The mechanism of muscle contraction

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Kinetics of structural changes in the relay loop and SH3 domain of myosin

The intrinsic fluorescence of smooth muscle myosin signals conformational changes associated with different catalytic states of the ATPase cycle. To elucidate this relationship, we have examined the pre-steady-state kinetics of nucleotide binding, hydrolysis, and product release in motor domain-essential light chain mutants containing a single endogenous tryptophan, either residue 512 in the rigid relay loop or residue 29 adjacent to the SH3 domain. The intrinsic fluorescence of W512 is sensitive to both nucleotide binding and hydrolysis, and appears to report structural changes at the active site, presumably through a direct connection with switch II. The intrinsic fluorescence of W29 is sensitive to nucleotide binding but not hydrolysis, and does not appear to be tightly linked with structural changes occurring at the active site. We propose that the SH3 domain may be sensitive to conformational changes in the lever arm through contacts with the essential light chain.

Dynamics of myosin-driven skeletal muscle contraction: I. Steady-state force generation

Skeletal muscle contraction is a canonical example of motor-driven force generation. Despite the long history of research in this topic, a mechanistic explanation of the collective myosin force generation is lacking. We present a theoretical model of muscle contraction based on the conformational movements of individual myosins and experimentally measured chemical rate constants. Detailed mechanics of the myosin motor and the geometry of the sarcomere are taken into account. Two possible scenarios of force generation are examined. We find only one of the scenarios can give rise to a plausible contraction mechanism. We propose that the synchrony in muscle contraction is due to a force-dependent ADP release step. Computational results of a half sarcomere with 150 myosin heads can explain the experimentally measured force-velocity relationship and efficiency data. We predict that the number of working myosin motors increases as the load force is increased, thus showing synchrony among myosin motors during muscle contraction. We also find that titin molecules anchoring the thick filament are passive force generators in assisting muscle contraction.

Mechanokinetics of rapid tension recovery in muscle: the Myosin working stroke is followed by a slower release of phosphate

Crystallographic and biochemical evidence suggests that the myosin working stroke that generates force in muscle is accompanied by the release of inorganic phosphate (Pi), but the order and relative speed of these transitions is not firmly established. To address this problem, the theory of A. F. Huxley and R. M. Simmons for the length-step response is averaged over elastic strains imposed by filament structure and extended to include a Pi-release transition. Models of this kind are applied to existing tension-recovery data from length steps at different phosphate concentrations, and from phosphate jumps upon release of caged phosphate. This body of data is simulated by the model in which the force-generating event is followed by Pi release. A version in which the Pi-release transition is slow provides a better fit than a version with rapid Pi release and a slow transition preceding force generation. If Pi is released before force generation, the predicted rate of slow recovery increases with the size of the step, which is not observed. Some implications for theories of muscle contraction are discussed.

An electromechanical model of myosin molecular motors

There is a long-running debate on the working mechanism of myosin molecular motors, which, by interacting with actin filaments, convert the chemical energy of ATP into a variety of mechanical work. After the development of technologies for observing and manipulating individual working molecules, experimental results negating the widely accepted 'lever-arm hypothesis' have been reported. In this paper, based on the experimental results so far accumulated, an alternative hypothesis is proposed, in which motor molecules are modelled as electromechanical components that interact with each other through electrostatic force. Electrostatic attractive force between myosin and actin is assumed to cause a conformational change in the myosin head during the attachment process. An elastic energy resulting from the conformational change then produces the power stroke. The energy released at the ATP hydrolysis is mainly used to detach the myosin head from actin filaments. The mechanism presented in this paper is compatible with the experimental results contradictory to the previous theories. It also explains the behavior of myosins V and VI, which are engaged in cellular transport and move processively along actin filaments.

Rotation of the stalk/neck and one head in a new crystal structure of the kinesin motor protein, Ncd

Molecular motors undergo conformational changes to produce force and move along cytoskeletal filaments. Structural changes have been detected in kinesin motors; however, further changes are expected because previous crystal structures are in the same or closely related conformations. We report here a 2.5 A crystal structure of the minus-end kinesin, Ncd, with the coiled-coil stalk/neck and one head rotated by approximately 75 degrees relative to the other head. The two heads are asymmetrically positioned with respect to the stalk and show asymmetry of nucleotide state: one head is fully occupied, but the other is unstably bound to ADP. Unlike previous structures, our new atomic model can be fit into cryoelectron microscopy density maps of the motor attached to microtubules, where it appears to resemble a one-head-bound motor with the stalk rotated towards the minus end. Interactions between neck and motor core residues, observed in the head that moves with the stalk, are disrupted in the other head, permitting rotation of the stalk/neck. The rotation could represent a force-producing stroke that directs the motor to the minus end.

Bio-Nanomuscle Project: Contractile Properties of Single Actin Filaments in an A-Band Motility Assay System

We have developed a new microscopic technique to measure the force generated on a single actin filament (FA) in the A-band in which the intact lattice structure composed of myosin thick filaments is maintained; we call this newly developed system "Bio-nanomuscle (or an A-band motility assay system)". The A-bands were prepared by selective removal of thin filaments from rabbit skeletal glycerinated myofibrils under optical microscope with the use of gelsolin (a severing and barbed (B)-end capping protein of FA) that was prepared from bovine serum. A polystyrene bead of 1 microm in diameter attached to the B-end of FA (through a gelsolin molecule attached to the surface of the bead) was trapped and manipulated with optical tweezers. The displacement of the bead up to 200 nm (corresponding to the force of approximately 40 pN) was determined by phase-contrast image analysis. At the initial stage of this study, the overlapping length of an FA with the A-band was determined from the fluorescence image of FA labeled with rhodamine-phalloidin (Rh-Ph) and the phase-contrast image, but we later improved the method of determination by moving the sample stage stepwise using the piezo actuator. The average force per overlap was subsequently estimated and the histogram was fitted with two Gaussian distributions. Each peak is supposed to correspond to the force developed by FA interacting outside or inside the A-band, and the peak value of the latter was estimated to be 140 pN/microm. From this value, the average force developed per each cross-bridge (CB; a two-headed myosin molecule) was determined to be 1.3 pN.

Polarized fluorescence depletion reports orientation distribution and rotational dynamics of muscle cross-bridges

The method of polarized fluorescence depletion (PFD) has been applied to enhance the resolution of orientational distributions and dynamics obtained from fluorescence polarization (FP) experiments on ordered systems, particularly in muscle fibers. Previous FP data from single fluorescent probes were limited to the 2(nd)- and 4(th)-rank order parameters, <P(2)(cos beta)> and <P(4)(cos beta)>, of the probe angular distribution (beta) relative to the fiber axis and <P(2d)>, a coefficient describing the extent of rapid probe motions. We applied intense 12-micros polarized photoselection pulses to transiently populate the triplet state of rhodamine probes and measured the polarization of the ground-state depletion using a weak interrogation beam. PFD provides dynamic information describing the extent of motions on the time scale between the fluorescence lifetime (e.g., 4 ns) and the duration of the photoselection pulse and it potentially supplies information about the probe angular distribution corresponding to order parameters above rank 4. Gizzard myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) was labeled with the 6-isomer of iodoacetamidotetramethylrhodamine and exchanged into rabbit psoas muscle fibers. In active contraction, dynamic motions of the RLC on the PFD time scale were intermediate between those observed in relaxation and rigor. The results indicate that previously observed disorder of the light chain region in contraction can be ascribed principally to dynamic motions on the microsecond time scale.

Effect of adenosine 5'-[beta,gamma-imido]triphosphate on myosin head domain movements

Conventional and saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR and ST EPR) was used to study the orientation of probe molecules in muscle fibers in different intermediate states of the ATP hydrolysis cycle. A separate procedure was used to obtain ST EPR spectra with precise phase settings even in the case of samples with low spectral intensity. Fibers prepared from rabbit psoas muscle were labeled with isothiocyanate spin labels at the reactive thiol sites of the catalytic domain of myosin. In comparison with rigor, a significant difference was detected in the orientation-dependence of spin labels in the ADP and adenosine 5'-[beta,gamma-imido]triphosphate (AdoPP[CH2]P) states, indicating changes in the internal dynamics and domain orientation of myosin. In the AdoPP[CH2]P state, approximately half of the myosin heads reflected the motional state of ADP-myosin, and the other half showed a different dynamic state with greater mobility.

Changes in actin and myosin structural dynamics due to their weak and strong interactions

Figure 3 summarizes the effects of actomyosin binding on the internal and global dynamics of either protein, as discussed in this chapter. These effects depend primarily on the strength of the interaction; which in turn depends on the state of the nucleotide at the myosin active site. When either no nucleotide or ADP is bound, the interaction is strong and the effect on each protein is maximal. When the nucleotide is ATP or ADP.Pi, or the equivalent nonhydrolyzable analogs, the interaction is weak and the effect on molecular dynamics of each protein is minimal. The weaker effects in weak-binding states are not simply the reflection of lower occupancy of binding sites--the molecular models in Fig. 3 illustrate the effects of the formation of the ternary complex, after correction for the free actin and myosin in the system. Thus EPR on myosin (Berger and Thomas 1991; Thomas et al. 1995) and pyrene fluorescence studies on actin (Geeves 1991) have shown that the formation of a ternary complex has a negligible effect on the internal dynamics of both [figure: see text] proteins (left side of Fig. 3, white arrows). As shown by both EPR (Baker et al. 1998; Roopnarine et al. 1998) and phosphorescence (Ramachandran and Thomas 1999), both domains of myosin are dynamically disordered in weak-binding states, and this is essentially unaffected by the formation of the ternary complex (left side of Fig. 3, indicated by disordered myosin domains). The only substantial effect of the formation of the weak interaction that has been reported is the EPR-detected (Ostap and Thomas 1991) restriction of the global dynamics of actin upon weak myosin binding (left column of Fig. 3, gray arrow). The effects of strong actomyosin formation are much more dramatic. While substantial rotational dynamics, both internal and global, exist in both myosin and actin in the presence of ADP or the absence of nucleotides, spin label EPR, pyrene fluorescence, and phosphorescence all show dramatic restrictions in these motions upon formation of the strong ternary complex (right column of Fig. 3). One implication of this is that the weak-to-strong transition is accompanied by a disorder-to-order transition in both actin and myosin, and this is itself an excellent candidate for the structural change that produces force (Thomas et al. 1995). Another clear implication is that the crystal structures obtained for isolated myosin and actin are not likely to be reliable representations of structures that exist in ternary complexes of these proteins (Rayment et al. 1993a and 1993b; Dominguez et al. 1998; Houdusse et al. 1999). This is clearly true of the strong-binding states, since the spectroscopic studies indicate consistently that substantial changes occur in both proteins upon strong complex formation. For the weak complexes, the problem is not that complex formation induces large structural changes, but that the structures themselves are dynamically disordered. This is probably why so many different structures have been obtained for myosin S1 with nucleotides bound--each crystal is selecting one of the many different substates represented by the dynamic ensemble. Finally, there is the problem that the structures of actomyosin complexes are probably influenced strongly by their mechanical coupling to muscle protein lattice (Baker at al. 2000). Thus, even if co-crystals of actin and myosin are obtained in the future, an accurate description of the structural changes involved in force generation will require further experiments using site-directed spectroscopic probes of both actin and myosin, in order to detect the structural dynamics of these ternary complexes under physiological conditions.

Kinesin: switch I & II and the motor mechanism

New crystal structures of the kinesin motors differ from previously described motor-ADP atomic models, showing striking changes both in the switch I region near the nucleotide-binding cleft and in the switch II or ‘relay’ helix at the filament-binding face of the motor. The switch I region, present as a short helix flanked by two loops in previous motor-ADP structures, rearranges into a pseudo-β-hairpin or is completely disordered with melted helices to either side of the disordered switch I loop. The relay helix undergoes a rotational movement coupled to a translation that differs from the piston-like movement of the relay helix observed in myosin. The changes observed in the crystal structures are interpreted to represent structural transitions that occur in the kinesin motors during the ATP hydrolysis cycle. The movements of switch I residues disrupt the water-mediated coordination of the bound Mg2+, which could result in loss of Mg2+ and ADP, raising the intriguing possibility that disruption of the switch I region leads to release of nucleotide by the kinesins. None of the new structures is a true motor-ATP state, however, probably because conformational changes at the active site of the kinesins require interactions with microtubules to stabilize the movements.

Nucleotide binding induces global and local structural changes of myosin head in muscle fibres

Thermal stability and internal dynamics of myosin heads in fiber bundles from rabbit psoas muscle has been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Using ADP, ATP and orthovanadate (V(i)), three intermediate states of the ATP hydrolysis cycle were simulated in glycerinated muscle fibers. DSC transitions contained three overlapping endotherms in each state. Deconvolution showed that the transition temperature of 58.4 degrees C was almost independent of the intermediate state of myosin, while nucleotide binding shifted the melting temperatures of 54.0 and 62.3 degrees C, and changed the enthalpies. These changes suggest global rearrangements of the internal structure in myosin head. In the presence of ADP and ADP plus V(i), the conventional EPR spectra showed changes in the ordering of the probe molecules, suggesting local conformational and motional changes in the internal structure of myosin heads. Saturation transfer EPR measurements reported increased rotational mobility of spin labels in the presence of ATP plus orthovanadate corresponding to a weakly binding state of myosin to actin.

Effect of deuterium oxide on actomyosin motility in vitro

Actin filament velocities in an in vitro motility assay system were measured both in heavy water (deuterium oxide, D(2)O) and water (H(2)O) to examine the effect of D(2)O on the actomyosin interaction. The dependence of the sliding velocity on pD of the D(2)O assay solution showed a broad pD optimum of around pD 8.5 which resembled the broad pH optimum (pH 8.5) of the H(2)O assay solution, but the maximum velocity (4.1+/-0.5 microm/s, n=11) at pD 8.5 in D(2)O was about 60% of that (7.1+/-1.1 microm/s, n=11) at pH 8.5 in H(2)O. The K(m) values of 95 and 80 microM and V(max) values of 3.2 and 5.1 microm/s for the D(2)O and H(2)O assay were obtained by fitting the ATP concentration dependence of the velocity (at pD and pH 7.5) to the Michaelis-Menten equation. The K(m) value of actin-activated Mg-ATPase activity of myosin subfragment 1 (S1) was decreased from 50 microM [actin] in H(2)O to 33 microM [actin] in D(2)O without any significant changes in V(max) (9.4 s(-1) in D(2)O and 9.3 s(-1) in H(2)O). The rate constants of ADP release from the acto-S1-ADP complex measured by the stopped flow method were 361+/-26 s(-1) (n=27) in D(2)O and 512+/-39 s(-1) (n=27) in H(2)O at 6 degrees C. These results suggest that the decrease in the in vitro actin-myosin sliding velocity in D(2)O results from a slowing of the release of ADP from the actomyosin-ADP complex and the increase in the affinity of actin for myosin in the presence of ATP in D(2)O.

A structural pathway for activation of the kinesin motor ATPase

Molecular motors move along actin or microtubules by rapidly hydrolyzing ATP and undergoing changes in filament-binding affinity with steps of the nucleotide hydrolysis cycle. It is generally accepted that motor binding to its filament greatly increases the rate of ATP hydrolysis, but the structural changes in the motor associated with ATPase activation are not known. To identify the conformational changes underlying motor movement on its filament, we solved the crystal structures of three kinesin mutants that decouple nucleotide and microtubule binding by the motor, and block microtubule-activated, but not basal, ATPase activity. Conformational changes in the structures include a disordered loop and helices in the switch I region and a visible switch II loop, which is disordered in wild-type structures. Switch I moved closer to the bound nucleotide in two mutant structures, perturbing water-mediated interactions with the Mg2+. This could weaken Mg2+ binding and accelerate ADP release to activate the motor ATPASE: The structural changes we observe define a signaling pathway within the motor for ATPase activation that is likely to be essential for motor movement on microtubules.

The myosin swinging cross-bridge model

No biological system has been studied by more diverse approaches than the actin-based molecular motor myosin. Biophysics, biochemistry, physiology, classical genetics and molecular genetics have all made their contributions, and myosin is now becoming one of the best-understood enzymes in biology.

The chondrocyte cytoskeleton in mature articular cartilage: structure and distribution of actin, tubulin, and vimentin filaments

We investigated the structure of the chondrocyte cytoskeleton in intact tissue sections of mature bovine articular cartilage using confocal fluorescence microscopy complemented by protein extraction and immunoblotting analysis. Actin microfilaments were present inside the cell membrane as a predominantly cortical structure. Vimentin and tubulin spanned the cytoplasm from cell to nuclear membrane, the vimentin network appearing finer compared to tubulin. These cytoskeletal structures were present in chondrocytes from all depth zones of the articular cartilage. However, staining intensity varied from zone to zone, usually showing more intense staining for the filament systems at the articular surface compared to the deeper zones. These results obtained on fluorescently labeled sections were also corroborated by protein contents extracted and observed by immunoblotting. The observed cytoskeletal structures are compatible with some of the proposed cellular functions of these systems and support possible microenvironmental regulation of the cytoskeleton, including that due to physical forces from load-bearing, which are known to vary through the depth layers of articular cartilage.

ATP-induced transconformation of myosin revealed by determining three-dimensional positions of fluorophores from fluorescence energy transfer measurements

The method of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is one of the most important techniques for measuring the distance between two fluorophores and for detecting the changes in protein structure under physiological conditions. The use of green fluorescent protein is also a powerful technology that has been used to elucidate dynamic molecular events. From these we have developed a novel method to determine the three-dimensional positions of fluorophores by combining the FRET data and other structural information available. Using this method, we could determine the ATP-induced changes of three-dimensional structure of truncated Dictyostelium myosin in solution. The myosin structure with ADP in solution was found to be similar to that of the crystal structure of MgADPBeFx-bound truncated Dictyostelium myosin (type I structure), whereas myosin with ATP in solution was similar to the crystal structure of MgAdPVi-bound one (type II structure). However, the crystal structure of MgADP-bound scallop myosin (type III structure) could not be explained by any of our FRET data under various conditions. This indicates that the type III crystal structure might represent a transient intermediate conformation that could not be detected using fluorescence energy transfer.

A FRET-based sensor reveals large ATP hydrolysis-induced conformational changes and three distinct states of the molecular motor myosin

The molecular motor myosin is proposed to bind to actin and swing its light-chain binding region through a large angle to produce an approximately 10 nm step in motion coupled to changes in the nucleotide state at the active site. To date, however, direct dynamic measurements have largely failed to show changes of that magnitude. Here, we use a cysteine engineering approach to create a high resolution, FRET-based sensor that reports a large, approximately 70 degree nucleotide-dependent angle change of the light-chain binding region. The combination of steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements unexpectedly reveals two distinct prestroke states. The measurements also show that bound Mg.ADP.Pi, and not bound Mg.ATP, induces the myosin to adopt the prestroke states.

Structural mechanism of muscle contraction

X-ray crystallography shows the myosin cross-bridge to exist in two conformations, the beginning and end of the "power stroke." A long lever-arm undergoes a 60 degrees to 70 degrees rotation between the two states. This rotation is coupled with changes in the active site (OPEN to CLOSED) and phosphate release. Actin binding mediates the transition from CLOSED to OPEN. Kinetics shows that the binding of myosin to actin is a two-step process which affects ATP and ADP affinity. The structural basis of these effects is not explained by the presently known conformers of myosin. Therefore, other states of the myosin cross-bridge must exist. Moreover, cryoelectronmicroscopy has revealed other angles of the cross-bridge lever arm induced by ADP binding. These structural states are presently being characterized by site-directed mutagenesis coupled with kinetic analysis.

Flexibility of myosin-subfragment-1 in its complex with actin as revealed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer

The flexibility of the acto-myosin complex in rigor conditions was characterized by measuring the temperature profile of normalized fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiency, f' [Somogyi, B., Matkó, J., Papp, S., Hevessy, J., Welch, G.R. & Damjanovich, S. (1984) Biochemistry 23, 3403-3411]. Fluorescence acceptors were introduced to the Cys374 residues of actin and the donors were covalently attached either to Cys707 in the catalytic domain or to Cys177 in the essential light-chain of myosin S1. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer measurements revealed that the protein matrix between Cys374 of actin and Cys707 of S1 is rigid. In contrast, the link between the catalytic and light-chain-binding domains in myosin S1 is flexible. We have recently shown that the positional distribution of Cys707 was narrow relative to the actin filament, while that of the Cys177 was broad. Accordingly, the broad positional distribution of Cys177 is likely to be due to the large flexibility of the link between the catalytic and light-chain-binding domains. This flexibility is probably essential for the interdomain reorganization of the myosin head during the force generation process and for accommodating the symmetry difference between actin and myosin filaments to allow the formation of cross-bridges.

Calcium ion in skeletal muscle: its crucial role for muscle function, plasticity, and disease

Mammalian skeletal muscle shows an enormous variability in its functional features such as rate of force production, resistance to fatigue, and energy metabolism, with a wide spectrum from slow aerobic to fast anaerobic physiology. In addition, skeletal muscle exhibits high plasticity that is based on the potential of the muscle fibers to undergo changes of their cytoarchitecture and composition of specific muscle protein isoforms. Adaptive changes of the muscle fibers occur in response to a variety of stimuli such as, e.g., growth and differentition factors, hormones, nerve signals, or exercise. Additionally, the muscle fibers are arranged in compartments that often function as largely independent muscular subunits. All muscle fibers use Ca(2+) as their main regulatory and signaling molecule. Therefore, contractile properties of muscle fibers are dependent on the variable expression of proteins involved in Ca(2+) signaling and handling. Molecular diversity of the main proteins in the Ca(2+) signaling apparatus (the calcium cycle) largely determines the contraction and relaxation properties of a muscle fiber. The Ca(2+) signaling apparatus includes 1) the ryanodine receptor that is the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) release channel, 2) the troponin protein complex that mediates the Ca(2+) effect to the myofibrillar structures leading to contraction, 3) the Ca(2+) pump responsible for Ca(2+) reuptake into the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and 4) calsequestrin, the Ca(2+) storage protein in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. In addition, a multitude of Ca(2+)-binding proteins is present in muscle tissue including parvalbumin, calmodulin, S100 proteins, annexins, sorcin, myosin light chains, beta-actinin, calcineurin, and calpain. These Ca(2+)-binding proteins may either exert an important role in Ca(2+)-triggered muscle contraction under certain conditions or modulate other muscle activities such as protein metabolism, differentiation, and growth. Recently, several Ca(2+) signaling and handling molecules have been shown to be altered in muscle diseases. Functional alterations of Ca(2+) handling seem to be responsible for the pathophysiological conditions seen in dystrophinopathies, Brody's disease, and malignant hyperthermia. These also underline the importance of the affected molecules for correct muscle performance.

Interaction of myosin with F-actin: time-dependent changes at the interface are not slow

The kinetics of formation of the actin-myosin complex have been reinvestigated on the minute and second time scales in sedimentation and chemical cross-linking experiments. With the sedimentation method, we found that the binding of the skeletal muscle myosin motor domain (S1) to actin filament always saturates at one S1 bound to one actin monomer (or two S1 per actin dimer), whether S1 was added slowly (17 min between additions) or rapidly (10 s between additions) to an excess of F-actin. The carbodiimide (1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide, EDC)-induced cross-linking of the actin-S1 complex was performed on the subsecond time scale by a new approach that combines a two-step cross-linking protocol with the rapid flow-quench technique. The results showed that the time courses of S1 cross-linking to either of the two actin monomers are identical: they are not dependent on the actin/S1 ratio in the 0.3-20-s time range. The overall data rule out a mechanism by which myosin rolls from one to the other actin monomer on the second or minute time scales. Rather, they suggest that more subtle changes occur at the actomyosin interface during the ATP cycle.

The structural basis of muscle contraction

The myosin cross-bridge exists in two conformations, which differ in the orientation of a long lever arm. Since the lever arm undergoes a 60 degree rotation between the two conformations, which would lead to a displacement of the myosin filament of about 11 nm, the transition between these two states has been associated with the elementary 'power stroke' of muscle. Moreover, this rotation is coupled with changes in the active site (CLOSED to OPEN), which probably enable phosphate release. The transition CLOSED to OPEN appears to be brought about by actin binding. However, kinetics shows that the binding of myosin to actin is a two-step process which affects both ATP and ADP affinity and vice versa. The structural basis of these effects is only partially explained by the presently known conformers of myosin. Therefore, additional states of the myosin cross-bridge should exist. Indeed, cryoelectron microscopy has revealed other angles of the lever arm induced by ADP binding to a smooth muscle actin-myosin complex.

Molecular motors--a paradigm for mutant analysis

Molecular motors perform essential functions in the cell and have the potential to provide insights into the basis of many important processes. A unique property of molecular motors is their ability to convert energy from ATP hydrolysis into work, enabling the motors to bind to and move along cytoskeletal filaments. The mechanism of energy conversion by molecular motors is not yet understood and may lead to the discovery of new biophysical principles. Mutant analysis could provide valuable information, but it is not obvious how to obtain mutants that are informative for study. The analysis presented here points out several strategies for obtaining mutants by selection from molecular or genetic screens, or by rational design. Mutants that are expected to provide important information about the motor mechanism include ATPase mutants, which interfere with the nucleotide hydrolysis cycle, and uncoupling mutants, which unlink basic motor activities and reveal their interdependence. Natural variants can also be exploited to provide unexpected information about motor function. This general approach to uncovering protein function by analysis of informative mutants is applicable not only to molecular motors, but to other proteins of interest.

The effect of polyethylene glycol on the mechanics and ATPase activity of active muscle fibers

We have used polyethylene glycol (PEG) to perturb the actomyosin interaction in active skinned muscle fibers. PEG is known to potentiate protein-protein interactions, including the binding of myosin to actin. The addition of 5% w/v PEG (MW 300 or 4000) to active fibers increased fiber tension and decreased shortening velocity and ATPase activity, all by 25-40%. Variation in [ADP] or [ATP] showed that the addition of PEG had little effect on the dissociation of the cross-bridge at the end of the power stroke. Myosin complexed with ADP and the phosphate analog V(i) or AlF(4) binds weakly to actin and is an analog of a pre-power-stroke state. PEG substantially enhances binding of these states both in active fibers and in solution. Titration of force with increasing [P(i)] showed that PEG increased the free energy available to drive the power stroke by about the same amount as it increased the free energy available from the formation of the actomyosin bond. Thus PEG potentiates the binding of myosin to actin in active fibers, and it provides a method for enhancing populations of some states for structural or mechanical studies, particularly those of the normally weakly bound transient states that precede the power stroke.

Conformational distributions and proximity relationships in the rigor complex of actin and myosin subfragment-1

Cyclic conformational changes in the myosin head are considered essential for muscle contraction. We hereby show that the extension of the fluorescence resonance energy transfer method described originally by Taylor et al. (Taylor, D. L., Reidler, J., Spudich, J. A., and Stryer, L. (1981) J. Cell Biol. 89, 362-367) allows determination of the position of a labeled point outside the actin filament in supramolecular complexes and also characterization of the conformational heterogeneity of an actin-binding protein while considering donor-acceptor distance distributions. Using this method we analyzed proximity relationships between two labeled points of S1 and the actin filament in the acto-S1 rigor complex. The donor (N-[[(iodoacetyl)amino]ethyl]-5-naphthylamine-1-sulfonate) was attached to either the catalytic domain (Cys-707) or the essential light chain (Cys-177) of S1, whereas the acceptor (5-(iodoacetamido)fluorescein) was attached to the actin filament (Cys-374). In contrast to the narrow positional distribution (assumed as being Gaussian) of Cys-707 (5 +/- 3 A), the positional distribution of Cys-177 was found to be broad (102 +/- 4 A). Such a broad positional distribution of the label on the essential light chain of S1 may be important in accommodating the helically arranged acto-myosin binding relative to the filament axis.

Fingerprint patterns from laser-induced azido photochemistry of spin-labeled photoaffinity ATP analogs in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry

The photochemical reaction of azide derivatives induced by ultraviolet (UV) laser in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI) is reported. A novel synthesized class of azide aromatic derivatives, spin-labeled photoaffinity non-nucleoside adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analogs which are useful probes in study of muscle contraction mechanism, is used in this investigation. In the negative ion MALDI spectra of these ATP analogs, "fingerprint" peaks corresponding to [M - 10 - 1]-, [M - 12 - 1]-, [M - 16 - 1]-, [M - 26 - 1]-, [M - 28 - 1]-, [M - 41 - 1]-, and [M - 42 - 1]- were observed with relative intensities depending on the MALDI matrix. Only the [M - 16 - 1]- is present in the similar mass spectra of the analog in which the azido group is replaced by a hydrogen. A model is suggested for the photochemical reactions of azide derivatives under UV laser irradiation. The photoreaction fingerprint information is diagnostically useful in characterization of azido compounds, especially for spin-labeled photoaffinity non-nucleoside ATP analogs.

Synthesis of a spin-labeled photoaffinity ATP analogue, and its use to specifically photolabel myosin cross-bridges in skeletal muscle fibers

A spin-labeled photoaffinity ATP analogue 3'(2')-O-[4-[4-oxo-(4-amido-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidino-1-oxyl)]-benz oyl]benzoyl adenosine 5'-triphosphate (SL-Bz2ATP) was synthesized and used to photolabel myosin in muscle fibers. Previous work has shown that 3'(2')-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl adenosine 5'-triphosphate (Bz2ATP) photolabeled Ser-324 of the 50 kDa tryptic fragment of skeletal S1 heavy chain. In this work, [alpha-32P]SL-Bz2ATP was hydrolyzed and trapped as the diphosphate analogue with Co2+ and orthovanadate at the active site of myosin in rabbit psoas muscle fibers. After UV irradiation, the myosin heavy chain was the only protein band found to be significantly photolabeled as assayed by gel electrophoresis and radioactivity counting. The labeling was localized after brief trypsin digestion by SDS-PAGE to be on the 50 kDa tryptic fragment of the S1 heavy chain. Ca. 35% of the myosin in fibers was covalently photolabeled. The fibers photolabeled with SL-Bz2ATP had the same active tension and maximum shortening velocity as the control fibers. The resulting spin label on myosin was too mobile to report the orientation of the heads in fibers. Nonetheless, this is the first work to show the feasibility of utilizing active site binding and photoaffinity labeling to place covalent spectroscopic probes at the myosin active site in fibers with high specificity and yield without affecting mechanical function.

The 90-kDa junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum protein forms an integral part of a supramolecular triad complex in skeletal muscle

Although it is well established that voltage-sensing of the alpha(1)-dihydropyridine receptor triggers Ca(2+)-release via the ryanodine receptor during excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle fibers, it remains to be determined which junctional components are responsible for the assembly, maintenance, and stabilization of triads. Here, we analyzed the expression pattern and neighborhood relationship of a novel 90-kDa sarcoplasmic reticulum protein. This protein is highly enriched in the triad fraction and is predominantly expressed in fast-twitching muscle fibers. Chronic low-frequency electro-stimulation induced a drastic decrease in the relative abundance of this protein. Chemical crosslinking showed a potential overlap between the 90-kDa junctional face membrane protein and the ryanodine receptor Ca(2+)-release channel, suggesting tight protein-protein interactions between these two triad components. Hence, Ca(2+)-regulatory muscle proteins have a strong tendency to oligomerize and the triad region of skeletal muscle fibers forms supramolecular membrane complexes involved in the regulation of Ca(2+)-homeostasis and signal transduction.

Rotational dynamics of the regulatory light chain in scallop muscle detected by time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy

We have used time-resolved phosphorescence anisotropy (TPA) to study the rotational dynamics of chicken gizzard regulatory light chain (RLC) bound to scallop adductor muscle myofibrils in key physiological states. Native RLC from scallop myofibrils was extracted and replaced completely with gizzard RLC labeled specifically at Cys 108 with erythrosin iodoacetamide (ErIA). The calcium sensitivity of the ATPase activity of the labeled myofibril preparation was quite similar to that of the native sample, indicating that the ErIA-labeled RLC is functionally bound to the myosin head. In rigor (in the absence of ATP, when all the myosin heads are rigidly bound to the thin filament), a slight decay was observed in the first few microseconds, followed by no change in the anisotropy. This indicates small-amplitude restricted motions of the RLC or the entire LC domain of myosin. Addition of calcium to rigor restricts these motions further. Relaxation with ATP (no Ca) causes a large decay in the anisotropy, indicating large-amplitude rotational motion with correlation times of 5-50 micros. Further addition of calcium, to induce contraction, resulted in a decrease in the rate and amplitude of anisotropy decay. In particular, there is clear evidence for a slow rotational motion with a correlation time of approximately 300 micros, which is not present either in rigor or relaxation. This indicates rotational motion that specifically correlates with force generation. The changes in the rotational dynamics of the light-chain domain in rigor, relaxation, and contraction support earlier work based on probes of the catalytic domain that muscle contraction is accompanied by a disorder-to-order transition of the myosin head. However, the motions of the LC domain are different from those of the catalytic domain, which indicates rotation of the two domains relative to each other.

The flexibility of actin filaments as revealed by fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The influence of divalent cations

The temperature profile of the fluorescence resonance energy transfer efficiency normalized by the fluorescence quantum yield of the donor in the presence of acceptor, f', was measured in a way allowing the independent investigation of (i) the strength of interaction between the adjacent protomers (intermonomer flexibility) and (ii) the flexibility of the protein matrix within actin protomers (intramonomer flexibility). In both cases the relative increase as a function of temperature in f' is larger in calcium-F-actin than in magnesium-F-actin in the range of 5-40 degrees C, which indicates that both the intramonomer and the intermonomer flexibility of the actin filaments are larger in calcium-F-actin than those in magnesium-F-actin. The intermonomer flexibility was proved to be larger than the intramonomer one in both the calcium-F-actin and the magnesium-F-actin. The distance between Gln41 and Cys374 residues was found to be cation-independent and did not change during polymerization at 21 degrees C. The steady-state fluorescence anisotropy data of fluorophores attached to the Gln41 or Cys374 residues suggest that the microenvironments around these regions are more rigid in the magnesium-loaded actin filament than in the calcium-loaded form.

Direct tests of muscle cross-bridge theories: predictions of a Brownian dumbbell model for position-dependent cross-bridge lifetimes and step sizes with an optically trapped actin filament

Force and displacement events from a single myosin molecule interacting with an actin filament suspended between optically trapped beads (Finer, J. T., R. M. Simmons, and J. A. Spudich. 1994. Nature. 368:113-119) can be interpreted in terms of a generalized cross-bridge model that includes the effects of Brownian forces on the beads. Steady-state distributions of force and displacement can be obtained directly from a generalized Smoluchowski equation for Brownian motion of the actin-bead "dumbbell," and time series from Monte Carlo simulations of the corresponding Langevin equation. When the frequency spectrum of Brownian motion extends beyond cross-bridge transition rates, the inverse mean lifetimes of force/displacement pulses are given by cross-bridge rate constants averaged over a Boltzmann distribution of Brownian noise. These averaged rate constants reflect the strain-dependence of the rate constants for the stationary filament, most faithfully at high trap stiffness. Hence, measurements of the lifetimes and displacements of single events as a function of the resting position of the dumbbell can provide a direct test of different cross-bridge theories of muscle contraction. Quantitative demonstrations are given for Huxley models with 1) faster binding or 2) slower dissociation at positive cross-bridge strain. Predictions for other models can be inferred from the averaging procedure.

Swing of the lever arm of a myosin motor at the isomerization and phosphate-release steps

In muscle, the myosin head ('crossbridge') performs the 'working stroke', in which ATP is hydrolysed to generate the sliding of actin and myosin filaments. The myosin head consists of a globular motor domain and a long lever-arm domain. The 'lever-arm hypothesis' predicts that during the working stroke, the lever-arm domain tilts against the motor domain, which is bound to actin in a fixed orientation. To detect this working stroke in operation, we constructed fusion proteins by connecting Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein and blue fluorescent protein to the amino and carboxyl termini of the motor domain of myosin II of Dictyostelium discoideum, a soil amoeba, and measured the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between the two fluorescent proteins. We show here that the carboxy-terminal fluorophore swings at the isomerization step of the ATP hydrolysis cycle, and then swings back at the subsequent step in which inorganic phosphate is released, thereby mimicking the swing of the lever arm. The swing at the phosphate-release step may correspond to the working stroke, and the swing at the isomerization step to the recovery stroke.

Domain motion between the regulatory light chain and the nucleotide site in skeletal myosin

Resonance energy transfer probes were attached to skeletal myosin's nucleotide site and regulatory light chain (RLC) to examine nucleotide analog-induced structural transitions. A novel chemical modification of the RLC was developed for specific labeling of the basic N-terminus without affecting myosin ATPase activity. The modification allows attachment of a terbium chelate to rabbit skeletal RLC and was mapped by tryptic digestion to an amino group on the six N-terminal RLC residues. The use of terbium as a resonance energy transfer donor allowed the determination of the efficiency of energy transfer by sensitized emission lifetime measurements that practically eliminate background from unlabeled donor and acceptor sites as well as potential orientation factor artifacts in the calculation of the critical transfer distance. The nucleotide site was labeled with a functional CY3-labeled nucleotide as an energy transfer acceptor. Of the nucleotide states examined, ADP, ADP. vanadate, ADP. A1F4, and ADP. BeFx, the difference between the ADP and ADP. vanadate states was greatest (0.4-nm change), but was not considered to be statistically significant. The binding of actin to ADP-myosin also failed to produce a statistically significant change (0.3-nm change). These results are not consistent with a number of versions of the swinging lever arm hypothesis.

X-ray diffraction studies on the structural changes of rigor muscles induced by binding of phosphate analogs in the presence of MgADP

To clarify the structure of the ATP hydrolysis intermediates (ADP.Pi bound state) formed by actomyosin crossbridges, the effects of various phosphate analogs in the presence of MgADP on the structures of the thin and thick filaments in glycerinated rabbit psoas muscle fibers in the rigor state have been investigated by X-ray diffraction with a short exposure time using synchrotron radiation. When MgADP and phosphate analogs such as metallofluorides (BeFx = 3,4 and AlF4) and vanadate (VO4(Vi)) were added to rigor fibers in the presence of the ATP-depletion backup system, the intensities of the actin-based layer lines were markedly weakened. The greatest effect (approximately 50% decrease in intensity) was observed in the presence of BeFx among the analogs examined. The intensity distribution of the 5.9 nm actin-based layer line shifted towards that observed in the Ca(2+)-activated fibers, while the first actin layer line at approximately 1/36.7 nm-1 retained a rigor-like profile with an intensity weakened by approximately 50%. The intensity of the equatorial 10 reflection increased while that of the 11 reflection changed little, resulting in only a small increase (approximately 1.7 fold) in the intensity ratio of the 10 to the 11 reflection. No resting-like pattern appeared upon the addition of MgADP and BeFx. These results indicate that a substantial fraction (approximately 40%) of the myosin heads dissociate from actin but the detached heads remain in the vicinity of the actin filaments when MgADP and BeFx bind. The states produced by binding phosphate analogs to a rigor muscle differ from the resting-like state produced by adding them to a contracting muscle (Takemori et al., J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 117 (1995) 603-608). Our conclusion put forward to explain the data is that one of the two heads of a crossbridge is detached and the other retains a rigor-like attachment.

Cooperativity between the two heads of rabbit skeletal muscle heavy meromyosin in binding to actin

An extensive series of experiments in this laboratory has shown that the binding of actin to rabbit skeletal muscle myosin subfragment-1 (a single-headed subfragment) can be described by a two-step model, with formation of a weakly bound complex, the A-state, followed by an isomerization to a more tightly bound complex, the R-state. In this paper, we report on additional experiments comparing the subfragment-1 with heavy meromyosin (a two-headed subfragment). Using a modeling approach, we have quantitated the two-step binding for each of the two heads. This indicates that the binding is cooperative and leads to a more complex view of the acto-myosin interaction than has previously been acknowledged. Implications for the dynamic behavior of the two heads during muscle contraction are discussed.

Myosin conformational states determined by single fluorophore polarization

Muscle contraction is powered by the interaction of the molecular motor myosin with actin. With new techniques for single molecule manipulation and fluorescence detection, it is now possible to correlate, within the same molecule and in real time, conformational states and mechanical function of myosin. A spot-confocal microscope, capable of detecting single fluorophore polarization, was developed to measure orientational states in the smooth muscle myosin light chain domain during the process of motion generation. Fluorescently labeled turkey gizzard smooth muscle myosin was prepared by removal of endogenous regulatory light chain and re-addition of the light chain labeled at cysteine-108 with the 6-isomer of iodoacetamidotetramethylrhodamine (6-IATR). Single myosin molecule fluorescence polarization data, obtained in a motility assay, provide direct evidence that the myosin light chain domain adopts at least two orientational states during the cyclic interaction of myosin with actin, a randomly disordered state, most likely associated with myosin whereas weakly bound to actin, and an ordered state in which the light chain domain adopts a finite angular orientation whereas strongly bound after the powerstroke.

Orientation changes of fluorescent probes at five sites on the myosin regulatory light chain during contraction of single skeletal muscle fibres

Changes in the orientation of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) in single muscle fibres were measured using polarised fluorescence from acetamidotetramethylrhodamine (ATR). Mutants of chicken skeletal RLC containing single cysteine residues at positions 2, 73, 94, 126 and 155 were labelled with either the 5 or 6-isomer of iodo-ATR, giving ten different probes. The labelled RLCs were exchanged into demembranated fibres from rabbit psoas muscle without significant effect on active force generation. Fluorescence polarisation measurements showed that nine out of the ten probe dipoles were more perpendicular to the fibre axis in the absence of ATP (in rigor) than in either relaxation or active contraction. The orientational distribution of the RLC region of the myosin head in active contraction is closer to the relaxed than to the rigor orientation, and is not equivalent to a linear combination of the relaxed and rigor orientations. Rapid length steps were applied to the fibres to synchronise the motions of myosin heads attached to actin. In active contraction the fluorescence polarisation changed both during the step, indicating elastic distortion of the RLC region of the myosin head, and during the subsequent rapid force recovery that is thought to signal the working stroke. The peak change in fluorescence polarisation produced by an active release of 5 nm per half sarcomere indicates an axial tilt of less than 5 degrees for all ten probes, if all the myosin heads in the fibre respond to the length step. This tilting was towards the rigor orientation for all ten probes, and could be explained by 14% of the heads moving to the rigor orientation. An active stretch tilted the heads away from the rigor conformation by a similar extent.

Fluorescence polarization transients from rhodamine isomers on the myosin regulatory light chain in skeletal muscle fibers

Fluorescence polarization was used to examine orientation changes of two rhodamine probes bound to myosin heads in skeletal muscle fibers. Chicken gizzard myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) was labeled at Cys108 with either the 5- or the 6-isomer of iodoacetamidotetramethylrhodamine (IATR). Labeled RLC (termed Cys108-5 or Cys108-6) was exchanged for the endogenous RLC in single, skinned fibers from rabbit psoas muscle. Three independent fluorescence polarization ratios were used to determine the static angular distribution of the probe dipoles with respect to the fiber axis and the extent of probe motions on the nanosecond time scale of the fluorescence lifetime. We used step changes in fiber length to partially synchronize the transitions between biochemical, structural, and mechanical states of the myosin cross-bridges. Releases during active contraction tilted the Cys108-6 dipoles away from the fiber axis. This response saturated for releases beyond 3 nm/half-sarcomere (h.s.). Stretches in active contraction caused the dipoles to tilt toward the fiber axis, with no evidence of saturation for stretches up to 7 nm/h.s. These nonlinearities of the response to length changes are consistent with a partition of approximately 90% of the probes that did not tilt when length changes were applied and 10% of the probes that tilted. The responding fraction tilted approximately 30 degrees for a 7.5 nm/h.s. release and traversed the plane perpendicular to the fiber axis for larger releases. Stretches in rigor tilted Cys108-6 dipoles away from the fiber axis, which was the opposite of the response in active contraction. The transition from the rigor-type to the active-type response to stretch preceded the main force development when fibers were activated from rigor by photolysis of caged ATP in the presence of Ca2+. Polarization ratios for Cys108-6 in low ionic strength (20 mM) relaxing solution were compatible with a combination of the relaxed (200 mM ionic strength) and rigor intensities, but the response to length changes was of the active type. The nanosecond motions of the Cys108-6 dipole were restricted to a cone of approximately 20 degrees half-angle, and those of Cys108-5 dipole to a cone of approximately 25 degrees half-angle. These values changed little between relaxation, active contraction, and rigor. Cys108-5 showed very small-amplitude tilting toward the fiber axis for both stretches and releases in active contraction, but much larger amplitude tilting in rigor. The marked differences in these responses to length steps between the two probe isomers and between active contraction and rigor suggest that the RLC undergoes a large angle change (approximately 60 degrees) between these two states. This motion is likely to be a combination of tilting of the RLC relative to the fiber axis and twisting of the RLC about its own axis.

A large and distinct rotation of the myosin light chain domain occurs upon muscle contraction

For more than 30 years, the fundamental goal in molecular motility has been to resolve force-generating motor protein structural changes. Although low-resolution structural studies have provided evidence for force-generating myosin rotations upon muscle activation, these studies did not resolve structural states of myosin in contracting muscle. Using electron paramagnetic resonance, we observed two distinct orientations of a spin label attached specifically to a single site on the light chain domain of myosin in relaxed scallop muscle fibers. The two probe orientations, separated by a 36 degrees +/- 5 degrees axial rotation, did not change upon muscle activation, but the distribution between them changed substantially, indicating that a fraction (17% +/- 2%) of myosin heads undergoes a large (at least 30 degrees) axial rotation of the myosin light chain domain upon force generation and muscle contraction. The resulting model helps explain why this observation has remained so elusive and provides insight into the mechanisms by which motor protein structural transitions drive molecular motility.

Modulation of contractility in human cardiac hypertrophy by myosin essential light chain isoforms

Cardiac hypertrophy is an adaptive response that normalizes wall stress and compensates for increased workload. It is accompanied by distinct qualitative and quantitative changes in the expression of protein isoforms concerning contractility, intracellular Ca(2+)-homeostasis and metabolism. Changes in the myosin subunit isoform expression improves contractility by an increase in force generation at a given Ca(2+)-concentration (increased Ca(2+)-sensitivity) and by improving the economy of the chemo-mechanical transduction process per amount of utilised ATP (increased duty ratio). In the human atrium this is achieved by partial replacement of the endogenous fast myosin by the ventricular slow-type heavy and light chains. In the hypertrophic human ventricle the slow-type beta-myosin heavy chains remain unchanged, but the ectopic expression of the atrial myosin essential light chain (ALC1) partially replaces the endogenous ventricular isoform (VLC1). The ventricular contractile apparatus with myosin containing ALC1 is characterised by faster cross-bridge kinetics, a higher Ca(2+)-sensitivity of force generation and an increased duty ratio. The mechanism for cross-bridge modulation relies on the extended Ala-Pro-rich N-terminus of the essential light chains of which the first eleven residues interact with the C-terminus of actin. A change in charge in this region between ALC1 and VLC1 explains their functional difference. The intracellular Ca(2+)-handling may be impaired in heart failure, resulting in either higher or lower cytosolic Ca(2+)-levels. Thus the state of the cardiomyocyte determines whether this hypertrophic adaptation remains beneficial or becomes detrimental during failure. Also discussed are the effects on contractility of long-term changes in isoform expression of other sarcomeric proteins. Positive and negative modulation of contractility by short-term phosphorylation reactions at multiple sites in the myosin regulatory light chain, troponin-I, troponin-T, alpha-tropomyosin and myosin binding protein-C are considered in detail.

Depletion of phosphate in active muscle fibers probes actomyosin states within the powerstroke

Variation in the concentration of orthophosphate (Pi) in actively contracting, chemically skinned muscle fibers has proved to be a useful probe of actomyosin interaction. Previous studies have shown that isometric tension (Po) decreases linearly in the logarithm of [Pi] for [Pi] > or = 200 microM. This result can be explained in terms of cross-bridge models in which the release of Pi is involved in the transition from a weakly bound, low-force actin x myosin x ADP x Pi state to a strongly bound, high-force, actin x myosin x ADP state. The 200 microM minimum [Pi] examined results from an inability to buffer the intrafiber, diffusive buildup of Pi resulting from the fiber ATPase. In the present study, we overcome this limitation by employing the enzyme purine nucleoside phosphorylase with substrate 7-methylguanosine to reduce the calculated internal [Pi] in contracting rabbit psoas fibers to < 5 microM. At 10 degrees C we find that Po continues to increase as the [Pi] decreases for [Pi] > or = 100 microM. Below this [Pi], Po is approximately constant. These results indicate that the free energy drop in the cross-bridge powerstroke is approximately 9 kT. This value is shown to be consistent with observations of muscle efficiency at physiological temperatures.

X-ray crystal structure and solution fluorescence characterization of Mg.2'(3')-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl) nucleotides bound to the Dictyostelium discoideum myosin motor domain

Mant (2'(3')-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl)) labeled nucleotides have proven to be useful tools in the study of the kinetic mechanism of the myosin ATPase by fluorescence spectroscopy. The sensitivity of the mant fluorophore to its local environment also makes it suitable to investigate the exposure of bound nucleotides to solvent from collisional quenching measurements. Here we present the crystal structure of mant-ADP and beryllium fluoride complexed with Dictyostelium discoideum myosin motor domain (S1dC) at 1.9 A resolution. We complement the structural approach with an investigation of the accessibility of the mant moiety to solvent using acrylamide quenching of fluorescence emission. In contrast to rabbit skeletal myosin subfragment 1, where the mant group is protected from acrylamide (Ksv=0.2 M-1), the fluorophore is relatively exposed when bound to Dictyostelium myosin motor domain (Ksv= 1.4 M-1). Differences between the Dictyostelium structure and that of vertebrate skeletal subfragment 1, in the region of the nucleotide binding pocket, are proposed as an explanation for the differences observed in the solvent accessibility of complexed mant-nucleotides. We conclude that protection of the mant group from acrylamide quenching does not report on overall closure of the nucleotide binding pocket but reflects more local structural changes.

Brush border myosin-I structure and ADP-dependent conformational changes revealed by cryoelectron microscopy and image analysis

Brush border myosin-I (BBM-I) is a single-headed myosin found in the microvilli of intestinal epithelial cells, where it forms lateral bridges connecting the core bundle of actin filaments to the plasma membrane. Extending previous observations (Jontes, J.D., E.M. Wilson-Kubalek, and R.A. Milligan. 1995. Nature [Lond.]. 378:751-753), we have used cryoelectron microscopy and helical image analysis to generate three-dimensional (3D) maps of actin filaments decorated with BBM-I in both the presence and absence of 1 mM MgADP. In the improved 3D maps, we are able to see the entire light chain-binding domain, containing density for all three calmodulin light chains. This has enabled us to model a high resolution structure of BBM-I using the crystal structures of the chicken skeletal muscle myosin catalytic domain and essential light chain. Thus, we are able to directly measure the full magnitude of the ADP-dependent tail swing. The approximately 31 degrees swing corresponds to approximately 63 A at the end of the rigid light chain-binding domain. Comparison of the behavior of BBM-I with skeletal and smooth muscle subfragments-1 suggests that there are substantial differences in the structure and energetics of the biochemical transitions in the actomyosin ATPase cycle.

Measurement of nucleotide release kinetics in single skeletal muscle myofibrils during isometric and isovelocity contractions using fluorescence microscopy

Rabbit psoas muscle myofibrils, in the presence of the fluorescent nucleotide analog 2'(3')-O-[N-[2-[[Cy3]amido]ethyl]carbamoyl]-adenosine 5' triphosphate (Cy3-EDA-ATP), showed selective fluorescence staining of the A-band with a reduced fluorescence at the M-line. Addition of Cy3-EDA-ATP to a myofibril in the presence of Ca2+ caused auxotonic shortening against a compliant glass microneedle. These results indicate that Cy3-EDA-ATP is a substrate for myosin in the myofibril system. The kinetics of nucleotide release from a single myofibril, held isometrically between two needles, were measured by the displacement of prebound Cy3-EDA-ATP on flash photolysis of caged ATP. The A-band fluorescence of the myofibril decayed exponentially with a rate constant of 0.3 s(-1) at 8 degrees C, an order of magnitude faster than that for isolated thick filaments in the absence of actin. When a myofibril was imposed to shorten with a constant velocity by a piezoelectric actuator, the nucleotide displacement rate constant initially increased to 0.7 s(-1) with increasing shortening velocity and then declined with a further increase in shortening velocity. These results demonstrate that the displacement rates of Cy3-EDA-nucleotides bound to the cross-bridges in the contracting myofibril reflect a process that shows strain dependence.