Localization of the binding interface between leiomodin-2 and α-tropomyosin

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance-Guided Structural Analysis of Moderate-Affinity Protein Complexes with Intrinsically Disordered Polypeptides

Binding affinity of an individual binding site of an intrinsically disordered protein for its folded partner may be moderate. In such cases, a straightforward determination of the structure of the binding interface is difficult. We offer a hybrid protocol combining NMR chemical shift information, NMR spectral data on amino acid residue sequence substitution effects, residual dipolar coupling, and molecular dynamics simulation that allowed us to determine the structure of a complex between the intrinsically disordered tropomyosin-binding site of leiomodin and a coiled-coil peptide modeling the N-terminal fragment of tropomyosin. The protocol can be used for other moderate-affinity complexes composed of an intrinsically disordered peptide bound to a structured protein partner.

The role of leiomodin in actin dynamics: a new road or a secret gate

Leiomodin is an important emerging regulator of thin filaments. As novel molecular, cellular, animal model, and human data accumulate, the mechanisms of its action become clearer. Structural studies played a significant part in understanding the functional significance of leiomodin's interacting partners and functional domains. In this review, we present the current state of knowledge on the structural and cellular properties of leiomodin which has led to two proposed mechanisms of its function. Although it is known that leiomodin is essential for life, numerous domains within leiomodin remain unstudied and as such, we outline future directions for investigations that we predict will provide evidence that leiomodin is a multifunctional protein.

Ca2+ attenuates nucleation activity of leiomodin

A transient increase in Ca2+ concentration in sarcomeres is essential for their proper function. Ca2+ drives striated muscle contraction via binding to the troponin complex of the thin filament to activate its interaction with the myosin thick filament. In addition to the troponin complex, the myosin essential light chain and myosin-binding protein C were also found to be Ca2+ sensitive. However, the effects of Ca2+ on the function of the tropomodulin family proteins involved in regulating thin filament formation have not yet been studied. Leiomodin, a member of the tropomodulin family, is an actin nucleator and thin filament elongator. Using pyrene-actin polymerization assay and transmission electron microscopy, we show that the actin nucleation activity of leiomodin is attenuated by Ca2+ . Using circular dichroism and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, we demonstrate that the mostly disordered, negatively charged region of leiomodin located between its first two actin-binding sites binds Ca2+ . We propose that Ca2+ binding to leiomodin results in the attenuation of its nucleation activity. Our data provide further evidence regarding the role of Ca2+ as an ultimate regulator of the ensemble of sarcomeric proteins essential for muscle function. SUMMARY STATEMENT: Ca2+ fluctuations in striated muscle sarcomeres modulate contractile activity via binding to several distinct families of sarcomeric proteins. The effects of Ca2+ on the activity of leiomodin-an actin nucleator and thin filament length regulator-have remained unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that Ca2+ binds directly to leiomodin and attenuates its actin nucleating activity. Our data emphasizes the ultimate role of Ca2+ in the regulation of the sarcomeric protein interactions.

Neonatal-lethal dilated cardiomyopathy due to a homozygous LMOD2 donor splice-site variant

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by cardiac enlargement and impaired ventricular contractility leading to heart failure. A single report identified variants in leiomodin-2 (LMOD2) as a cause of neonatally-lethal DCM. Here, we describe two siblings with DCM who died shortly after birth due to heart failure. Exome sequencing identified a homozygous LMOD2 variant in both siblings, (GRCh38)chr7:g.123656237G > A; NM_207163.2:c.273 + 1G > A, ablating the donor 5' splice-site of intron-1. Pre-mRNA splicing studies and western blot analysis on cDNA derived from proband cardiac tissue, MyoD-transduced proband skin fibroblasts and HEK293 cells transfected with LMOD2 gene constructs established variant-associated absence of canonically spliced LMOD2 mRNA and full-length LMOD2 protein. Immunostaining of proband heart tissue unveiled abnormally short actin-thin filaments. Our data are consistent with LMOD2 c.273 + 1G > A abolishing/reducing LMOD2 transcript expression by: (1) variant-associated perturbation in initiation of transcription due to ablation of the intron-1 donor; and/or (2) degradation of aberrant LMOD2 transcripts (resulting from use of alternative transcription start-sites or cryptic splice-sites) by nonsense-mediated decay. LMOD2 expression is critical for life and the absence of LMOD2 is associated with thin filament shortening and severe cardiac contractile dysfunction. This study describes the first splice-site variant in LMOD2 and confirms the role of LMOD2 variants in DCM.

CAP2 is a regulator of actin pointed end dynamics and myofibrillogenesis in cardiac muscle

The precise assembly of actin-based thin filaments is crucial for muscle contraction. Dysregulation of actin dynamics at thin filament pointed ends results in skeletal and cardiac myopathies. Here, we discovered adenylyl cyclase-associated protein 2 (CAP2) as a unique component of thin filament pointed ends in cardiac muscle. CAP2 has critical functions in cardiomyocytes as it depolymerizes and inhibits actin incorporation into thin filaments. Strikingly distinct from other pointed-end proteins, CAP2's function is not enhanced but inhibited by tropomyosin and it does not directly control thin filament lengths. Furthermore, CAP2 plays an essential role in cardiomyocyte maturation by modulating pre-sarcomeric actin assembly and regulating α-actin composition in mature thin filaments. Identification of CAP2's multifunctional roles provides missing links in our understanding of how thin filament architecture is regulated in striated muscle and it reveals there are additional factors, beyond Tmod1 and Lmod2, that modulate actin dynamics at thin filament pointed ends.

Leiomodin creates a leaky cap at the pointed end of actin-thin filaments

Improper lengths of actin-thin filaments are associated with altered contractile activity and lethal myopathies. Leiomodin, a member of the tropomodulin family of proteins, is critical in thin filament assembly and maintenance; however, its role is under dispute. Using nuclear magnetic resonance data and molecular dynamics simulations, we generated the first atomic structural model of the binding interface between the tropomyosin-binding site of cardiac leiomodin and the N-terminus of striated muscle tropomyosin. Our structural data indicate that the leiomodin/tropomyosin complex only forms at the pointed end of thin filaments, where the tropomyosin N-terminus is not blocked by an adjacent tropomyosin protomer. This discovery provides evidence supporting the debated mechanism where leiomodin and tropomodulin regulate thin filament lengths by competing for thin filament binding. Data from experiments performed in cardiomyocytes provide additional support for the competition model; specifically, expression of a leiomodin mutant that is unable to interact with tropomyosin fails to displace tropomodulin at thin filament pointed ends and fails to elongate thin filaments. Together with previous structural and biochemical data, we now propose a molecular mechanism of actin polymerization at the pointed end in the presence of bound leiomodin. In the proposed model, the N-terminal actin-binding site of leiomodin can act as a "swinging gate" allowing limited actin polymerization, thus making leiomodin a leaky pointed-end cap. Results presented in this work answer long-standing questions about the role of leiomodin in thin filament length regulation and maintenance.

Thin filament dysfunctions caused by mutations in tropomyosin Tpm3.12 and Tpm1.1

Tropomyosin is the major regulator of the thin filament. In striated muscle its function is to bind troponin complex and control the access of myosin heads to actin in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner. It also participates in the maintenance of thin filament length by regulation of tropomodulin and leiomodin, the pointed end-binding proteins. Because the size of the overlap between actin and myosin filaments affects the number of myosin heads which interact with actin, the filament length is one of the determinants of force development. Numerous point mutations in genes encoding tropomyosin lead to single amino acid substitutions along the entire length of the coiled coil that are associated with various types of cardiomyopathy and skeletal muscle disease. Specific regions of tropomyosin interact with different binding partners; therefore, the mutations affect diverse tropomyosin functions. In this review, results of studies on mutations in the genes TPM1 and TPM3, encoding Tpm1.1 and Tpm3.12, are described. The paper is particularly focused on mutation-dependent alterations in the mechanisms of actin-myosin interactions and dynamics of the thin filament at the pointed end.

Effects of cardiomyopathy-linked mutations K15N and R21H in tropomyosin on thin-filament regulation and pointed-end dynamics

Missense mutations K15N and R21H in striated muscle tropomyosin are linked to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), respectively. Tropomyosin, together with the troponin complex, regulates muscle contraction and, along with tropomodulin and leiomodin, controls the uniform thin-filament lengths crucial for normal sarcomere structure and function. We used Förster resonance energy transfer to study effects of the tropomyosin mutations on the structure and kinetics of the cardiac troponin core domain associated with the Ca²⁺-dependent regulation of cardiac thin filaments. We found that the K15N mutation desensitizes thin filaments to Ca²⁺ and slows the kinetics of structural changes in troponin induced by Ca²⁺ dissociation from troponin, while the R21H mutation has almost no effect on these parameters. Expression of the K15N mutant in cardiomyocytes decreases leiomodin’s thin-filament pointed-end assembly but does not affect tropomodulin’s assembly at the pointed end. Our in vitro assays show that the R21H mutation causes a twofold decrease in tropomyosin’s affinity for F-actin and affects leiomodin’s function. We suggest that the K15N mutation causes DCM by altering Ca²⁺-dependent thin-filament regulation and that one of the possible HCM-causing mechanisms by the R21H mutation is through alteration of leiomodin’s function.

The effects of cardiomyopathy-associated mutations in the head-to-tail overlap junction of α-tropomyosin on its properties and interaction with actin

Tropomyosin (Tpm) plays a crucial role in the regulation of muscle contraction by controlling actin-myosin interaction. Tpm coiled-coil molecules bind each other via overlap junctions of their N- and C-termini and form a semi-rigid strand that binds the helical surface of an actin filament. The high bending stiffness of the strand is essential for high cooperativity of muscle regulation. Point mutations M8R and K15N in the N-terminal part of the junction and the A277V one in the C-terminal part are associated with dilated cardiomyopathy, while the M281T and I284V mutations are related to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. To reveal molecular mechanism(s) underlying these pathologies, we studied the properties of recombinant Tpm carrying these mutations using several experimental approaches and molecular dynamic simulation of the junction. The M8R and K15N mutations weakened the interaction between the N- and C-termini of Tpm in the overlap junction and reduced the Tpm affinity for actin. These changes possibly led to a reduction in the regulation cooperativity. The C-terminal mutations caused only small and controversial changes in properties of Tpm and its complex with actin. Their involvement in disease phenotype is possibly caused by interaction with other sarcomere proteins.

Characterizing interaction forces between actin and proteins of the tropomodulin family reveals the presence of the N-terminal actin-binding site in leiomodin

Tropomodulin family of proteins includes several isoforms of tropomodulins (Tmod) and leiomodins (Lmod). These proteins can sequester actin monomers or nucleate actin polymerization. Although it is known that their actin-binding properties are isoform-dependent, knowledge on how they vary in strengths of interactions with G-actin is missing. While it is confirmed in many studies that Tmods have two actin-binding sites, information on number and location of actin-binding sites in Lmod2 is controversial. We used atomic force microscopy to study interactions between G-actin and proteins of the tropomodulin family. Unbinding forces between G-actin and Tmod1, Tmod2, Tmod3, or Lmod2 were quantified. Our results indicated that Tmod1 and Tmod3 had unimodal force distributions, Tmod2 had a bimodal distribution and Lmod2 had a trimodal distribution. The number of force distributions correlates with the proteins' abilities to sequester actin or to nucleate actin polymerization. We assigned specific unbinding forces to the individual actin-binding sites of Tmod2 and Lmod2 using mutations that destroy actin-binding sites of Tmod2 and truncated Lmod2. Our results confirm the existence of the N-terminal actin-binding site in Lmod2. Altogether, our data demonstrate how the differences between the number and the strength of actin-binding sites of Tmod or Lmod translate to their functional abilities.

Structural destabilization of tropomyosin induced by the cardiomyopathy-linked mutation R21H

The missense mutation R21H in striated muscle tropomyosin is associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic cardiac disease and a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people. Tropomyosin adopts conformation of a coiled coil which is critical for regulation of muscle contraction. In this study, we investigated the effects of the R21H mutation on the coiled-coil structure of tropomyosin and its interactions with its binding partners, tropomodulin and leiomodin. Using circular dichroism and isothermal titration calorimetry, we found that the mutation profoundly destabilized the structural integrity of αTM1a_1-28 Zip, a chimeric peptide containing the first 28 residues of tropomyosin. The mutated αTM1a_1-28 Zip was still able to interact with tropomodulin and leiomodin. However, the mutation resulted in a ∼30-fold decrease of αTM1a_1-28 Zip's binding affinity to leiomodin. We used a crystal structure of αTM1a_1-28 Zip that we solved at 1.5 Å resolution to study the mutation's effect in silico by means of molecular dynamics simulation. The simulation data indicated that while the mutation disrupted αTM1a_1-28 Zip's coiled-coil structure, most notably from residue Ala18 to residue His31, it may not affect the N-terminal end of tropomyosin. The drastic decrease of αTM1a_1-28 Zip's affinity to leiomodin caused by the mutation may lead to changes in the dynamics at the pointed end of thin filaments. Therefore, the R21H mutation is likely interfering with the regulation of the normal thin filament length essential for proper muscle contraction.

Cardiac leiomodin2 binds to the sides of actin filaments and regulates the ATPase activity of myosin

Leiomodin proteins are vertebrate homologues of tropomodulin, having a role in the assembly and maintenance of muscle thin filaments. Leiomodin2 contains an N-terminal tropomodulin homolog fragment including tropomyosin-, and actin-binding sites, and a C-terminal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome homology 2 actin-binding domain. The cardiac leiomodin2 isoform associates to the pointed end of actin filaments, where it supports the lengthening of thin filaments and competes with tropomodulin. It was recently found that cardiac leiomodin2 can localise also along the length of sarcomeric actin filaments. While the activities of leiomodin2 related to pointed end binding are relatively well described, the potential side binding activity and its functional consequences are less well understood. To better understand the biological functions of leiomodin2, in the present work we analysed the structural features and the activities of Rattus norvegicus cardiac leiomodin2 in actin dynamics by spectroscopic and high-speed sedimentation approaches. By monitoring the fluorescence parameters of leiomodin2 tryptophan residues we found that it possesses flexible, intrinsically disordered regions. Leiomodin2 accelerates the polymerisation of actin in an ionic strength dependent manner, which relies on its N-terminal regions. Importantly, we demonstrate that leiomodin2 binds to the sides of actin filaments and induces structural alterations in actin filaments. Upon its interaction with the filaments leiomodin2 decreases the actin-activated Mg²⁺-ATPase activity of skeletal muscle myosin. These observations suggest that through its binding to side of actin filaments and its effect on myosin activity leiomodin2 has more functions in muscle cells than it was indicated in previous studies.

Tropomodulins and Leiomodins: Actin Pointed End Caps and Nucleators in Muscles

Cytoskeletal structures characterized by actin filaments with uniform lengths, including the thin filaments of striated muscles and the spectrin-based membrane skeleton, use barbed and pointed-end capping proteins to control subunit addition/dissociation at filament ends. While several proteins cap the barbed end, tropomodulins (Tmods), a family of four closely related isoforms in vertebrates, are the only proteins known to specifically cap the pointed end. Tmods are ∼350 amino acids in length, and comprise alternating tropomyosin- and actin-binding sites (TMBS1, ABS1, TMBS2, and ABS2). Leiomodins (Lmods) are related in sequence to Tmods, but display important differences, including most notably the lack of TMBS2 and the presence of a C-terminal extension featuring a proline-rich domain and an actin-binding WASP-Homology 2 domain. The Lmod subfamily comprises three somewhat divergent isoforms expressed predominantly in muscle cells. Biochemically, Lmods differ from Tmods, acting as powerful nucleators of actin polymerization, not capping proteins. Structurally, Lmods and Tmods display crucial differences that correlate well with their different biochemical activities. Physiologically, loss of Lmods in striated muscle results in cardiomyopathy or nemaline myopathy, whereas complete loss of Tmods leads to failure of myofibril assembly and developmental defects. Yet, interpretation of some of the in vivo data has led to the idea that Tmods and Lmods are interchangeable or, at best, different variants of two subfamilies of pointed-end capping proteins. Here, we review and contrast the existing literature on Tmods and Lmods, and propose a model of Lmod function that attempts to reconcile the in vitro and in vivo data, whereby Lmods nucleate actin filaments that are subsequently capped by Tmods during sarcomere assembly, turnover, and repair.

The cardiomyopathy-associated K15N mutation in tropomyosin alters actin filament pointed end dynamics

Correct assembly of thin filaments composed of actin and actin-binding proteins is of crucial importance for properly functioning muscle cells. Tropomyosin (Tpm) mediates the binding of tropomodulin (Tmod) and leiomodin (Lmod) at the slow-growing, or pointed, ends of the thin filaments. Together these proteins regulate thin filament lengths and actin dynamics in cardiac muscle. The K15N mutation in the TPM1 gene is associated with familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) but the effect of this mutation on Tpm's function is unknown. In this study, we introduced the K15N mutation in striated muscle α-Tpm (Tpm1.1) and investigated its interaction with actin, Tmod and Lmod. The mutation caused a ∼3-fold decrease in the affinity of Tpm1.1 for actin. The binding of Lmod and Tmod to Tpm1.1-covered actin filaments also decreased in the presence of the K15N mutation. Furthermore, the K15N mutation in Tpm1.1 disrupted the inhibition of actin polymerization and affected the competition between Tmod1 and Lmod2 for binding at the pointed ends. Our data demonstrate that the K15N mutation alters pointed end dynamics by affecting molecular interactions between Tpm1.1, Lmod2 and Tmod1.

The N-terminal tropomyosin- and actin-binding sites are important for leiomodin 2's function

Leiomodin is a potent actin nucleator related to tropomodulin, a capping protein localized at the pointed end of the thin filaments. Mutations in leiomodin-3 are associated with lethal nemaline myopathy in humans, and leiomodin-2-knockout mice present with dilated cardiomyopathy. The arrangement of the N-terminal actin- and tropomyosin-binding sites in leiomodin is contradictory and functionally not well understood. Using one-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance and the pointed-end actin polymerization assay, we find that leiomodin-2, a major cardiac isoform, has an N-terminal actin-binding site located within residues 43-90. Moreover, for the first time, we obtain evidence that there are additional interactions with actin within residues 124-201. Here we establish that leiomodin interacts with only one tropomyosin molecule, and this is the only site of interaction between leiomodin and tropomyosin. Introduction of mutations in both actin- and tropomyosin-binding sites of leiomodin affected its localization at the pointed ends of the thin filaments in cardiomyocytes. On the basis of our new findings, we propose a model in which leiomodin regulates actin poly-merization dynamics in myocytes by acting as a leaky cap at thin filament pointed ends.