherited disorder often leading to severe heart failure. Linkage studies in affected families have revealed hundreds of different mutations that can cause DCM, with most occurring in genes associated with the cardiac sarcomere. We have developed an investigational pipeline for discovering mechanistic genotype-phenotype relationships in DCM and here apply it to the DCM-linked tropomyosin mutation TPM1 M8R. Atomistic simulations predict that M8R increases flexibility of the tropomyosin chain and enhances affinity for the blocked or inactive state of tropomyosin on actin. Applying these molecular effects to a Markov model of the cardiac thin filament reproduced the shifts in Ca2+sensitivity, maximum force, and a qualitative drop in cooperativity that were observed in an in vitro system containing TPM1 M8R. The model was then used to simulate the impact of M8R expression on twitch contractions of intact cardiac muscle, predicting that M8R would reduce peak force and duration of contraction in a dose-dependent manner. To evaluate this prediction, TPM1 M8R was expressed via adenovirus in human engineered heart tissues and isometric twitch force was observed. The mutant tissues manifested depressed contractility and twitch duration that agreed in detail with model predictions. Additional exploratory simulations suggest that M8R-mediated alterations in tropomyosin-actin interactions contribute more potently than tropomyosin chain stiffness to cardiac twitch dysfunction, and presumably to the ultimate manifestation of DCM. This study is an example of the growing potential for successful in silico prediction of mutation pathogenicity for inherited cardiac muscle disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenette G Creso
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Ilhan Gokhan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, MA, United States
| | - Stuart G Campbell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
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2
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Liao J, Wan K, Lü Y, Ouyang W, Huang J, Zheng L, Miao L, Su S, Li Z. Comparison of Brain Gene Expression Profiles Associated with Auto-Grooming Behavior between Apis cerana and Apis mellifera Infested by Varroa destructor. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:763. [PMID: 38927699 PMCID: PMC11202474 DOI: 10.3390/genes15060763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The grooming behavior of honeybees serves as a crucial auto-protective mechanism against Varroa mite infestations. Compared to Apis mellifera, Apis cerana demonstrates more effective grooming behavior in removing Varroa mites from the bodies of infested bees. However, the underlying mechanisms regulating grooming behavior remain elusive. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the auto-grooming behavior between A. cerana and A. mellifera and employed RNA-sequencing technology to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in bee brains with varying degrees of grooming behavior intensity. We observed that A. cerana exhibited a higher frequency of mite removal between day 5 and day 15 compared to A. mellifera, with day-9 bees showing the highest frequency of mite removal in A. cerana. RNA-sequencing results revealed the differential expression of the HTR2A and SLC17A8 genes in A. cerana and the CCKAR and TpnC47D genes in A. mellifera. Subsequent homology analysis identified the HTR2A gene and SLC17A8 gene of A. cerana as homologous to the HTR2A gene and SLC17A7 gene of A. mellifera. These DEGs are annotated in the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway, the glutamatergic synaptic pathway, and the calcium signaling pathway. Moreover, CCKAR, TpnC47D, HTR2A, and SLC17A7 may be closely related to the auto-grooming behavior of A. mellifera, conferring resistance against Varroa infestation. Our results further explain the relationship between honeybee grooming behavior and brain function at the molecular level and provide a reference basis for further studies of the mechanism of honeybee grooming behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Liao
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
| | - Kunlin Wan
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
| | - Yang Lü
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
- Mudanjiang Branch of Heilongjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Mudanjiang 157000, China
| | - Wenyao Ouyang
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
| | - Jingnan Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China;
| | - Liyuan Zheng
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
| | - Liuchang Miao
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
| | - Songkun Su
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
- Academy of Bee Science, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
| | - Zhiguo Li
- College of Bee Science and Biomedicine, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China; (J.L.); (K.W.); (Y.L.); (W.O.); (L.Z.); (L.M.)
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3
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Rynkiewicz MJ, Childers MC, Karpicheva OE, Regnier M, Geeves MA, Lehman W. Myosin's powerstroke transitions define atomic scale movement of cardiac thin filament tropomyosin. J Gen Physiol 2024; 156:e202413538. [PMID: 38607351 PMCID: PMC11010328 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202413538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Dynamic interactions between the myosin motor head on thick filaments and the actin molecular track on thin filaments drive the myosin-crossbridge cycle that powers muscle contraction. The process is initiated by Ca2+ and the opening of troponin-tropomyosin-blocked myosin-binding sites on actin. The ensuing recruitment of myosin heads and their transformation from pre-powerstroke to post-powerstroke conformation on actin produce the force required for contraction. Cryo-EM-based atomic models confirm that during this process, tropomyosin occupies three different average positions on actin. Tropomyosin pivoting on actin away from a TnI-imposed myosin-blocking position accounts for part of the Ca2+ activation observed. However, the structure of tropomyosin on thin filaments that follows pre-powerstroke myosin binding and its translocation during myosin's pre-powerstroke to post-powerstroke transition remains unresolved. Here, we approach this transition computationally in silico. We used the myosin helix-loop-helix motif as an anchor to dock models of pre-powerstroke cardiac myosin to the cleft between neighboring actin subunits along cardiac thin filaments. We then performed targeted molecular dynamics simulations of the transition between pre- and post-powerstroke conformations on actin in the presence of cardiac troponin-tropomyosin. These simulations show Arg 369 and Glu 370 on the tip of myosin Loop-4 encountering identically charged residues on tropomyosin. The charge repulsion between residues causes tropomyosin translocation across actin, thus accounting for the final regulatory step in the activation of the thin filament, and, in turn, facilitating myosin movement along the filament. We suggest that during muscle activity, myosin-induced tropomyosin movement is likely to result in unencumbered myosin head interactions on actin at low-energy cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J. Rynkiewicz
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Olga E. Karpicheva
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - William Lehman
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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Risi CM, Belknap B, Atherton J, Coscarella IL, White HD, Bryant Chase P, Pinto JR, Galkin VE. Troponin Structural Dynamics in the Native Cardiac Thin Filament Revealed by Cryo Electron Microscopy. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168498. [PMID: 38387550 PMCID: PMC11007730 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2024.168498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2024] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Cardiac muscle contraction occurs due to repetitive interactions between myosin thick and actin thin filaments (TF) regulated by Ca2+ levels, active cross-bridges, and cardiac myosin-binding protein C (cMyBP-C). The cardiac TF (cTF) has two nonequivalent strands, each comprised of actin, tropomyosin (Tm), and troponin (Tn). Tn shifts Tm away from myosin-binding sites on actin at elevated Ca2+ levels to allow formation of force-producing actomyosin cross-bridges. The Tn complex is comprised of three distinct polypeptides - Ca2+-binding TnC, inhibitory TnI, and Tm-binding TnT. The molecular mechanism of their collective action is unresolved due to lack of comprehensive structural information on Tn region of cTF. C1 domain of cMyBP-C activates cTF in the absence of Ca2+ to the same extent as rigor myosin. Here we used cryo-EM of native cTFs to show that cTF Tn core adopts multiple structural conformations at high and low Ca2+ levels and that the two strands are structurally distinct. At high Ca2+ levels, cTF is not entirely activated by Ca2+ but exists in either partially or fully activated state. Complete dissociation of TnI C-terminus is required for full activation. In presence of cMyBP-C C1 domain, Tn core adopts a fully activated conformation, even in absence of Ca2+. Our data provide a structural description for the requirement of myosin to fully activate cTFs and explain increased affinity of TnC to Ca2+ in presence of active cross-bridges. We suggest that allosteric coupling between Tn subunits and Tm is required to control actomyosin interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina M Risi
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Betty Belknap
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Jennifer Atherton
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Isabella Leite Coscarella
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Howard D White
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - P Bryant Chase
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Jose R Pinto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Vitold E Galkin
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA.
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5
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Barry ME, Rynkiewicz MJ, Pavadai E, Viana A, Lehman W, Moore JR. Glutamate 139 of tropomyosin is critical for cardiac thin filament blocked-state stabilization. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2024; 188:30-37. [PMID: 38266978 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2024.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/20/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
The cardiac thin filament proteins troponin and tropomyosin control actomyosin formation and thus cardiac contractility. Calcium binding to troponin changes tropomyosin position along the thin filament, allowing myosin head binding to actin required for heart muscle contraction. The thin filament regulatory proteins are hot spots for genetic mutations causing heart muscle dysfunction. While much of the thin filament structure has been characterized, critical regions of troponin and tropomyosin involved in triggering conformational changes remain unresolved. A poorly resolved region, helix-4 (H4) of troponin I, is thought to stabilize tropomyosin in a position on actin that blocks actomyosin interactions at low calcium concentrations during muscle relaxation. We have proposed that contact between glutamate 139 on tropomyosin and positively charged residues on H4 leads to blocking-state stabilization. In this study, we attempted to disrupt these interactions by replacing E139 with lysine (E139K) to define the importance of this residue in thin filament regulation. Comparison of mutant and wild-type tropomyosin was carried out using in-vitro motility assays, actin co-sedimentation, and molecular dynamics simulations to determine perturbations in troponin-tropomyosin function caused by the tropomyosin mutation. Motility assays revealed that mutant thin filaments moved at higher velocity at low calcium with increased calcium sensitivity demonstrating that tropomyosin residue 139 is vital for proper tropomyosin-mediated inhibition during relaxation. Similarly, molecular dynamic simulations revealed a mutation-induced decrease in interaction energy between tropomyosin-E139K and troponin I (R170 and K174). These results suggest that salt-bridge stabilization of tropomyosin position by troponin IH4 is essential to prevent actomyosin interactions during cardiac muscle relaxation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan E Barry
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, United States of America
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisan School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, W-408E, Boston, MA 02118, United States of America
| | - Elumalai Pavadai
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisan School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, W-408E, Boston, MA 02118, United States of America
| | - Alex Viana
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, United States of America
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisan School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, W-408E, Boston, MA 02118, United States of America
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854, United States of America.
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6
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Küçükdogru R, Franz P, Worch R, Robaszkiewicz K, Siatkowska M, Tsiavaliaris G, Moraczewska J. Mechanochemical consequences of myopathy-linked mutations in Tpm2.2 on striated muscle contractility. FASEB J 2024; 38:e23400. [PMID: 38156416 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202301604r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
Tropomyosin (Tpm) is an actin-binding protein central to muscle contraction regulation. The Tpm sequence consists of periodic repeats corresponding to seven actin-binding sites, further divided in two functionally distinct halves. To clarify the importance of the first and second halves of the actin-binding periods in regulating the interaction of myosin with actin, we introduced hypercontractile mutations D20H, E181K located in the N-terminal halves of periods 1 and 5 and hypocontractile mutations E41K, N202K located in the C-terminal halves of periods 1 and 5 of the skeletal muscle Tpm isoform Tpm2.2. Wild-type and mutant Tpms displayed similar actin-binding properties, however, as revealed by FRET experiments, the hypercontractile mutations affected the binding geometry and orientation of Tpm2.2 on actin, causing a stimulation of myosin motor performance. Contrary, the hypocontractile mutations led to an inhibition of both, actin activation of the myosin ATPase and motor activity, that was more pronounced than with wild-type Tpm2.2. Single ATP turnover kinetic experiments indicate that the introduced mutations have opposite effects on product release kinetics. While the hypercontractile Tpm2.2 mutants accelerated product release, the hypocontractile mutants decelerated product release from myosin, thus having either an activating or inhibitory influence on myosin motor performance, which agrees with the muscle disease phenotypes caused by these mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Recep Küçükdogru
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Peter Franz
- Cellular Biophysics, Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Remigiusz Worch
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Robaszkiewicz
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Małgorzata Siatkowska
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Georgios Tsiavaliaris
- Cellular Biophysics, Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Joanna Moraczewska
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
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Månsson A. Changing face of contractile activation in striated muscle at physiological temperature. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202313494. [PMID: 37934475 PMCID: PMC10630095 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202313494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Calcium binding to troponin, with subsequent displacement of its linked tropomyosin molecule on the thin filament surface, cooperates with myosin binding to actin in the contractile regulation of striated muscle. The intertwined role of these systems is studied in the present issue of JGP by Ishii et al. (https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.202313414). A particularly interesting feature of the paper, except for studying both skeletal and cardiac muscle proteins, is that the experiments unlike most other similar studies are performed at physiological temperature (35-40°C).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alf Månsson
- Department of Chemistry and Biomedical Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
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8
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Robaszkiewicz K, Wróbel J, Moraczewska J. Troponin and a Myopathy-Linked Mutation in TPM3 Inhibit Cofilin-2-Induced Thin Filament Depolymerization. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16457. [PMID: 38003645 PMCID: PMC10671271 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Uniform actin filament length is required for synchronized contraction of skeletal muscle. In myopathies linked to mutations in tropomyosin (Tpm) genes, irregular thin filaments are a common feature, which may result from defects in length maintenance mechanisms. The current work investigated the effects of the myopathy-causing p.R91C variant in Tpm3.12, a tropomyosin isoform expressed in slow-twitch muscle fibers, on the regulation of actin severing and depolymerization by cofilin-2. The affinity of cofilin-2 for F-actin was not significantly changed by either Tpm3.12 or Tpm3.12-R91C, though it increased two-fold in the presence of troponin (without Ca2+). Saturation of the filament with cofilin-2 removed both Tpm variants from the filament, although Tpm3.12-R91C was more resistant. In the presence of troponin (±Ca2+), Tpm remained on the filament, even at high cofilin-2 concentrations. Both Tpm3.12 variants inhibited filament severing and depolymerization by cofilin-2. However, the inhibition was more efficient in the presence of Tpm3.12-R91C, indicating that the pathogenic variant impaired cofilin-2-dependent actin filament turnover. Troponin (±Ca2+) further inhibited but did not completely stop cofilin-2-dependent actin severing and depolymerization.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Joanna Moraczewska
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, 85-671 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.R.); (J.W.)
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Robaszkiewicz K, Siatkowska M, Wadman RI, Kamsteeg EJ, Chen Z, Merve A, Parton M, Bugiardini E, de Bie C, Moraczewska J. A Novel Variant in TPM3 Causing Muscle Weakness and Concomitant Hypercontractile Phenotype. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:16147. [PMID: 38003336 PMCID: PMC10671854 DOI: 10.3390/ijms242216147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
A novel variant of unknown significance c.8A > G (p.Glu3Gly) in TPM3 was detected in two unrelated families. TPM3 encodes the transcript variant Tpm3.12 (NM_152263.4), the tropomyosin isoform specifically expressed in slow skeletal muscle fibers. The patients presented with slowly progressive muscle weakness associated with Achilles tendon contractures of early childhood onset. Histopathology revealed features consistent with a nemaline rod myopathy. Biochemical in vitro assays performed with reconstituted thin filaments revealed defects in the assembly of the thin filament and regulation of actin-myosin interactions. The substitution p.Glu3Gly increased polymerization of Tpm3.12, but did not significantly change its affinity to actin alone. Affinity of Tpm3.12 to actin in the presence of troponin ± Ca2+ was decreased by the mutation, which was due to reduced interactions with troponin. Altered molecular interactions affected Ca2+-dependent regulation of the thin filament interactions with myosin, resulting in increased Ca2+ sensitivity and decreased relaxation of the actin-activated myosin ATPase activity. The hypercontractile molecular phenotype probably explains the distal joint contractions observed in the patients, but additional research is needed to explain the relatively mild severity of the contractures. The slowly progressive muscle weakness is most likely caused by the lack of relaxation and prolonged contractions which cause muscle wasting. This work provides evidence for the pathogenicity of the TPM3 c.8A > G variant, which allows for its classification as (likely) pathogenic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Robaszkiewicz
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-671 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.R.); (M.S.)
| | - Małgorzata Siatkowska
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-671 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.R.); (M.S.)
| | - Renske I. Wadman
- Department of Neurology, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Erik-Jan Kamsteeg
- Department of Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands;
| | - Zhiyong Chen
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (Z.C.); (M.P.); (E.B.)
- Department of Neurology, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore 308433, Singapore
| | - Ashirwad Merve
- Department of Neuropathology, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK;
| | - Matthew Parton
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (Z.C.); (M.P.); (E.B.)
| | - Enrico Bugiardini
- Department of Neuromuscular Disease, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology, London WC1N 3BG, UK; (Z.C.); (M.P.); (E.B.)
| | - Charlotte de Bie
- Department of Genetics, University Medical Utrecht, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands;
| | - Joanna Moraczewska
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-671 Bydgoszcz, Poland; (K.R.); (M.S.)
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10
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Parry DAD. 50 Years of the steric-blocking mechanism in vertebrate skeletal muscle: a retrospective. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2023; 44:133-141. [PMID: 35789471 PMCID: PMC10542282 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-022-09619-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Fifty years have now passed since Parry and Squire proposed a detailed structural model that explained how tropomyosin, mediated by troponin, played a steric-blocking role in the regulation of vertebrate skeletal muscle. In this Special Issue dedicated to the memory of John Squire it is an opportune time to look back on this research and to appreciate John's key contributions. A review is also presented of a selection of the developments and insights into muscle regulation that have occurred in the years since this proposal was formulated.
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Affiliation(s)
- David A D Parry
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Private Bag 11-222, Palmerston North, 4442, New Zealand.
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11
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Meng Y, Huang K, Shi M, Huo Y, Han L, Liu B, Li Y. Research Advances in the Role of the Tropomyosin Family in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13295. [PMID: 37686101 PMCID: PMC10488083 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most difficult diseases for human beings to overcome. Its development is closely related to a variety of factors, and its specific mechanisms have been a hot research topic in the field of scientific research. The tropomyosin family (Tpm) is a group of proteins closely related to the cytoskeleton and actin, and recent studies have shown that they play an important role in various cancers, participating in a variety of biological activities, including cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, and have been used as biomarkers for various cancers. The purpose of this review is to explore the research progress of the Tpm family in tumorigenesis development, focusing on the molecular pathways associated with them and their relevant activities involved in tumors. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies on the role of Tpms in tumorigenesis and development and the activities of Tpms involved in tumors. Data from the literature suggest that the Tpm family is involved in tumor cell proliferation and growth, tumor cell invasion and migration, tumor angiogenesis, tumor cell apoptosis, and immune infiltration of the tumor microenvironment, among other correlations. It can be used as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis, follow-up, and therapeutic response of some tumors. The Tpm family is involved in cancer in a close relationship with miRNAs and LncRNAs. Tpms are involved in tumor tissue invasion and migration as a key link. On this basis, TPM is frequently used as a biomarker for various cancers. However, the specific molecular mechanism of its involvement in cancer progression has not been explained clearly, which remains an important direction for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yucheng Meng
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Ke Huang
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China
| | - Mingxuan Shi
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Yifei Huo
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Liang Han
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Bin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Yi Li
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
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12
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Lehman W, Rynkiewicz MJ. Troponin-I-induced tropomyosin pivoting defines thin-filament function in relaxed and active muscle. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202313387. [PMID: 37249525 PMCID: PMC10227645 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202313387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Regulation of the crossbridge cycle that drives muscle contraction involves a reconfiguration of the troponin-tropomyosin complex on actin filaments. By comparing atomic models of troponin-tropomyosin fitted to cryo-EM structures of inhibited and Ca2+-activated thin filaments, we find that tropomyosin pivots rather than rolls or slides across actin as generally thought. We propose that pivoting can account for the Ca2+ activation that initiates muscle contraction and then relaxation influenced by troponin-I (TnI). Tropomyosin is well-known to occupy either of three meta-stable configurations on actin, regulating access of myosin motorheads to their actin-binding sites and thus the crossbridge cycle. At low Ca2+ concentrations, tropomyosin is trapped by TnI in an inhibitory B-state that sterically blocks myosin binding to actin, leading to muscle relaxation. Ca2+ binding to TnC draws TnI away from tropomyosin, while tropomyosin moves to a C-state location over actin. This partially relieves the steric inhibition and allows weak binding of myosin heads to actin, which then transition to strong actin-bound configurations, fully activating the thin filament. Nevertheless, the reconfiguration that accompanies the initial Ca2+-sensitive B-state/C-state shift in troponin-tropomyosin on actin remains uncertain and at best is described by moderate-resolution cryo-EM reconstructions. Our recent computational studies indicate that intermolecular residue-to-residue salt-bridge linkage between actin and tropomyosin is indistinguishable in B- and C-state thin filament configurations. We show here that tropomyosin can pivot about relatively fixed points on actin to accompany B-state/C-state structural transitions. We argue that at low Ca2+ concentrations C-terminal TnI domains attract tropomyosin, causing it to bend and then pivot toward the TnI, thus blocking myosin binding and contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Lehman
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael J. Rynkiewicz
- Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
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13
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Clippinger Schulte SR, Scott B, Barrick SK, Stump WT, Blackwell T, Greenberg MJ. Single-molecule mechanics and kinetics of cardiac myosin interacting with regulated thin filaments. Biophys J 2023; 122:2544-2555. [PMID: 37165621 PMCID: PMC10323011 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The cardiac cycle is a tightly regulated process wherein the heart generates force to pump blood to the body during systole and then relaxes during diastole. Disruption of this finely tuned cycle can lead to a range of diseases including cardiomyopathies and heart failure. Cardiac contraction is driven by the molecular motor myosin, which pulls regulated thin filaments in a calcium-dependent manner. In some muscle and nonmuscle myosins, regulatory proteins on actin tune the kinetics, mechanics, and load dependence of the myosin working stroke; however, it is not well understood whether or how thin-filament regulatory proteins tune the mechanics of the cardiac myosin motor. To address this critical gap in knowledge, we used single-molecule techniques to measure the kinetics and mechanics of the substeps of the cardiac myosin working stroke in the presence and absence of thin filament regulatory proteins. We found that regulatory proteins gate the calcium-dependent interactions between myosin and the thin filament. At physiologically relevant ATP concentrations, cardiac myosin's mechanics and unloaded kinetics are not affected by thin-filament regulatory proteins. We also measured the load-dependent kinetics of cardiac myosin at physiologically relevant ATP concentrations using an isometric optical clamp, and we found that thin-filament regulatory proteins do not affect either the identity or magnitude of myosin's primary load-dependent transition. Interestingly, at low ATP concentrations at both saturating and physiologically relevant subsaturating calcium concentrations, thin-filament regulatory proteins have a small effect on actomyosin dissociation kinetics, suggesting a mechanism beyond simple steric blocking. These results have important implications for the modeling of cardiac physiology and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Clippinger Schulte
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Brent Scott
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Samantha K Barrick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - W Tom Stump
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Thomas Blackwell
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Michael J Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri.
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14
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Doran MH, Rynkiewicz MJ, Rasicci D, Bodt SM, Barry ME, Bullitt E, Yengo CM, Moore JR, Lehman W. Conformational changes linked to ADP release from human cardiac myosin bound to actin-tropomyosin. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202213267. [PMID: 36633586 PMCID: PMC9859928 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202213267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Following binding to the thin filament, β-cardiac myosin couples ATP-hydrolysis to conformational rearrangements in the myosin motor that drive myofilament sliding and cardiac ventricular contraction. However, key features of the cardiac-specific actin-myosin interaction remain uncertain, including the structural effect of ADP release from myosin, which is rate-limiting during force generation. In fact, ADP release slows under experimental load or in the intact heart due to the afterload, thereby adjusting cardiac muscle power output to meet physiological demands. To further elucidate the structural basis of this fundamental process, we used a combination of cryo-EM reconstruction methodologies to determine structures of the human cardiac actin-myosin-tropomyosin filament complex at better than 3.4 Å-resolution in the presence and in the absence of Mg2+·ADP. Focused refinements of the myosin motor head and its essential light chains in these reconstructions reveal that small changes in the nucleotide-binding site are coupled to significant rigid body movements of the myosin converter domain and a 16-degree lever arm swing. Our structures provide a mechanistic framework to understand the effect of ADP binding and release on human cardiac β-myosin, and offer insights into the force-sensing mechanism displayed by the cardiac myosin motor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H. Doran
- School of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Blavatnik Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michael J. Rynkiewicz
- School of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David Rasicci
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Skylar M.L. Bodt
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Meaghan E. Barry
- Department of Biological Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
| | - Esther Bullitt
- School of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Christopher M. Yengo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA
| | - Jeffrey R. Moore
- Department of Biological Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
| | - William Lehman
- School of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
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15
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Doran MH, Rynkiewicz MJ, Pavadai E, Bodt SM, Rasicci D, Moore JR, Yengo CM, Bullitt E, Lehman W. Myosin loop-4 is critical for optimal tropomyosin repositioning on actin during muscle activation and relaxation. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:e202213274. [PMID: 36459134 PMCID: PMC9723511 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202213274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
During force-generating steps of the muscle crossbridge cycle, the tip of the myosin motor, specifically loop-4, contacts the tropomyosin cable of actin filaments. In the current study, we determined the corresponding effect of myosin loop-4 on the regulatory positioning of tropomyosin on actin. To accomplish this, we compared high-resolution cryo-EM structures of myosin S1-decorated thin filaments containing either wild-type or a loop-4 mutant construct, where the seven-residue portion of myosin loop-4 that contacts tropomyosin was replaced by glycine residues, thus removing polar side chains from residues 366-372. Cryo-EM analysis of fully decorated actin-tropomyosin filaments with wild-type and mutant S1, yielded 3.4-3.6 Å resolution reconstructions, with even higher definition at the actin-myosin interface. Loop-4 densities both in wild-type and mutant S1 were clearly identified, and side chains were resolved in the wild-type structure. Aside from loop-4, actin and myosin structural domains were indistinguishable from each other when filaments were decorated with either mutant or wild-type S1. In marked contrast, the position of tropomyosin on actin in the two reconstructions differed by 3 to 4 Å. In maps of filaments containing the mutant, tropomyosin was located closer to the myosin-head and thus moved in the direction of the C-state conformation adopted by myosin-free thin filaments. Complementary interaction energy measurements showed that tropomyosin in the mutant thin filaments sits on actin in a local energy minimum, whereas tropomyosin is positioned by wild-type S1 in an energetically unfavorable location. We propose that the high potential energy associated with tropomyosin positioning in wild-type filaments favors an effective transition to B- and C-states following release of myosin from the thin filaments during relaxation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H. Doran
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Michael J. Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Elumalai Pavadai
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Skylar M.L. Bodt
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - David Rasicci
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Jeffrey R. Moore
- Department of Biological Science, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA
| | - Christopher M. Yengo
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Pennsylvania State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA
| | - Esther Bullitt
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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16
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Clippinger Schulte SR, Scott B, Barrick SK, Stump WT, Blackwell T, Greenberg MJ. Single Molecule Mechanics and Kinetics of Cardiac Myosin Interacting with Regulated Thin Filaments. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.09.522880. [PMID: 36711892 PMCID: PMC9881944 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.09.522880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The cardiac cycle is a tightly regulated process wherein the heart generates force to pump blood to the body during systole and then relaxes during diastole. Disruption of this finely tuned cycle can lead to a range of diseases including cardiomyopathies and heart failure. Cardiac contraction is driven by the molecular motor myosin, which pulls regulated thin filaments in a calcium-dependent manner. In some muscle and non-muscle myosins, regulatory proteins on actin tune the kinetics, mechanics, and load dependence of the myosin working stroke; however, it is not well understood whether or how thin filament regulatory proteins tune the mechanics of the cardiac myosin motor. To address this critical gap in knowledge, we used single-molecule techniques to measure the kinetics and mechanics of the substeps of the cardiac myosin working stroke in the presence and absence of thin filament regulatory proteins. We found that regulatory proteins gate the calcium-dependent interactions between myosin and the thin filament. At physiologically relevant ATP concentrations, cardiac myosin's mechanics and unloaded kinetics are not affected by thin filament regulatory proteins. We also measured the load-dependent kinetics of cardiac myosin at physiologically relevant ATP concentrations using an isometric optical clamp, and we found that thin filament regulatory proteins do not affect either the identity or magnitude of myosin's primary load-dependent transition. Interestingly, at low ATP concentrations, thin filament regulatory proteins have a small effect on actomyosin dissociation kinetics, suggesting a mechanism beyond simple steric blocking. These results have important implications for both disease modeling and computational models of muscle contraction. Significance Statement Human heart contraction is powered by the molecular motor β-cardiac myosin, which pulls on thin filaments consisting of actin and the regulatory proteins troponin and tropomyosin. In some muscle and non-muscle systems, these regulatory proteins tune the kinetics, mechanics, and load dependence of the myosin working stroke. Despite having a central role in health and disease, it is not well understood whether the mechanics or kinetics of β-cardiac myosin are affected by regulatory proteins. We show that regulatory proteins do not affect the mechanics or load-dependent kinetics of the working stroke at physiologically relevant ATP concentrations; however, they can affect the kinetics at low ATP concentrations, suggesting a mechanism beyond simple steric blocking. This has important implications for modeling of cardiac physiology and diseases.
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17
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Brooks SV, Guzman SD, Ruiz LP. Skeletal muscle structure, physiology, and function. HANDBOOK OF CLINICAL NEUROLOGY 2023; 195:3-16. [PMID: 37562874 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-323-98818-6.00013-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Contractions of skeletal muscles provide the stability and power for all body movements. Consequently, any impairment in skeletal muscle function results in some degree of instability or immobility. Factors that influence skeletal muscle structure and function are therefore of great interest scientifically and clinically. Injury, neuromuscular disease, and old age are among the factors that commonly contribute to impairments in skeletal muscle function. The goal of this chapter is to summarize the fundamentals of skeletal muscle structure and function to provide foundational knowledge for this Handbook volume. We examine the molecular interactions that provide the basis for the generation of force and movement, discuss mechanisms of the regulation of contraction at the level of myofibers, and introduce concepts of the activation and control of muscle function in vivo. Where appropriate, the chapter updates the emerging science that will increase understanding of muscle function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan V Brooks
- Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States.
| | - Steve D Guzman
- Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Lloyd P Ruiz
- Department of Molecular & Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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18
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Risi CM, Belknap B, White HD, Dryden K, Pinto JR, Chase PB, Galkin VE. High-resolution cryo-EM structure of the junction region of the native cardiac thin filament in relaxed state. PNAS NEXUS 2023; 2:pgac298. [PMID: 36712934 PMCID: PMC9832952 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac contraction depends on molecular interactions among sarcomeric proteins coordinated by the rising and falling intracellular Ca2+ levels. Cardiac thin filament (cTF) consists of two strands composed of actin, tropomyosin (Tm), and equally spaced troponin (Tn) complexes forming regulatory units. Tn binds Ca2+ to move Tm strand away from myosin-binding sites on actin to enable actomyosin cross-bridges required for force generation. The Tn complex has three subunits-Ca2+-binding TnC, inhibitory TnI, and Tm-binding TnT. Tm strand is comprised of adjacent Tm molecules that overlap "head-to-tail" along the actin filament. The N-terminus of TnT (e.g., TnT1) binds to the Tm overlap region to form the cTF junction region-the region that connects adjacent regulatory units and confers to cTF internal cooperativity. Numerous studies have predicted interactions among actin, Tm, and TnT1 within the junction region, although a direct structural description of the cTF junction region awaited completion. Here, we report a 3.8 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of the native cTF junction region at relaxing (pCa 8) Ca2+ conditions. We provide novel insights into the "head-to-tail" interactions between adjacent Tm molecules and interactions between the Tm junction with F-actin. We demonstrate how TnT1 stabilizes the Tm overlap region via its interactions with the Tm C- and N-termini and actin. Our data show that TnT1 works as a joint that anchors the Tm overlap region to actin, which stabilizes the relaxed state of the cTF. Our structure provides insight into the molecular basis of cardiac diseases caused by missense mutations in TnT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina M Risi
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Betty Belknap
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Howard D White
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Kelly Dryden
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Jose R Pinto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL 32304, USA
| | - P Bryant Chase
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA
| | - Vitold E Galkin
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
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19
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Risi CM, Villanueva E, Belknap B, Sadler RL, Harris SP, White HD, Galkin VE. Cryo-Electron Microscopy Reveals Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C M-Domain Interactions with the Thin Filament. J Mol Biol 2022; 434:167879. [PMID: 36370805 PMCID: PMC9771592 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2022.167879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac myosin binding protein C (cMyBP-C) modulates cardiac contraction via direct interactions with cardiac thick (myosin) and thin (actin) filaments (cTFs). While its C-terminal domains (e.g. C8-C10) anchor cMyBP-C to the backbone of the thick filament, its N-terminal domains (NTDs) (e.g. C0, C1, M, and C2) bind to both myosin and actin to accomplish its dual roles of inhibiting thick filaments and activating cTFs. While the positions of C0, C1 and C2 on cTF have been reported, the binding site of the M-domain on the surface of the cTF is unknown. Here, we used cryo-EM to reveal that the M-domain interacts with actin via helix 3 of its ordered tri-helix bundle region, while the unstructured part of the M-domain does not maintain extensive interactions with actin. We combined the recently obtained structure of the cTF with the positions of all the four NTDs on its surface to propose a complete model of the NTD binding to the cTF. The model predicts that the interactions of the NTDs with the cTF depend on the activation state of the cTF. At the peak of systole, when bound to the extensively activated cTF, NTDs would inhibit actomyosin interactions. In contrast, at falling Ca2+ levels, NTDs would not compete with the myosin heads for binding to the cTF, but would rather promote formation of active cross-bridges at the adjacent regulatory units located at the opposite cTF strand. Our structural data provides a testable model of the cTF regulation by the cMyBP-C.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina M Risi
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Edwin Villanueva
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Betty Belknap
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Rachel L Sadler
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Samantha P Harris
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724, USA
| | - Howard D White
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA
| | - Vitold E Galkin
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA.
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Caremani M, Marcello M, Morotti I, Pertici I, Squarci C, Reconditi M, Bianco P, Piazzesi G, Lombardi V, Linari M. The force of the myosin motor sets cooperativity in thin filament activation of skeletal muscles. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1266. [DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-04184-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractContraction of striated muscle is regulated by a dual mechanism involving both thin, actin-containing filament and thick, myosin-containing filament. Thin filament is activated by Ca2+ binding to troponin, leading to tropomyosin displacement that exposes actin sites for interaction with myosin motors, extending from the neighbouring stress-activated thick filaments. Motor attachment to actin contributes to spreading activation along the thin filament, through a cooperative mechanism, still unclear, that determines the slope of the sigmoidal relation between isometric force and pCa (−log[Ca2+]), estimated by Hill coefficient nH. We use sarcomere-level mechanics in demembranated fibres of rabbit skeletal muscle activated by Ca2+ at different temperatures (12–35 °C) to show that nH depends on the motor force at constant number of attached motors. The definition of the role of motor force provides fundamental constraints for modelling the dynamics of thin filament activation and defining the action of small molecules as possible therapeutic tools.
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21
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Sequeira V, Wang L, Wijnker PJ, Kim K, Pinto JR, dos Remedios C, Redwood C, Knollmann BC, van der Velden J. Low expression of the K280N TNNT2 mutation is sufficient to increase basal myofilament activation in human hypertrophy cardiomyopathy. JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY PLUS 2022; 1:100007. [PMID: 37159677 PMCID: PMC10160007 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmccpl.2022.100007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Background Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with patients typically showing heterozygous inheritance of a pathogenic variant in a gene encoding a contractile protein. Here, we study the contractile effects of a rare homozygous mutation using explanted tissue and human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) to gain insight into how the balance between mutant and WT protein expression affects cardiomyocyte function. Methods Force measurements were performed in cardiomyocytes isolated from a HCM patient carrying a homozygous troponin T mutation (cTnT-K280N) and healthy donors. To discriminate between mutation-mediated and phosphorylation-related effects on Ca2+-sensitivity, cardiomyocytes were treated with alkaline phosphatase (AP) or protein kinase A (PKA). Troponin exchange experiments characterized the relation between mutant levels and myofilament function. To define mutation-mediated effects on Ca2+-dynamics we used CRISPR/Cas9 to generate hiPSC-CMs harbouring heterozygous and homozygous TnT-K280N mutations. Ca2+-transient and cell shortening experiments compared these lines against isogenic controls. Results Myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity was higher in homozygous cTnT-K280N cardiomyocytes and was not corrected by AP- and PKA-treatment. In cTnT-K280N cells exchanged with cTnT-WT, a low level (14%) of cTnT-K280N mutation elevated Ca2+-sensitivity. Similarly, exchange of donor cells with 45 ± 2% cTnT-K280N increased Ca2+-sensitivity and was not corrected by PKA. cTnT-K280N hiPSC-CMs show elevated diastolic Ca2+ and increases in cell shortening. Impaired cardiomyocyte relaxation was only evident in homozygous cTnT-K280N hiPSC-CMs. Conclusions The cTnT-K280N mutation increases myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity, elevates diastolic Ca2+, enhances contractility and impairs cellular relaxation. A low level (14%) of the cTnT-K280N sensitizes myofilaments to Ca2+, a universal finding of human HCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasco Sequeira
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, United States
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center (CHFC) University Clinic Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Lili Wang
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, United States
| | - Paul J.M. Wijnker
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Kyungsoo Kim
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, United States
| | - Jose R. Pinto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, USA
| | - Cris dos Remedios
- Muscle Research Unit, Discipline of Anatomy & Histology, Bosch Institute, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Bjorn C. Knollmann
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Nashville, United States
| | - Jolanda van der Velden
- Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Physiology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam UMC location Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Physiology, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Heart Failure and Arrhythmias, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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22
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Pavadai E, Rynkiewicz MJ, Yang Z, Gould IR, Marston SB, Lehman W. Modulation of cardiac thin filament structure by phosphorylated troponin-I analyzed by protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulation. Arch Biochem Biophys 2022; 725:109282. [PMID: 35577070 PMCID: PMC10680062 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2022.109282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Tropomyosin, controlled by troponin-linked Ca2+-binding, regulates muscle contraction by a macromolecular scale steric-mechanism that governs myosin-crossbridge-actin interactions. At low-Ca2+, C-terminal domains of troponin-I (TnI) trap tropomyosin in a position on thin filaments that interferes with myosin-binding, thus causing muscle relaxation. Steric inhibition is reversed at high-Ca2+ when TnI releases from F-actin-tropomyosin as Ca2+ and the TnI switch-peptide bind to the N-lobe of troponin-C (TnC). The opposite end of cardiac TnI contains a phosphorylation-sensitive ∼30 residue-long N-terminal peptide that is absent in skeletal muscle, and likely modifies these interactions in hearts. Here, PKA-dependent phosphorylation of serine 23 and 24 modulates Ca2+ and possibly switch-peptide binding to TnC, causing faster relaxation during the cardiac-cycle (lusitropy). The cardiac-specific N-terminal TnI domain is not captured in crystal structures of troponin or in cryo-EM reconstructions of thin filaments; thus, its global impact on thin filament structure and function is uncertain. Here, we used protein-protein docking and molecular dynamics simulation-based protocols to build a troponin model that was guided by and hence consistent with the recent seminal Yamada structure of Ca2+-activated thin filaments. We find that when present on thin filaments, phosphorylated Ser23/24 along with adjacent polar TnI residues interact closely with both tropomyosin and the N-lobe of TnC during our simulations. These interactions would likely bias tropomyosin to an off-state positioning on actin. In situ, such enhanced relaxation kinetics would promote cardiac lusitropy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elumalai Pavadai
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA
| | - Zeyu Yang
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, Shepard's Bush, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Ian R Gould
- Department of Chemistry and Institute of Chemical Biology, Imperial College London, Shepard's Bush, London, W12 0BZ, UK
| | - Steven B Marston
- National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Dovehouse Street, W12 0NN, UK
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, 700 Albany Street, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.
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23
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Rynkiewicz MJ, Pavadai E, Lehman W. Modeling Human Cardiac Thin Filament Structures. Front Physiol 2022; 13:932333. [PMID: 35812320 PMCID: PMC9257132 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.932333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Striated muscle contraction is regulated in a calcium-dependent manner through dynamic motions of the tropomyosin/troponin polymer, a multicomponent complex wrapped around actin-containing thin filaments. Tropomyosin/troponin sterically blocks myosin-binding at low-calcium concentrations but moves to expose myosin-binding sites at high-calcium concentrations leading to force development. Understanding the key intermolecular interactions that define these dynamic motions will promote our understanding of mutation-induced contractile dysfunction that eventually leads to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy, and skeletal myopathies. Advancements in cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) have resulted in a partial elucidation of structures of the thin filament, revealing many atomic-level interactions between the component proteins and critical calcium-dependent conformational alterations. However, building models at the resolutions achieved can be challenging since landmarks in the maps are often missing or ambiguous. Therefore, current computational analyses including de novo structure prediction, protein-protein docking, molecular dynamics flexible fitting, and molecular dynamics simulations are needed to ensure good quality models. We review here our efforts to model the troponin T domain spanning the head-to-tail overlap domain of tropomyosin, improving previous models. Next, we refined the published cryoEM modeled structures, which had mistakenly compressed alpha helices, with a model that has expected helical parameters while matching densities in the cryoEM volume. Lastly, we used this model to reinterpret the interactions between tropomyosin and troponin I showing key features that hold the tropomyosin cable in its low-calcium, sterically blocking position. These revised thin filament models show improved intermolecular interactions in the key low- and high-calcium regulatory states, providing novel insights into function.
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24
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Prodanovic M, Geeves MA, Poggesi C, Regnier M, Mijailovich SM. Effect of Myosin Isoforms on Cardiac Muscle Twitch of Mice, Rats and Humans. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:1135. [PMID: 35163054 PMCID: PMC8835009 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23031135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 01/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
To understand how pathology-induced changes in contractile protein isoforms modulate cardiac muscle function, it is necessary to quantify the temporal-mechanical properties of contractions that occur under various conditions. Pathological responses are much easier to study in animal model systems than in humans, but extrapolation between species presents numerous challenges. Employing computational approaches can help elucidate relationships that are difficult to test experimentally by translating the observations from rats and mice, as model organisms, to the human heart. Here, we use the spatially explicit MUSICO platform to model twitch contractions from rodent and human trabeculae collected in a single laboratory. This approach allowed us to identify the variations in kinetic characteristics of α- and β-myosin isoforms across species and to quantify their effect on cardiac muscle contractile responses. The simulations showed how the twitch transient varied with the ratio of the two myosin isoforms. Particularly, the rate of tension rise was proportional to the fraction of α-myosin present, while the β-isoform dominated the rate of relaxation unless α-myosin was >50%. Moreover, both the myosin isoform and the Ca2+ transient contributed to the twitch tension transient, allowing two levels of regulation of twitch contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Momcilo Prodanovic
- Institute for Information Technologies, University of Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia;
- Bioengineering Research and Development Center (BioIRC), 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
- FilamenTech, Inc., Newtown, MA 02458, USA
| | - Michael A. Geeves
- Department of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NJ, Kent, UK;
| | - Corrado Poggesi
- Department of Experimental & Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, 20134 Florence, Italy;
| | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA;
| | - Srboljub M. Mijailovich
- FilamenTech, Inc., Newtown, MA 02458, USA
- Department of Biology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL 60616, USA
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25
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Papadaki M, Kampaengsri T, Barrick SK, Campbell SG, von Lewinski D, Rainer PP, Harris SP, Greenberg MJ, Kirk JA. Myofilament glycation in diabetes reduces contractility by inhibiting tropomyosin movement, is rescued by cMyBPC domains. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2022; 162:1-9. [PMID: 34487755 PMCID: PMC8766917 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2021.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Diabetes doubles the risk of developing heart failure (HF). As the prevalence of diabetes grows, so will HF unless the mechanisms connecting these diseases can be identified. Methylglyoxal (MG) is a glycolysis by-product that forms irreversible modifications on lysine and arginine, called glycation. We previously found that myofilament MG glycation causes sarcomere contractile dysfunction and is increased in patients with diabetes and HF. The aim of this study was to discover the molecular mechanisms by which MG glycation of myofilament proteins cause sarcomere dysfunction and to identify therapeutic avenues to compensate. In humans with type 2 diabetes without HF, we found increased glycation of sarcomeric actin compared to non-diabetics and it correlated with decreased calcium sensitivity. Depressed calcium sensitivity is pathogenic for HF, therefore myofilament glycation represents a promising therapeutic target to inhibit the development of HF in diabetics. To identify possible therapeutic targets, we further defined the molecular actions of myofilament glycation. Skinned myocytes exposed to 100 μM MG exhibited decreased calcium sensitivity, maximal calcium-activated force, and crossbridge kinetics. Replicating MG's functional affects using a computer simulation of sarcomere function predicted simultaneous decreases in tropomyosin's blocked-to-closed rate transition and crossbridge duty cycle were consistent with all experimental findings. Stopped-flow experiments and ATPase activity confirmed MG decreased the blocked-to-closed transition rate. Currently, no therapeutics target tropomyosin, so as proof-of-principal, we used a n-terminal peptide of myosin-binding protein C, previously shown to alter tropomyosin's position on actin. C0C2 completely rescued MG-induced calcium desensitization, suggesting a possible treatment for diabetic HF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Papadaki
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University of Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
| | - Theerachat Kampaengsri
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University of Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA
| | - Samantha K. Barrick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Stuart G. Campbell
- Department of Bioengineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - Peter P. Rainer
- Division of Cardiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Samantha P. Harris
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Michael J. Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Jonathan A. Kirk
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University of Chicago, Maywood, Illinois, USA,Corresponding Author: Jonathan A. Kirk, Ph.D., Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, Center for Translational Research and Education, Room 522, 2160 S. First Ave., Maywood, IL 60153, Ph: 708-216-6348,
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26
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Smith QM, Inchingolo AV, Mihailescu MD, Dai H, Kad NM. Single-molecule imaging reveals the concerted release of myosin from regulated thin filaments. eLife 2021; 10:69184. [PMID: 34569933 PMCID: PMC8476120 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 09/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulated thin filaments (RTFs) tightly control striated muscle contraction through calcium binding to troponin, which enables tropomyosin to expose myosin-binding sites on actin. Myosin binding holds tropomyosin in an open position, exposing more myosin-binding sites on actin, leading to cooperative activation. At lower calcium levels, troponin and tropomyosin turn off the thin filament; however, this is antagonised by the high local concentration of myosin, questioning how the thin filament relaxes. To provide molecular details of deactivation, we used single-molecule imaging of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged myosin-S1 (S1-GFP) to follow the activation of RTF tightropes. In sub-maximal activation conditions, RTFs are not fully active, enabling direct observation of deactivation in real time. We observed that myosin binding occurs in a stochastic step-wise fashion; however, an unexpectedly large probability of multiple contemporaneous detachments is observed. This suggests that deactivation of the thin filament is a coordinated active process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quentin M Smith
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Hongsheng Dai
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
| | - Neil M Kad
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, United Kingdom
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27
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Squire JM, Knupp C. Analysis methods and quality criteria for investigating muscle physiology using x-ray diffraction. J Gen Physiol 2021; 153:212538. [PMID: 34351359 PMCID: PMC8348228 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 12/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
X-ray diffraction studies of muscle have been tremendously powerful in providing fundamental insights into the structures of, for example, the myosin and actin filaments in a variety of muscles and the physiology of the cross-bridge mechanism during the contractile cycle. However, interpretation of x-ray diffraction patterns is far from trivial, and if modeling of the observed diffraction intensities is required it needs to be performed carefully with full knowledge of the possible pitfalls. Here, we discuss (1) how x-ray diffraction can be used as a tool to monitor various specific muscle properties and (2) how to get the most out of the rest of the observed muscle x-ray diffraction patterns by modeling where the reliability of the modeling conclusions can be objectively tested. In other x-ray diffraction methods, such as protein crystallography, the reliability of every step of the process is estimated and quoted in published papers. In this way, the quality of the structure determination can be properly assessed. To be honest with ourselves in the muscle field, we need to do as near to the same as we can, within the limitations of the techniques that we are using. We discuss how this can be done. We also use test cases to reveal the dos and don’ts of using x-ray diffraction to study muscle physiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Squire
- Muscle Contraction Group, School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Carlo Knupp
- School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
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28
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Barrick SK, Greenberg L, Greenberg MJ. A troponin T variant linked with pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy reduces the coupling of thin filament activation to myosin and calcium binding. Mol Biol Cell 2021; 32:1677-1689. [PMID: 34161147 PMCID: PMC8684737 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e21-02-0082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a significant cause of pediatric heart failure. Mutations in proteins that regulate cardiac muscle contraction can cause DCM; however, the mechanisms by which molecular-level mutations contribute to cellular dysfunction are not well understood. Better understanding of these mechanisms might enable the development of targeted therapeutics that benefit patient subpopulations with mutations that cause common biophysical defects. We examined the molecular- and cellular-level impacts of a troponin T variant associated with pediatric-onset DCM, R134G. The R134G variant decreased calcium sensitivity in an in vitro motility assay. Using stopped-flow and steady-state fluorescence measurements, we determined the molecular mechanism of the altered calcium sensitivity: R134G decouples calcium binding by troponin from the closed-to-open transition of the thin filament and decreases the cooperativity of myosin binding to regulated thin filaments. Consistent with the prediction that these effects would cause reduced force per sarcomere, cardiomyocytes carrying the R134G mutation are hypocontractile. They also show hallmarks of DCM that lie downstream of the initial insult, including disorganized sarcomeres and cellular hypertrophy. These results reinforce the importance of multiscale studies to fully understand mechanisms underlying human disease and highlight the value of mechanism-based precision medicine approaches for DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha K Barrick
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Lina Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
| | - Michael J Greenberg
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110
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29
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Mutations Q93H and E97K in TPM2 Disrupt Ca-Dependent Regulation of Actin Filaments. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22084036. [PMID: 33919826 PMCID: PMC8070786 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22084036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropomyosin is a two-chain coiled coil protein, which together with the troponin complex controls interactions of actin with myosin in a Ca2+-dependent manner. In fast skeletal muscle, the contractile actin filaments are regulated by tropomyosin isoforms Tpm1.1 and Tpm2.2, which form homo- and heterodimers. Mutations in the TPM2 gene encoding isoform Tpm2.2 are linked to distal arthrogryposis and congenital myopathy-skeletal muscle diseases characterized by hyper- and hypocontractile phenotypes, respectively. In this work, in vitro functional assays were used to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of mutations Q93H and E97K in TPM2. Both mutations tended to decrease actin affinity of homo-and heterodimers in the absence and presence of troponin and Ca2+, although the effect of Q93H was stronger. Changes in susceptibility of tropomyosin to trypsin digestion suggested that the mutations diversified dynamics of tropomyosin homo- and heterodimers on the filament. The presence of Q93H in homo- and heterodimers strongly decreased activation of the actomyosin ATPase and reduced sensitivity of the thin filament to [Ca2+]. In contrast, the presence of E97K caused hyperactivation of the ATPase and increased sensitivity to [Ca2+]. In conclusion, the hypo- and hypercontractile phenotypes associated with mutations Q93H and E97K in Tpm2.2 are caused by defects in Ca2+-dependent regulation of actin-myosin interactions.
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30
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Risi CM, Pepper I, Belknap B, Landim-Vieira M, White HD, Dryden K, Pinto JR, Chase PB, Galkin VE. The structure of the native cardiac thin filament at systolic Ca 2+ levels. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2024288118. [PMID: 33753506 PMCID: PMC8020778 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2024288118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Every heartbeat relies on cyclical interactions between myosin thick and actin thin filaments orchestrated by rising and falling Ca2+ levels. Thin filaments are comprised of two actin strands, each harboring equally separated troponin complexes, which bind Ca2+ to move tropomyosin cables away from the myosin binding sites and, thus, activate systolic contraction. Recently, structures of thin filaments obtained at low (pCa ∼9) or high (pCa ∼3) Ca2+ levels revealed the transition between the Ca2+-free and Ca2+-bound states. However, in working cardiac muscle, Ca2+ levels fluctuate at intermediate values between pCa ∼6 and pCa ∼7. The structure of the thin filament at physiological Ca2+ levels is unknown. We used cryoelectron microscopy and statistical analysis to reveal the structure of the cardiac thin filament at systolic pCa = 5.8. We show that the two strands of the thin filament consist of a mixture of regulatory units, which are composed of Ca2+-free, Ca2+-bound, or mixed (e.g., Ca2+ free on one side and Ca2+ bound on the other side) troponin complexes. We traced troponin complex conformations along and across individual thin filaments to directly determine the structural composition of the cardiac native thin filament at systolic Ca2+ levels. We demonstrate that the two thin filament strands are activated stochastically with short-range cooperativity evident only on one of the two strands. Our findings suggest a mechanism by which cardiac muscle is regulated by narrow range Ca2+ fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina M Risi
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507
| | - Ian Pepper
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507
| | - Betty Belknap
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507
| | - Maicon Landim-Vieira
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL 32304
| | - Howard D White
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507
| | - Kelly Dryden
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22903
| | - Jose R Pinto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, FL 32304
| | - P Bryant Chase
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306
| | - Vitold E Galkin
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA 23507;
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31
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Lehman W, Pavadai E, Rynkiewicz MJ. C-terminal troponin-I residues trap tropomyosin in the muscle thin filament blocked-state. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 551:27-32. [PMID: 33714756 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.03.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Tropomyosin and troponin regulate muscle contraction by participating in a macromolecular scale steric-mechanism to control myosin-crossbridge - actin interactions and consequently contraction. At low-Ca2+, the C-terminal 30% of troponin subunit-I (TnI) is proposed to trap tropomyosin in a position on thin filaments that sterically interferes with myosin-binding, thus causing muscle relaxation. In contrast, at high-Ca2+, inhibition is released after the C-terminal domains dissociate from F-actin-tropomyosin as its component switch-peptide domain binds to the N-lobe of troponin-C (TnC). Recent, paradigm-shifting, cryo-EM reconstructions by the Namba group have revealed density attributed to TnI along cardiac muscle thin filaments at both low- and high-Ca2+ concentration. Modeling the reconstructions showed expected high-Ca2+ hydrophobic interactions of the TnI switch-peptide and TnC. However, under low-Ca2+ conditions, sparse interactions of TnI and tropomyosin, and in particular juxtaposition of non-polar switch-peptide residues and charged tropomyosin amino acids in the published model seem difficult to reconcile with an expected steric-blocking conformation. This anomaly is likely due to inaccurate fitting of tropomyosin into the cryo-EM volume. In the current study, the low-Ca2+ cryo-EM volume was fitted with a more accurate tropomyosin model and representation of cardiac TnI. Our results show that at low-Ca2+ a cluster of hydrophobic residues at the TnI switch-peptide and adjacent H4 helix (Ala149, Ala151, Met 154, Leu159, Gly160, Ala161, Ala163, Leu167, Leu169, Ala171, Leu173) draw-in tropomyosin surface residues (Ile143, Ile146, Ala151, Ile154), presumably attracting the entire tropomyosin cable to its myosin-blocking position on actin. The modeling confirms that neighboring TnI "inhibitory domain" residues (Arg145, Arg148) bind to thin filaments at actin residue Asp25, as previously suggested. ClusPro docking of TnI residues 137-184 to actin-tropomyosin, including the TnI inhibitory-domain, switch-peptide and Helix H4, verified the modeled configuration. Our residue-to-residue contact-mapping of the TnI-tropomyosin association lends itself to experimental validation and functional localization of disease-bearing mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Lehman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.
| | - Elumalai Pavadai
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, 02118, USA.
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32
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Tobacman LS, Cammarato A. Cardiomyopathic troponin mutations predominantly occur at its interface with actin and tropomyosin. J Gen Physiol 2021; 153:e202012815. [PMID: 33492345 PMCID: PMC7836260 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Reversible Ca2+ binding to troponin is the primary on-off switch of the contractile apparatus of striated muscles, including the heart. Dominant missense mutations in human cardiac troponin genes are among the causes of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy. Structural understanding of troponin action has recently advanced considerably via electron microscopy and molecular dynamics studies of the thin filament. As a result, it is now possible to examine cardiomyopathy-inducing troponin mutations in thin-filament structural context, and from that to seek new insight into pathogenesis and into the troponin regulatory mechanism. We compiled from consortium reports a representative set of troponin mutation sites whose pathogenicity was determined using standardized clinical genetics criteria. Another set of sites, apparently tolerant of amino acid substitutions, was compiled from the gnomAD v2 database. Pathogenic substitutions occurred predominantly in the areas of troponin that contact actin or tropomyosin, including, but not limited to, two regions of newly proposed structure and long-known implication in cardiomyopathy: the C-terminal third of troponin I and a part of the troponin T N terminus. The pathogenic mutations were located in troponin regions that prevent contraction under low Ca2+ concentration conditions. These regions contribute to Ca2+-regulated steric hindrance of myosin by the combined effects of troponin and tropomyosin. Loss-of-function mutations within these parts of troponin result in loss of inhibition, consistent with the hypercontractile phenotype characteristic of HCM. Notably, pathogenic mutations are absent in our dataset from the Ca2+-binding, activation-producing troponin C (TnC) N-lobe, which controls contraction by a multi-faceted mechanism. Apparently benign mutations are also diminished in the TnC N-lobe, suggesting mutations are poorly tolerated in that critical domain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry S. Tobacman
- Departments of Medicine and of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Anthony Cammarato
- Departments of Medicine and of Physiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
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33
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Mijailovich SM, Prodanovic M, Poggesi C, Geeves MA, Regnier M. Multiscale modeling of twitch contractions in cardiac trabeculae. J Gen Physiol 2021; 153:e202012604. [PMID: 33512405 PMCID: PMC7852458 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202012604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the dynamics of a cardiac muscle twitch contraction is complex because it requires a detailed understanding of the kinetic processes of the Ca2+ transient, thin-filament activation, and the myosin-actin cross-bridge chemomechanical cycle. Each of these steps has been well defined individually, but understanding how all three of the processes operate in combination is a far more complex problem. Computational modeling has the potential to provide detailed insight into each of these processes, how the dynamics of each process affect the complexity of contractile behavior, and how perturbations such as mutations in sarcomere proteins affect the complex interactions of all of these processes. The mechanisms involved in relaxation of tension during a cardiac twitch have been particularly difficult to discern due to nonhomogeneous sarcomere lengthening during relaxation. Here we use the multiscale MUSICO platform to model rat trabecular twitches. Validation of computational models is dependent on being able to simulate different experimental datasets, but there has been a paucity of data that can provide all of the required parameters in a single experiment, such as simultaneous measurements of force, intracellular Ca2+ transients, and sarcomere length dynamics. In this study, we used data from different studies collected under similar experimental conditions to provide information for all the required parameters. Our simulations established that twitches either in an isometric sarcomere or in fixed-length, multiple-sarcomere trabeculae replicate the experimental observations if models incorporate a length-tension relationship for the nonlinear series elasticity of muscle preparations and a scheme for thick-filament regulation. The thick-filament regulation assumes an off state in which myosin heads are parked onto the thick-filament backbone and are unable to interact with actin, a state analogous to the super-relaxed state. Including these two mechanisms provided simulations that accurately predict twitch contractions over a range of different conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Momcilo Prodanovic
- Bioengineering Research and Development Center, Kragujevac, Serbia
- Faculty of Engineering, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Corrado Poggesi
- Department of Experimental & Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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Creso JG, Campbell SG. Potential impacts of the cardiac troponin I mobile domain on myofilament activation and relaxation. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2021; 155:50-57. [PMID: 33647310 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2021.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The cardiac thin filament is regulated in a Ca2+-dependent manner through conformational changes of troponin and tropomyosin (Tm). It has been generally understood that under conditions of low Ca2+ the inhibitory peptide domain (IP) of troponin I (TnI) binds to actin and holds Tm over the myosin binding sites on actin to prevent crossbridge formation. More recently, evidence that the C-terminal mobile domain (MD) of TnI also binds actin has made for a more complex scenario. This study uses a computational model to investigate the consequences of assuming that TnI regulates Tm movement via two actin-binding domains rather than one. First, a 16-state model of the cardiac thin filament regulatory unit was created with TnI-IP as the sole regulatory domain. Expansion of this to include TnI-MD formed a 24-state model. Comparison of these models showed that assumption of a second actin-binding site allows the individual domains to have a lower affinity for actin than would be required for IP acting alone. Indeed, setting actin affinities of the IP and MD to 25% of that assumed for the IP in the single-site model was sufficient to achieve precisely the same degree of Ca2+ regulation. We also tested the 24-state model's ability to represent steady-state experimental data in the case of disruption of either the IP or MD. We were able to capture qualitative changes in several properties that matched what was seen in the experimental data. Lastly, simulations were run to examine the effect of disruption of the IP or MD on twitch dynamics. Our results suggest that both domains are required to keep diastolic cross-bridge activity to a minimum and accelerate myofilament relaxation. Overall, our analyses support a paradigm in which two domains of TnI bind with moderate affinity to actin, working in tandem to complete Ca2+-dependent regulation of the thin filament.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenette G Creso
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, 55 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
| | - Stuart G Campbell
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yale University, 55 Prospect St, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, Yale School of Medicine, 333 Cedar St, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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Tobacman LS. Troponin Revealed: Uncovering the Structure of the Thin Filament On-Off Switch in Striated Muscle. Biophys J 2021; 120:1-9. [PMID: 33221250 PMCID: PMC7820733 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, our understanding of the structural basis of troponin-tropomyosin's Ca2+-triggered regulation of striated muscle contraction has advanced greatly, particularly via cryo-electron microscopy data. Compelling atomic models of troponin-tropomyosin-actin were published for both apo- and Ca2+-saturated states of the cardiac thin filament. Subsequent electron microscopy and computational analyses have supported and further elaborated the findings. Per cryo-electron microscopy, each troponin is highly extended and contacts both tropomyosin strands, which lie on opposite sides of the actin filament. In the apo-state characteristic of relaxed muscle, troponin and tropomyosin hinder strong myosin-actin binding in several different ways, apparently barricading the actin more substantially than does tropomyosin alone. The troponin core domain, the C-terminal third of TnI, and tropomyosin under the influence of a 64-residue helix of TnT located at the overlap of adjacent tropomyosins are all in positions that would hinder strong myosin binding to actin. In the Ca2+-saturated state, the TnI C-terminus dissociates from actin and binds in part to TnC; the core domain pivots significantly; the N-lobe of TnC binds specifically to actin and tropomyosin; and tropomyosin rotates partially away from myosin's binding site on actin. At the overlap domain, Ca2+ causes much less tropomyosin movement, so a more inhibitory orientation persists. In the myosin-saturated state of the thin filament, there is a large additional shift in tropomyosin, with molecular interactions now identified between tropomyosin and both actin and myosin. A new era has arrived for investigation of the thin filament and for functional understandings that increasingly accommodate the recent structural results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larry S Tobacman
- Departments of Medicine and of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.
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36
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The Transient Mechanics of Muscle Require Only a Single Force-Producing Cross-Bridge State and a 100 Å Working Stroke. BIOLOGY 2020; 9:biology9120475. [PMID: 33339405 PMCID: PMC7765809 DOI: 10.3390/biology9120475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Simple Summary With modern increased computational power, newly developed computer programs can be used to simulate how muscle contracts. Here, we created, in silico, a “virtual” muscle that includes modelled myosin cross-bridges, and, using statistical mechanical methods, we calculated the macroscopic response of the muscle during contraction and as a result of applied transients. Good fits to many experimental observations were obtained with this simple model with one attached force-producing state and using a single cross-bridge step size of 100 Å. Abstract An informative probe of myosin cross-bridge behaviour in active muscle is a mechanical transient experiment where, for example, a fully active muscle initially held at constant length is suddenly shortened to a new fixed length, providing a force transient, or has its load suddenly reduced, providing a length transient. We describe the simplest cross-bridge mechanical cycle we could find to model these transients. We show using the statistical mechanics of 50,000 cross-bridges that a simple cycle with two actin-attached cross-bridge states, one producing no force and the other producing force, will explain much of what has been observed experimentally, and we discuss the implications of this modelling for our understanding of how muscle works. We show that this same simple model will explain, reasonably well, the isotonic mechanical and X-ray transients under different loads observed by Reconditi et al. (2004, Nature 428, 578) and that there is no need to invoke different cross-bridge step sizes under these different conditions; a step size of 100 Å works well for all loads. We do not claim that this model provides a total mechanical explanation of how muscle works. However, we do suggest that only if there are other observations that cannot be explained by this simple model should something more complicated be considered.
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Zot HG, Chase PB, Hasbun JE, Pinto JR. Mechanical contribution to muscle thin filament activation. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:15913-15922. [PMID: 32900850 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014438] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate striated muscle thin filaments are thought to be thermodynamically activated in response to an increase in Ca2+ concentration. We tested this hypothesis by measuring time intervals for gliding runs and pauses of individual skeletal muscle thin filaments in cycling myosin motility assays. A classic thermodynamic mechanism predicts that if chemical potential is constant, transitions between runs and pauses of gliding thin filaments will occur at constant rate as given by a Poisson distribution. In this scenario, rate is given by the odds of a pause, and hence, run times between pauses fit an exponential distribution that slopes negatively for all observable run times. However, we determined that relative density of observed run times fits an exponential only at low Ca2+ levels that activate filament gliding. Further titration with Ca2+, or adding excess regulatory proteins tropomyosin and troponin, shifted the relative density of short run times to fit the positive slope of a gamma distribution, which derives from waiting times between Poisson events. Events that arise during a run and prevent the chance of ending a run for a random interval of time account for the observed run time distributions, suggesting that the events originate with cycling myosin. We propose that regulatory proteins of the thin filament require the mechanical force of cycling myosin to achieve the transition state for activation. During activation, combinations of cycling myosin that contribute insufficient activation energy delay deactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henry G Zot
- Department of Biology, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, USA; Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.
| | - P Bryant Chase
- Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
| | - Javier E Hasbun
- Department of Physics, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, Georgia, USA
| | - Jose R Pinto
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA
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Hypothesis: Single Actomyosin Properties Account for Ensemble Behavior in Active Muscle Shortening and Isometric Contraction. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21218399. [PMID: 33182367 PMCID: PMC7664901 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21218399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscle contraction results from cyclic interactions between myosin II motors and actin with two sets of proteins organized in overlapping thick and thin filaments, respectively, in a nearly crystalline lattice in a muscle sarcomere. However, a sarcomere contains a huge number of other proteins, some with important roles in muscle contraction. In particular, these include thin filament proteins, troponin and tropomyosin; thick filament proteins, myosin binding protein C; and the elastic protein, titin, that connects the thin and thick filaments. Furthermore, the order and 3D organization of the myofilament lattice may be important per se for contractile function. It is possible to model muscle contraction based on actin and myosin alone with properties derived in studies using single molecules and biochemical solution kinetics. It is also possible to reproduce several features of muscle contraction in experiments using only isolated actin and myosin, arguing against the importance of order and accessory proteins. Therefore, in this paper, it is hypothesized that “single molecule actomyosin properties account for the contractile properties of a half sarcomere during shortening and isometric contraction at almost saturating Ca concentrations”. In this paper, existing evidence for and against this hypothesis is reviewed and new modeling results to support the arguments are presented. Finally, further experimental tests are proposed, which if they corroborate, at least approximately, the hypothesis, should significantly benefit future effective analysis of a range of experimental studies, as well as drug discovery efforts.
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Liang HF, Li J, Li XD. Identification and characterization of troponin genes in Locusta migratoria. INSECT MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2020; 29:391-403. [PMID: 32338426 DOI: 10.1111/imb.12644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 11/12/2019] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Troponin complex comprises three subunits, namely troponin C (TpnC), troponin I (TpnI) and troponin T (TpnT), and regulates the contraction of striated muscle. We found that the locust Locusta migratoria genome has one TpnT gene (LmTpnT), one TpnI gene (LmTpnI) and three TpnC genes (LmTpnC1, LmTpnC2 and LmTpnC3). Through alternative splicing, LmTpnT and LmTpnI potentially encode two and eight isoforms, respectively. The flight muscle and the jump muscle of L. migratoria express an identical LmTpnT isoform, but different LmTpnC isoforms and LmTpnI isoforms. LmTpnC2 and LmTpnC3 both contain highly conserved residues essential for calcium binding in the EF-hand II and IV, thus belonging two-site isoform. LmTpnC1 contains non-conserved substitutions in the EF-hand II and all highly conserved residues for calcium binding in the EF-hand IV. Mutagenesis and tyrosine fluorescence spectroscopic analysis show that both the EF-hand II and IV of LmTpnC1 can serve as calcium-binding site. Therefore, all three LmTpnC isoforms belong to two-site isoform. This is in contrast to the situation in the insect with asynchronous flight muscle, which expresses both one-site isoform and two-site isoform of TpnC. Those results suggest that the origination of insect asynchronous flight muscle is associated with the emergence of one-site isoform of TpnC.
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Affiliation(s)
- H-F Liang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Insect Pests and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - J Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Insect Pests and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - X-D Li
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Insect Pests and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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40
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Doran MH, Pavadai E, Rynkiewicz MJ, Walklate J, Bullitt E, Moore JR, Regnier M, Geeves MA, Lehman W. Cryo-EM and Molecular Docking Shows Myosin Loop 4 Contacts Actin and Tropomyosin on Thin Filaments. Biophys J 2020; 119:821-830. [PMID: 32730789 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2020.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The motor protein myosin drives muscle and nonmuscle motility by binding to and moving along actin of thin filaments. Myosin binding to actin also modulates interactions of the regulatory protein, tropomyosin, on thin filaments, and conversely tropomyosin affects myosin binding to actin. Insight into this reciprocity will facilitate a molecular level elucidation of tropomyosin regulation of myosin interaction with actin in muscle contraction, and in turn, promote better understanding of nonmuscle cell motility. Indeed, experimental approaches such as fiber diffraction, cryoelectron microscopy, and three-dimensional reconstruction have long been used to define regulatory interaction of tropomyosin and myosin on actin at a structural level. However, their limited resolution has not proven sufficient to determine tropomyosin and myosin contacts at an atomic-level and thus to fully substantiate possible functional contributions. To overcome this deficiency, we have followed a hybrid approach by performing new cryogenic electron microscopy reconstruction of myosin-S1-decorated F-actin-tropomyosin together with atomic scale protein-protein docking of tropomyosin to the EM models. Here, cryo-EM data were derived from filaments reconstituted with α1-actin, cardiac αα-tropomyosin, and masseter muscle β-myosin complexes; masseter myosin, which shares sequence identity with β-cardiac myosin-heavy chain, was used because of its stability in vitro. The data were used to build an atomic model of the tropomyosin cable that fits onto the actin filament between the tip of the myosin head and a cleft on the innermost edge of actin subunits. The docking and atomic scale fitting showed multiple discrete interactions of myosin loop 4 and acidic residues on successive 39-42 residue-long tropomyosin pseudorepeats. The contacts between S1 and tropomyosin on actin appear to compete with and displace ones normally found between actin and tropomyosin on myosin-free thin filaments in relaxed muscle, thus restructuring the filament during myosin-induced activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew H Doran
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Elumalai Pavadai
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jonathan Walklate
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Esther Bullitt
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
| | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Michael A Geeves
- School of Biosciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
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41
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Poovathumkadavil P, Jagla K. Genetic Control of Muscle Diversification and Homeostasis: Insights from Drosophila. Cells 2020; 9:cells9061543. [PMID: 32630420 PMCID: PMC7349286 DOI: 10.3390/cells9061543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2020] [Revised: 06/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, the larval somatic muscles or the adult thoracic flight and leg muscles are the major voluntary locomotory organs. They share several developmental and structural similarities with vertebrate skeletal muscles. To ensure appropriate activity levels for their functions such as hatching in the embryo, crawling in the larva, and jumping and flying in adult flies all muscle components need to be maintained in a functionally stable or homeostatic state despite constant strain. This requires that the muscles develop in a coordinated manner with appropriate connections to other cell types they communicate with. Various signaling pathways as well as extrinsic and intrinsic factors are known to play a role during Drosophila muscle development, diversification, and homeostasis. In this review, we discuss genetic control mechanisms of muscle contraction, development, and homeostasis with particular emphasis on the contractile unit of the muscle, the sarcomere.
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42
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Ishii S, Oyama K, Shintani SA, Kobirumaki-Shimozawa F, Ishiwata S, Fukuda N. Thermal Activation of Thin Filaments in Striated Muscle. Front Physiol 2020; 11:278. [PMID: 32372968 PMCID: PMC7179743 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.00278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In skeletal and cardiac muscles, contraction is triggered by an increase in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration. During Ca2+ transients, Ca2+-binding to troponin C shifts the "on-off" equilibrium of the thin filament state toward the "on" sate, promoting actomyosin interaction. Likewise, recent studies have revealed that the thin filament state is under the influence of temperature; viz., an increase in temperature increases active force production. In this short review, we discuss the effects of temperature on the contractile performance of mammalian striated muscle at/around body temperature, focusing especially on the temperature-dependent shift of the "on-off" equilibrium of the thin filament state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuya Ishii
- Department of Cell Physiology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Quantum Beam Science Research Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Gunma, Japan
| | - Kotaro Oyama
- Quantum Beam Science Research Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Gunma, Japan
- PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Saitama, Japan
| | - Seine A. Shintani
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Life and Health Sciences, Chubu University, Kasugai, Japan
| | | | - Shin’ichi Ishiwata
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Norio Fukuda
- Department of Cell Physiology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
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Kalda M, Vendelin M. Cardiac muscle regulatory units are predicted to interact stronger than neighboring cross-bridges. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5530. [PMID: 32218497 PMCID: PMC7099078 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62452-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Strong interactions between cross-bridges (XB) and regulatory units (RU) lead to a steep response of cardiac muscle to an increase in intracellular calcium. We developed a model to quantitatively assess the influence of different types of interactions within the sarcomere on the properties of cardiac muscle. In the model, the ensembles consisting of cross-bridge groups connected by elastic tropomyosin are introduced, and their dynamics is described by a set of partial differential equations. Through large scans in the free energy landscape, we demonstrate the different influence of RU-RU, XB-XB, and XB-RU interactions on the cooperativity coefficient of calcium binding, developed maximal force, and calcium sensitivity. The model solution was fitted to reproduce experimental data on force development during isometric contraction, shortening in physiological contraction, and ATP consumption by acto-myosin. On the basis of the fits, we quantified the free energy change introduced through RU-RU and XB-XB interactions and showed that RU-RU interaction leads to ~ 5 times larger change in the free energy profile of the reaction than XB-XB interaction. Due to the deterministic description of muscle contraction and its thermodynamic consistency, we envision that the developed model can be used to study heart muscle biophysics on tissue and organ levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mari Kalda
- Laboratory of Systems Biology, Department of Cybernetics, School of Science, Tallinn University of Technology, 12618, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Marko Vendelin
- Laboratory of Systems Biology, Department of Cybernetics, School of Science, Tallinn University of Technology, 12618, Tallinn, Estonia.
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Lehman W, Rynkiewicz MJ, Moore JR. A new twist on tropomyosin binding to actin filaments: perspectives on thin filament function, assembly and biomechanics. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2020; 41:23-38. [PMID: 30771202 PMCID: PMC6697252 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-019-09501-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Tropomyosin, best known for its role in the steric regulation of muscle contraction, polymerizes head-to-tail to form cables localized along the length of both muscle and non-muscle actin-based thin filaments. In skeletal and cardiac muscles, tropomyosin, under the control of troponin and myosin, moves in a cooperative manner between blocked, closed and open positions on filaments, thereby masking and exposing actin-binding sites necessary for myosin crossbridge head interactions. While the coiled-coil signature of tropomyosin appears to be simple, closer inspection reveals surprising structural complexity required to perform its role in steric regulation. For example, component α-helices of coiled coils are typically zippered together along a continuous core hydrophobic stripe. Tropomyosin, however, contains a number of anomalous, functionally controversial, core amino acid residues. We argue that the atypical residues at this interface, including clusters of alanines and a charged aspartate, are required for preshaping tropomyosin to readily fit to the surface of the actin filament, but do so without compromising tropomyosin rigidity once the filament is assembled. Indeed, persistence length measurements of tropomyosin are characteristic of a semi-rigid cable, in this case conducive to cooperative movement on thin filaments. In addition, we also maintain that tropomyosin displays largely unrecognized and residue-specific torsional variance, which is involved in optimizing contacts between actin and tropomyosin on the assembled thin filament. Corresponding twist-induced stiffness may also enhance cooperative translocation of tropomyosin across actin filaments. We conclude that anomalous core residues of tropomyosin facilitate thin filament regulatory behavior in a multifaceted way.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Lehman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Michael J. Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A
| | - Jeffrey R. Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.A
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Abstract
Nebulin, encoded by NEB, is a giant skeletal muscle protein of about 6669 amino acids which forms an integral part of the sarcomeric thin filament. In recent years, the nebula around this protein has been largely lifted resulting in the discovery that nebulin is critical for a number of tasks in skeletal muscle. In this review, we firstly discussed nebulin’s role as a structural component of the thin filament and the Z-disk, regulating the length and the mechanical properties of the thin filament as well as providing stability to myofibrils by interacting with structural proteins within the Z-disk. Secondly, we reviewed nebulin’s involvement in the regulation of muscle contraction, cross-bridge cycling kinetics, Ca2+-homeostasis and excitation contraction (EC) coupling. While its role in Ca2+-homeostasis and EC coupling is still poorly understood, a large number of studies have helped to improve our knowledge on how nebulin affects skeletal muscle contractile mechanics. These studies suggest that nebulin affects the number of force generating actin-myosin cross-bridges and may also affect the force that each cross-bridge produces. It may exert this effect by interacting directly with actin and myosin and/or indirectly by potentially changing the localisation and function of the regulatory complex (troponin and tropomyosin). Besides unravelling the biology of nebulin, these studies are particularly helpful in understanding the patho-mechanism of myopathies caused by NEB mutations, providing knowledge which constitutes the critical first step towards the development of therapeutic interventions. Currently, effective treatments are not available, although a number of therapeutic strategies are being investigated.
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46
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Aboelkassem Y, McCabe KJ, Huber GA, Regnier M, McCammon JA, McCulloch AD. A Stochastic Multiscale Model of Cardiac Thin Filament Activation Using Brownian-Langevin Dynamics. Biophys J 2019; 117:2255-2272. [PMID: 31547973 PMCID: PMC6990154 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2019] [Revised: 07/31/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We use Brownian-Langevin dynamics principles to derive a coarse-graining multiscale myofilament model that can describe the thin-filament activation process during contraction. The model links atomistic molecular simulations of protein-protein interactions in the thin-filament regulatory unit to sarcomere-level activation dynamics. We first calculate the molecular interaction energy between tropomyosin and actin surface using Brownian dynamics simulations. This energy profile is then generalized to account for the observed tropomyosin transitions between its regulatory stable states. The generalized energy landscape then served as a basis for developing a filament-scale model using Langevin dynamics. This integrated analysis, spanning molecular to thin-filament scales, is capable of tracking the events of the tropomyosin conformational changes as it moves over the actin surface. The tropomyosin coil with flexible overlap regions between adjacent tropomyosins is represented in the model as a system of coupled stochastic ordinary differential equations. The proposed multiscale approach provides a more detailed molecular connection between tropomyosin dynamics, the trompomyosin-actin interaction-energy landscape, and the generated force by the sarcomere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasser Aboelkassem
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California.
| | - Kimberly J McCabe
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Gary A Huber
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - J Andrew McCammon
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
| | - Andrew D McCulloch
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
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Sundar S, Rynkiewicz MJ, Ghosh A, Lehman W, Moore JR. Cardiomyopathy Mutation Alters End-to-End Junction of Tropomyosin and Reduces Calcium Sensitivity. Biophys J 2019; 118:303-312. [PMID: 31882250 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.11.3396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 10/30/2019] [Accepted: 11/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscle contraction is governed by tropomyosin (Tpm) shifting azimuthally between three states on F-actin (B-, C-, and M-states) in response to calcium binding to troponin and actomyosin cross-bridge formation. The Tpm coiled coil polymerizes head to tail along the long-pitch helix of F-actin to form continuous superhelical cables that wrap around the actin filaments. The end-to-end bonds formed between the N- and C-terminus of adjacent Tpm molecules define Tpm continuity and play a critical role in the ability of Tpm to cooperatively bind to actin, thus facilitating Tpm conformational switching to cooperatively propagate along F-actin. We expect that a missense mutation in this critical overlap region associated with dilated cardiomyopathy, A277V, will alter Tpm binding and thin filament activation by altering the overlap structure. Here, we used cosedimentation assays and in vitro motility assays to determine how the mutation alters Tpm binding to actin and its ability to regulate actomyosin interactions. Analytical viscometry coupled with molecular dynamics simulations showed that the A277V mutation results in enhanced Tpm end-to-end bond strength and a reduced curvature of the Tpm overlap domain. The mutant Tpm exhibited enhanced actin-Tpm binding affinity, consistent with overlap stabilization. The observed A277V-induced decrease in cooperative activation observed with regulated thin filament motility indicates that increased overlap stabilization is not correlated with Tpm-Tpm overlap binding strength or mechanical rigidity as is often assumed. Instead, A277V-induced structural changes result in local and delocalized increases in Tpm flexibility and prominent coiled-coil twisting in pseudorepeat 4. An A277V-induced decrease in Ca2+ sensitivity, consistent with a mutation-induced bolstering of the B-state Tpm-actin electrostatic contacts and an increased Tpm troponin T1 binding affinity, was also observed.
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Affiliation(s)
- SaiLavanyaa Sundar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anita Ghosh
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts.
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Merino F, Pospich S, Raunser S. Towards a structural understanding of the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2019; 102:51-64. [PMID: 31836290 PMCID: PMC7221352 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2019.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2019] [Revised: 11/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Actin filaments (F-actin) are a key component of eukaryotic cells. Whether serving as a scaffold for myosin or using their polymerization to push onto cellular components, their function is always related to force generation. To control and fine-tune force production, cells have a large array of actin-binding proteins (ABPs) dedicated to control every aspect of actin polymerization, filament localization, and their overall mechanical properties. Although great advances have been made in our biochemical understanding of the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, the structural basis of this process is still being deciphered. In this review, we summarize our current understanding of this process. We outline how ABPs control the nucleation and disassembly, and how these processes are affected by the nucleotide state of the filaments. In addition, we highlight recent advances in the understanding of actomyosin force generation, and describe recent advances brought forward by the developments of electron cryomicroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe Merino
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sabrina Pospich
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Stefan Raunser
- Department of Structural Biochemistry, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Dortmund, Germany.
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Pavadai E, Rynkiewicz MJ, Ghosh A, Lehman W. Docking Troponin T onto the Tropomyosin Overlapping Domain of Thin Filaments. Biophys J 2019; 118:325-336. [PMID: 31864661 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.11.3393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Revised: 11/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Complete description of thin filament conformational transitions accompanying muscle regulation requires ready access to atomic structures of actin-bound tropomyosin-troponin. To date, several molecular-docking protocols have been employed to identify troponin interactions on actin-tropomyosin because high-resolution experimentally determined structures of filament-associated troponin are not available. However, previously published all-atom models of the thin filament show chain separation and corruption of components during our molecular dynamics simulations of the models, implying artifactual subunit organization, possibly due to incorporation of unorthodox tropomyosin-TnT crystal structures and complex FRET measurements during model construction. For example, the recent Williams et al. (2016) atomistic model of the thin filament displays a paucity of salt bridges and hydrophobic complementarity between the TnT tail (TnT1) and tropomyosin, which is difficult to reconcile with the high, 20 nM Kd binding of TnT onto tropomyosin. Indeed, our molecular dynamics simulations show the TnT1 component in their model partially dissociates from tropomyosin in under 100 ns, whereas actin-tropomyosin and TnT1 models themselves remain intact. We therefore revisited computational work aiming to improve TnT1-thin filament models by employing unbiased docking methodologies, which test billions of trial rotations and translations of TnT1 over three-dimensional grids covering end-to-end bonded tropomyosin alone or tropomyosin on F-actin. We limited conformational searches to the association of well-characterized TnT1 helical domains and either isolated tropomyosin or actin-tropomyosin yet avoided docking TnT domains that lack known or predicted structure. The docking programs PIPER and ClusPro were used, followed by interaction energy optimization and extensive molecular dynamics. TnT1 docked to either side of isolated tropomyosin but uniquely onto one location of actin-bound tropomyosin. The antiparallel interaction with tropomyosin contained abundant salt bridges and intimately integrated hydrophobic networks joining TnT1 and the tropomyosin N-/C-terminal overlapping domain. The TnT1-tropomyosin linkage yields well-defined molecular crevices. Interaction energy measurements strongly favor this TnT1-tropomyosin design over previously proposed models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elumalai Pavadai
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anita Ghosh
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
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Special Issue: The Actin-Myosin Interaction in Muscle: Background and Overview. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:ijms20225715. [PMID: 31739584 PMCID: PMC6887992 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20225715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Accepted: 10/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscular contraction is a fundamental phenomenon in all animals; without it life as we know it would be impossible. The basic mechanism in muscle, including heart muscle, involves the interaction of the protein filaments myosin and actin. Motility in all cells is also partly based on similar interactions of actin filaments with non-muscle myosins. Early studies of muscle contraction have informed later studies of these cellular actin-myosin systems. In muscles, projections on the myosin filaments, the so-called myosin heads or cross-bridges, interact with the nearby actin filaments and, in a mechanism powered by ATP-hydrolysis, they move the actin filaments past them in a kind of cyclic rowing action to produce the macroscopic muscular movements of which we are all aware. In this special issue the papers and reviews address different aspects of the actin-myosin interaction in muscle as studied by a plethora of complementary techniques. The present overview provides a brief and elementary introduction to muscle structure and function and the techniques used to study it. It goes on to give more detailed descriptions of what is known about muscle components and the cross-bridge cycle using structural biology techniques, particularly protein crystallography, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. It then has a quick look at muscle mechanics and it summarises what can be learnt about how muscle works based on the other studies covered in the different papers in the special issue. A picture emerges of the main molecular steps involved in the force-producing process; steps that are also likely to be seen in non-muscle myosin interactions with cellular actin filaments. Finally, the remarkable advances made in studying the effects of mutations in the contractile assembly in causing specific muscle diseases, particularly those in heart muscle, are outlined and discussed.
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