Filament assembly and regulation of the actin-activated ATPase activity of thymus myosin

The requirement for mechanical coupling between head and S2 domains in smooth muscle myosin ATPase regulation and its implications for dimeric motor function

A combination of experimental structural data, homology modelling and elastic network normal mode analysis is used to explore how coupled motions between the two myosin heads and the dimerization domain (S2) in smooth muscle myosin II determine the domain movements required to achieve the inhibited state of this ATP-dependent molecular motor. These physical models rationalize the empirical requirement for at least two heptads of non-coiled alpha-helix at the junction between the myosin heads and S2, and the dependence of regulation on S2 length. The results correlate well with biochemical data regarding altered conformational-dependent solubility and stability. Structural models of the conformational transition between putative active states and the inhibited state show that torsional flexibility of the S2 alpha-helices is a key mechanical requirement for myosin II regulation. These torsional motions of the myosin heads about their coiled coil alpha-helices affect the S2 domain structure, which reciprocally affects the motions of the myosin heads. This inter-relationship may explain a large body of data on function of molecular motors that form dimers through a coiled-coil domain.

Regulatory light chain phosphorylation and the assembly of myosin II into the cytoskeleton of microcapillary endothelial cells

During the crawling movements of non-muscle cells, myosin II-containing structures assemble and disassemble with a high degree of spatial and temporal heterogeneity. In order to understand how this is controlled, we examined factors that influence the association of myosin II with detergent-resistant cytoskeletons of cultured endothelial cells. Treatment of cells with 0.05% Triton X-100 in an actin-stabilizing buffer released approximately 42% of the myosin II from the cytoplasm. Most remaining myosin II was dissociated from the cytoskeleton by treatment with ATP or AMPPNP, but not ADP, suggesting that myosin II is retained as ATP-sensitive filaments or via rigor-like binding to F-actin. Disruption of actin filaments with cytochalasin or latrunculin prior to detergent permeabilization sharply decreased the amount of myosin II retained, suggesting the latter type of association. Because phosphorylation of myosin II affects filament assembly and actin binding in vitro, phosphorylation levels in soluble and cytoskeletal myosin II were measured. Phosphorylation of myosin heavy chains was not significantly different between the two fractions, but regulatory light chains of cytoskeletal myosin II were 5 times more phosphorylated than in soluble myosin II. Tryptic-peptide mapping showed that cytoskeletal light chains were phosphorylated predominantly at serine 19/threonine 18, which regulates myosin II assembly in vitro, whereas soluble light chains were not phosphorylated or were phosphorylated at threonine 9. Treating cells with the kinase inhibitor, staurosporine, prior to permeabilization decreased light-chain phosphorylation with concomitant reduction in myosin retention. These observations suggest that assembly of myosin II into cytoskeletal structures, where it can generate and resist forces, is regulated in vivo by phosphorylation of myosin light chains at serine 19/threonine 18.

Protein kinase C phosphorylation of thymus myosin

We have examined the effect of protein kinase C phosphorylation on the actin-activated ATPase activity and filament stability of calf thymus myosin. Protein kinase C phosphorylated thymus myosin regulatory light chains, LC20, on two sites which are different from the site phosphorylated by myosin light chain kinase. The light meromyosin part of the thymus myosin heavy chain was also phosphorylated by protein kinase C, but at a rate about 10% that of LC20. Under conditions where both unphosphorylated thymus and myosin light chain kinase-phosphorylated thymus myosin were filamentous and under conditions where myosin light chain kinase phosphorylation induces myosin filament formation, protein kinase C phosphorylation had little effect on the actin-activated ATPase activity or filament stability of unphosphorylated or myosin light chain kinase-phosphorylated myosin. In contrast, protein kinase C phosphorylation has been reported to inhibit the actin-activated ATPase activity of gizzard myosin.