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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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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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Grinspan GA, Fernandes de Oliveira L, Brandao MC, Pomi A, Benech N. Load sharing between synergistic muscles characterized by a ligand-binding approach and elastography. Sci Rep 2023; 13:18267. [PMID: 37880279 PMCID: PMC10600237 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-45037-y] [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: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The skeletal muscle contraction is determined by cross-bridge formation between the myosin heads and the actin active sites. When the muscle contracts, it shortens, increasing its longitudinal shear elastic modulus ([Formula: see text]). Structurally, skeletal muscle can be considered analogous to the molecular receptors that form receptor-ligand complexes and exhibit specific ligand-binding dynamics. In this context, this work aims to apply elastography and the ligand-binding framework to approach the possible intrinsic mechanisms behind muscle synergism. Based on the short-range stiffness principle and the acoustic-elasticity theory, we define the coefficient [Formula: see text], which is directly related to the fraction saturation of molecular receptors and links the relative longitudinal deformation of the muscle to its [Formula: see text]. We show that such a coefficient can be obtained directly from [Formula: see text] estimates, thus calculating it for the biceps brachii, brachioradialis, and brachialis muscles during isometric elbow flexion torque (τ) ramps. The resulting [Formula: see text] curves were analyzed by conventional characterization methods of receptor-ligand systems to study the dynamical behavior of each muscle. The results showed that, depending on muscle, [Formula: see text] exhibits typical ligand-binding dynamics during joint torque production. Therefore, the above indicates that these different behaviors describe the longitudinal shortening pattern of each muscle during load sharing. As a plausible interpretation, we suggested that this could be related to the binding kinetics of the cross-bridges during their synergistic action as torque increases. Likewise, it shows that elastography could be useful to assess contractile processes at different scales related to the change in the mechanical properties of skeletal muscle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo A Grinspan
- Sección Biofísica y Biología de Sistemas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay.
- Laboratorio de Acústica Ultrasonora, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay.
| | - Liliam Fernandes de Oliveira
- Laboratório de Análise do Movimento e Fisiologia do Exercício, Programa de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Horácio Macedo 2030, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, Brazil
| | - Maria Clara Brandao
- Laboratório de Análise do Movimento e Fisiologia do Exercício, Programa de Engenharia Biomédica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Av. Horácio Macedo 2030, Rio de Janeiro, 21941-590, Brazil
| | - Andrés Pomi
- Sección Biofísica y Biología de Sistemas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
| | - Nicolás Benech
- Laboratorio de Acústica Ultrasonora, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
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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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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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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: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [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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Opto-thermal technologies for microscopic analysis of cellular temperature-sensing systems. Biophys Rev 2021; 14:41-54. [PMID: 35340595 PMCID: PMC8921355 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-021-00854-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractCould enzymatic activities and their cooperative functions act as cellular temperature-sensing systems? This review introduces recent opto-thermal technologies for microscopic analyses of various types of cellular temperature-sensing system. Optical microheating technologies have been developed for local and rapid temperature manipulations at the cellular level. Advanced luminescent thermometers visualize the dynamics of cellular local temperature in space and time during microheating. An optical heater and thermometer can be combined into one smart nanomaterial that demonstrates hybrid function. These technologies have revealed a variety of cellular responses to spatial and temporal changes in temperature. Spatial temperature gradients cause asymmetric deformations during mitosis and neurite outgrowth. Rapid changes in temperature causes imbalance of intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis and membrane potential. Among those responses, heat-induced muscle contractions are highlighted. It is also demonstrated that the short-term heating hyperactivates molecular motors to exceed their maximal activities at optimal temperatures. We discuss future prospects for opto-thermal manipulation of cellular functions and contributions to obtain a deeper understanding of the mechanisms of cellular temperature-sensing systems.
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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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Racca AW, Rynkiewicz MJ, LaFave N, Ghosh A, Lehman W, Moore JR. M8R tropomyosin mutation disrupts actin binding and filament regulation: The beginning affects the middle and end. J Biol Chem 2020; 295:17128-17137. [PMID: 33020181 PMCID: PMC7863880 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.014713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is associated with mutations in cardiomyocyte sarcomeric proteins, including α-tropomyosin. In conjunction with troponin, tropomyosin shifts to regulate actomyosin interactions. Tropomyosin molecules overlap via tropomyosin-tropomyosin head-to-tail associations, forming a continuous strand along the thin filament. These associations are critical for propagation of tropomyosin's reconfiguration along the thin filament and key for the cooperative switching between heart muscle contraction and relaxation. Here, we tested perturbations in tropomyosin structure, biochemistry, and function caused by the DCM-linked mutation, M8R, which is located at the overlap junction. Localized and nonlocalized structural effects of the mutation were found in tropomyosin that ultimately perturb its thin filament regulatory function. Comparison of mutant and WT α-tropomyosin was carried out using in vitro motility assays, CD, actin co-sedimentation, and molecular dynamics simulations. Regulated thin filament velocity measurements showed that the presence of M8R tropomyosin decreased calcium sensitivity and thin filament cooperativity. The co-sedimentation of actin and tropomyosin showed weakening of actin-mutant tropomyosin binding. The binding of troponin T's N terminus to the actin-mutant tropomyosin complex was also weakened. CD and molecular dynamics indicate that the M8R mutation disrupts the four-helix bundle at the head-to-tail junction, leading to weaker tropomyosin-tropomyosin binding and weaker tropomyosin-actin binding. Molecular dynamics revealed that altered end-to-end bond formation has effects extending toward the central region of the tropomyosin molecule, which alter the azimuthal position of tropomyosin, likely disrupting the mutant thin filament response to calcium. These results demonstrate that mutation-induced alterations in tropomyosin-thin filament interactions underlie the altered regulatory phenotype and ultimately the pathogenesis of DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Ward Racca
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Nicholas LaFave
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Anita Ghosh
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts, USA.
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Solís C, Robinson JM. Cardiac troponin and tropomyosin bind to F-actin cooperatively, as revealed by fluorescence microscopy. FEBS Open Bio 2020; 10:1362-1372. [PMID: 32385956 PMCID: PMC7327902 DOI: 10.1002/2211-5463.12876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2020] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
In cardiac muscle, binding of troponin (Tn) and tropomyosin (Tpm) to filamentous (F)‐actin forms thin filaments capable of Ca2+‐dependent regulation of contraction. Tpm binds to F‐actin in a head‐to‐tail fashion, while Tn stabilizes these linkages. Valuable structural and functional information has come from biochemical, X‐ray, and electron microscopy data. However, the use of fluorescence microscopy to study thin filament assembly remains relatively underdeveloped. Here, triple fluorescent labeling of Tn, Tpm, and F‐actin allowed us to track thin filament assembly by fluorescence microscopy. It is shown here that Tn and Tpm molecules self‐organize on actin filaments and give rise to decorated and undecorated regions. Binding curves based on colocalization of Tn and Tpm on F‐actin exhibit cooperative binding with a dissociation constant Kd of ~ 0.5 µm that is independent of the Ca2+ concentration. Binding isotherms based on the intensity profile of fluorescently labeled Tn and Tpm on F‐actin show that binding of Tn is less cooperative relative to Tpm. Computational modeling of Tn‐Tpm binding to F‐actin suggests two equilibrium steps involving the binding of an initial Tn‐Tpm unit (nucleation) and subsequent recruitment of adjacent Tn‐Tpm units (elongation) that stabilize the assembly. The results presented here highlight the utility of employing fluorescence microscopy to study supramolecular protein assemblies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Solís
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, USA
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Bugyi B, Kellermayer M. The discovery of actin: "to see what everyone else has seen, and to think what nobody has thought". J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2020; 41:3-9. [PMID: 31093826 PMCID: PMC7109165 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-019-09515-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Actin is among the most highly abundant and ubiquitous proteins in eukaryotic cells. The structure, dynamics and functional diversity of actin have continued to mesmerise cell and molecular biologists, biophysicists and physiologists for more than three quarters of a century. The discovery and initial characterization of actin, which took place in the laboratory of Albert Szent-Györgyi by Ilona Banga and Brúnó F. Straub during the second world war in Hungary, is a remarkable and inspiring moment in the history of science. Many of the early thoughts and ideas on the properties and functions of actin and particularly actomyosin, which are referred to in this short historical overview, resonate freshly even today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beáta Bugyi
- Department of Biophysics, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti str. 12, Pécs, 7624, Hungary.
| | - Miklós Kellermayer
- Department of Biophysics and Radiation Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Tűzoltó str. 37-47, Budapest, IX, 1428, Hungary.
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12
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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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13
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Borovikov YS, Karpicheva OE, Avrova SV, Simonyan AO, Sirenko VV, Redwood CS. The molecular mechanism of muscle dysfunction associated with the R133W mutation in Tpm2.2. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 523:258-262. [PMID: 31864708 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.12.061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Ghost muscle fibres reconstituted with myosin heads labeled with the fluorescent probe 1,5-IAEDANS were used for analysis of muscle fibre dysfunction associated with the R133W mutation in β-tropomyosin (Tpm2.2). By using polarized microscopy, we showed that at high Ca2+ the R133W mutation in both αβ-Tpm heterodimers and ββ-Tpm homodimers decreases the amount of the myosin heads strongly bound to F-actin and the number of switched-on actin monomers, with this effect being stronger for ββ-Tpm. This mutation also inhibits the shifting of the R133W-Tpm strands towards the open position and the efficiency of the cross-bridge work. At low Ca2+, the amount of the strongly bound myosin heads is lower for R133W-Tpms than for WT-Tpms which may contribute to a low myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity of the R133W-Tpms. It is concluded that freezing of the mutant αβ- or ββ-Tpm close to the blocked position inhibits the strong binding of the cross-bridges and the switching on of actin monomers which may be the reason for muscle weakness associated with the R133W mutation in β-tropomyosin. The use of reagents that activate myosin may be appropriate to restore muscle function in patients with the R133W mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yurii S Borovikov
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Av., St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia.
| | - Olga E Karpicheva
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Av., St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Stanislava V Avrova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Av., St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Armen O Simonyan
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Av., St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Vladimir V Sirenko
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Av., St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Charles S Redwood
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
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14
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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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15
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Geeves MA, Lehrer SS, Lehman W. The mechanism of thin filament regulation: Models in conflict? J Gen Physiol 2019; 151:1265-1271. [PMID: 31570503 PMCID: PMC6829557 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201912446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence on two- and three-state models of the calcium regulation models of muscle contractions remain in favor of three-state models. In a recent JGP article, Heeley et al. (2019. J. Gen. Physiol. https://doi.org/10.1085/jgp.201812198) reopened the debate about two- versus three-state models of thin filament regulation. The authors review their work, which measures the rate constant of Pi release from myosin.ADP.Pi activated by actin or thin filaments under a variety of conditions. They conclude that their data can be described by a two-state model and raise doubts about the generally accepted three-state model as originally formulated by McKillop and Geeves (1993. Biophys. J.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3495(93)81110-X). However, in the following article, we follow Plato’s dictum that “twice and thrice over, as they say, good it is to repeat and review what is good.” We have therefore reviewed the evidence for the three- and two-state models and present our view that the evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of three structural states of the thin filament, which regulate access of myosin to its binding sites on actin and, hence, muscle contractility.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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16
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Marston S. Small molecule studies: the fourth wave of muscle research. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2019; 40:69-76. [PMID: 31228047 PMCID: PMC6726831 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-019-09526-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2019] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The study of muscle and contractility is an unusual scientific endeavour since it has from the start been focussed on one problem-What makes muscle work?-and yet has needed a vast range of different approaches and techniques to study it. Its uniqueness lies in the fundamental fascination of a large scale molecular machine that converts chemical energy into mechanical energy at ambient temperature and with high efficiency that is also controlled by an exquisitely intricate yet utterly reliable regulatory system and is an essential component of animal life. The investigation of muscle is as innovative as any other field of research. As soon as one approach appears to be played out another comes along. It is instructive to consider this as a series of waves of novel and heightened activity starting in the 1950s. The thesis of this article is that we are approaching the fourth wave with the recent rise of interest in small molecules as research tools and possible therapies for muscle diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Marston
- Cardiovascular Division, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK.
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17
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Avrova SV, Karpicheva OE, Simonyan AO, Sirenko VV, Redwood CS, Borovikov YS. The molecular mechanisms of a high Ca 2+-sensitivity and muscle weakness associated with the Ala155Thr substitution in Tpm3.12. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2019; 515:372-377. [PMID: 31155291 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2019.05.146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/23/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Substitution of Ala for Thr residue in 155th position in γ-tropomyosin (Tpm3.12) is associated with muscle weakness. To understand the mechanisms of this defect, we studied the Ca2+-sensitivity of thin filaments in solution and multistep changes in mobility and spatial arrangement of actin, Tpm, and myosin heads during the ATPase cycle in reconstituted muscle fibres, using the polarized fluorescence microscopy. It was shown that the Ala155Thr (A155T) mutation increased the Ca2+-sensitivity of the thin filaments in solution. In the absence of the myosin heads in the muscle fibres, the mutation did not alter the ability of troponin to switch the thin filaments on and off at high and low Ca2+, respectively. However, upon the binding of myosin heads to the thin filaments at low Ca2+, the mutant Tpm was found to be markedly closer to the open position, than the wild-type Tpm. In the presence of the mutant Tpm, switching on of actin monomers and formation of the strong-binding state of the myosin heads were observed at low Ca2+, which indicated a higher myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity. The mutation decreased the amount of myosin heads bound strongly to actin at high Ca2+ and increased the number of these heads at relaxation. It is suggested that direct binding of myosin to Tpm may be one оf the reasons for muscle weakness associated with the A155T mutation. The use of reagents that decrease the Ca2+-sensitivity of the troponin complex may not be adequate to restore muscle function in patients with the A155T mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stanislava V Avrova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Olga E Karpicheva
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Armen O Simonyan
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Vladimir V Sirenko
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia
| | - Charles S Redwood
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Yurii S Borovikov
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg, 194064, Russia.
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18
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Marston S, Zamora JE. Troponin structure and function: a view of recent progress. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2019; 41:71-89. [PMID: 31030382 PMCID: PMC7109197 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-019-09513-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The molecular mechanism by which Ca2+ binding and phosphorylation regulate muscle contraction through Troponin is not yet fully understood. Revealing the differences between the relaxed and active structure of cTn, as well as the conformational changes that follow phosphorylation has remained a challenge for structural biologists over the years. Here we review the current understanding of how Ca2+, phosphorylation and disease-causing mutations affect the structure and dynamics of troponin to regulate the thin filament based on electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, NMR and molecular dynamics methodologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven Marston
- NHLI and Chemistry Departments, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK.
| | - Juan Eiros Zamora
- NHLI and Chemistry Departments, Imperial College London, W12 0NN, London, UK
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19
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Heeley DH, White HD, Taylor EW. Investigation into the mechanism of thin filament regulation by transient kinetics and equilibrium binding: Is there a conflict? J Gen Physiol 2019; 151:628-634. [PMID: 30824574 PMCID: PMC6504287 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201812198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The authors examine the apparent discrepancies from studies aimed at understanding the mechanism of thin filament regulation. Striated muscle contraction occurs when myosin undergoes a lever-type structural change. This process (the power stroke) requires ATP and is governed by the thin filament, a complex of actin, tropomyosin, and troponin. The authors have used a fast-mixing instrument to investigate the mechanism of regulation. Such (pre–steady-state kinetic) experiments allow biochemical intermediates in a working actomyosin cycle to be monitored. The regulatory focal point is demonstrated to be the step that involves the departure of inorganic phosphate (i.e., AM-ADP-Pi → AM-ADP). This part of the cycle, which lies on the main kinetic pathway and coincides with the drive stroke, is maximally accelerated ∼100-fold by the combined association of ligands (Ca[II] and rigor myosin heads) with the thin filament. However, the observed ligand dependencies of the rates of Pi dissociation that are reported herein are at variance with predictions of models derived from experiments where ATP hydrolysis is not taking place (and myosin exists in a nonphysiological form). It is concluded that the principal influence of the thin filament is in setting the rate of Pi dissociation and that physiological levels of regulation are dependent upon the liganded state of the thin filament as well as the conformation of myosin.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H Heeley
- Department of Biochemistry, Memorial University, St. John's, Canada
| | - Howard D White
- Department of Physiological Sciences, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA
| | - Edwin W Taylor
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL
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20
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Kiani FA, Lehman W, Fischer S, Rynkiewicz MJ. Spontaneous transitions of actin-bound tropomyosin toward blocked and closed states. J Gen Physiol 2018; 151:4-8. [PMID: 30442774 PMCID: PMC6314389 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201812188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The detachment of myosin from actin is associated with tropomyosin adopting a blocked or closed state, but the mechanism is unclear. Using MD simulations, Kiani et al. show that tropomyosin undergoes spontaneous transitions on the F-actin surface toward blocked or closed positions. After muscle contraction, myosin cross-bridge heads detach from thin actin filaments during relaxation. Structural and kinetic data of cross-bridge–thin filament interactions have shown that tropomyosin’s position on F-actin is biased toward the blocked or closed states when myosin detaches. It is not clear if structural linkages between tropomyosin and myosin cross-bridge heads, or tropomyosin and Ca2+-free troponin, drive the process or whether tropomyosin movement is energetically independent of myosin and troponin influence. Here we provide in silico data about tropomyosin dynamics on troponin/myosin-free F-actin indicating that tropomyosin moves from the open state toward blocked- or closed-state positions on actin. To follow transitions inherent to tropomyosin itself on F-actin, we performed MD simulations initiated from the blocked-, open-, and intermediate-state models and followed tropomyosin over the surface of F-actin in the absence of myosin and troponin. These MD simulations maintain tropomyosin in a cable-like conformation, including the tropomyosin overlap domain, while allowing tropomyosin to retain most of its motional freedom. Tropomyosin shows considerable azimuthal movement away from the open state toward the surrounds of a more energetically favorable blocked B-state position over F-actin. In contrast, little movement away from the B-state location is observed. Our results are consistent with previous predictions based on electrostatic interaction energy landscapes determined by rigid-body translocation of tropomyosin. They support the view that in the absence of myosin, i.e., when myosin cross-bridges detach from actin, the blocked- or closed-state positions of tropomyosin are energetically favored, while the open state is not.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farooq A Kiani
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology & Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA
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21
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The Molecular Mechanisms of Mutations in Actin and Myosin that Cause Inherited Myopathy. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19072020. [PMID: 29997361 PMCID: PMC6073311 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19072020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery that mutations in myosin and actin genes, together with mutations in the other components of the muscle sarcomere, are responsible for a range of inherited muscle diseases (myopathies) has revolutionized the study of muscle, converting it from a subject of basic science to a relevant subject for clinical study and has been responsible for a great increase of interest in muscle studies. Myopathies are linked to mutations in five of the myosin heavy chain genes, three of the myosin light chain genes, and three of the actin genes. This review aims to determine to what extent we can explain disease phenotype from the mutant genotype. To optimise our chances of finding the right mechanism we must study a myopathy where there are a large number of different mutations that cause a common phenotype and so are likely to have a common mechanism: a corollary to this criterion is that if any mutation causes the disease phenotype but does not correspond to the proposed mechanism, then the whole mechanism is suspect. Using these criteria, we consider two cases where plausible genotype-phenotype mechanisms have been proposed: the actin “A-triad” and the myosin “mesa/IHD” models.
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22
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Despond EA, Dawson JF. Classifying Cardiac Actin Mutations Associated With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. Front Physiol 2018; 9:405. [PMID: 29719515 PMCID: PMC5913282 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00405] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutations in the cardiac actin gene (ACTC1) are associated with the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). To date, 12 different ACTC1 mutations have been discovered in patients with HCM. Given the high degree of sequence conservation of actin proteins and the range of protein–protein interactions actin participates in, mutations in cardiac actin leading to HCM are particularly interesting. Here, we suggest the classification of ACTC1 mutations based on the location of the resulting amino acid change in actin into three main groups: (1) those affecting only the binding site of the myosin molecular motor, termed M-class mutations, (2) those affecting only the binding site of the tropomyosin (Tm) regulatory protein, designated T-class mutations, and (3) those affecting both the myosin- and Tm-binding sites, called MT-class mutations. To understand the precise pathogenesis of cardiac actin mutations and develop treatments specific to the molecular cause of disease, we need to integrate rapidly growing structural information with studies of regulated actomyosin systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan A Despond
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centre for Cardiovascular Investigations, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - John F Dawson
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Centre for Cardiovascular Investigations, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
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23
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Rynkiewicz MJ, Prum T, Hollenberg S, Kiani FA, Fagnant PM, Marston SB, Trybus KM, Fischer S, Moore JR, Lehman W. Tropomyosin Must Interact Weakly with Actin to Effectively Regulate Thin Filament Function. Biophys J 2018; 113:2444-2451. [PMID: 29211998 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2017.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2017] [Revised: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Elongated tropomyosin, associated with actin-subunits along the surface of thin filaments, makes electrostatic interactions with clusters of conserved residues, K326, K328, and R147, on actin. The association is weak, permitting low-energy cost regulatory movement of tropomyosin across the filament during muscle activation. Interestingly, acidic D292 on actin, also evolutionarily conserved, lies adjacent to the three-residue cluster of basic amino acids and thus may moderate the combined local positive charge, diminishing tropomyosin-actin interaction and facilitating regulatory-switching. Indeed, charge neutralization of D292 is connected to muscle hypotonia in individuals with D292V actin mutations and linked to congenital fiber-type disproportion. Here, the D292V mutation may predispose tropomyosin-actin positioning to a myosin-blocking state, aberrantly favoring muscle relaxation, thus mimicking the low-Ca2+ effect of troponin even in activated muscles. To test this hypothesis, interaction energetics and in vitro function of wild-type and D292V filaments were measured. Energy landscapes based on F-actin-tropomyosin models show the mutation localizes tropomyosin in a blocked-state position on actin defined by a deeper energy minimum, consistent with augmented steric-interference of actin-myosin binding. In addition, whereas myosin-dependent motility of troponin/tropomyosin-free D292V F-actin is normal, motility is dramatically inhibited after addition of tropomyosin to the mutant actin. Thus, D292V-induced blocked-state stabilization appears to disrupt the delicately poised energy balance governing thin filament regulation. Our results validate the premise that stereospecific but necessarily weak binding of tropomyosin to F-actin is required for effective thin filament function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael J Rynkiewicz
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Thavanareth Prum
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
| | - Stephen Hollenberg
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
| | - Farooq A Kiani
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Patricia M Fagnant
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
| | - Steven B Marston
- National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kathleen M Trybus
- Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Computational Biochemistry Group, IWR, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts-Lowell, Lowell, Massachusetts
| | - William Lehman
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
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24
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Borovikov YS, Simonyan AO, Karpicheva OE, Avrova SV, Rysev NA, Sirenko VV, Piers A, Redwood CS. The reason for a high Ca 2+-sensitivity associated with Arg91Gly substitution in TPM2 gene is the abnormal behavior and high flexibility of tropomyosin during the ATPase cycle. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2017; 494:681-686. [PMID: 29097206 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2017.10.161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 10/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Substitution of Arg for Gly residue in 91th position in β-tropomyosin caused by a point mutation in TPM2 gene is associated with distal arthrogryposis, characterized by a high Ca2+-sensitivity of myofilament and contracture syndrome. To understand the mechanisms of this defect, we studied multistep changes in mobility and spatial arrangement of tropomyosin, actin and myosin heads during the ATPase cycle in reconstituted ghost fibres, using the polarized fluorescence microscopy. The mutation was shown to markedly decrease the bending stiffness of β-tropomyosin in the thin filaments. In the absence of the myosin heads the mutation did not alter the ability of troponin to shift tropomyosin to the blocked position and to switch actin monomers off at low Ca2+. During the ATPase cycle the movement of the mutant tropomyosin is restrained, it is located near the open position, which allows strong binding of the myosin heads to actin even at low Ca2+. This may be the reason for both high Ca2+-sensitivity and contractures associated with the Arg91Gly mutation. The use of reagents that decrease the Ca2+sensitivity of the troponin complex may not be appropriate to restore muscle function in patients with this mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yurii S Borovikov
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia.
| | - Armen O Simonyan
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia
| | - Olga E Karpicheva
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia
| | - Stanislava V Avrova
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia
| | - Nikita A Rysev
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia
| | - Vladimir V Sirenko
- Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Avenue, St. Petersburg 194064, Russia
| | - Adam Piers
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
| | - Charles S Redwood
- Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom
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