Effects of modulators of myosin light-chain kinase activity in single smooth muscle cells

Diagnosis and prevention of the vasodepressor type of neurally mediated syncope in Japanese patients

We investigated circulatory dynamics in patients with vasodepressor type neurally mediated syncope (VT-NMS) by performing high-resolution Holter electrocardiography and a correlation analysis of changes in adenylate cyclase activity, blood pressure, and pulse during the head-up tilt test. Holter electrocardiography was performed for 30 patients. Adenylate cyclase activity was evaluated in lymphocytes from blood samples taken at rest and during the head-up tilt test. There was no change in autonomic nerve fluctuation during electrocardiography in VT-NMS patients, but our results showed a significant difference in blood pressure and adenylate cyclase activity between VT-NMS patients and healthy volunteers; the systolic blood pressure of VT-NMS patients decreased after 5 min, while at 10 min, the adenylate cyclase activity was the highest (0.53%) and the systolic blood pressure was the lowest (111.8 mm Hg). Pulse rates increased after 10 min. VT-NMS patients showed higher blood pressure, pulse rate, and adenylate cyclase activity during the tilt test than did healthy volunteers. In patients with syncope, standing for longer than 10 minutes may increase the risk of VT-NMS. From our results, we consider it likely that high systolic blood pressure and adenylate cyclase activity at rest cause fainting in VT-NMS patients. Our findings may be helpful for identifying individuals with a high risk of developing NMS in the healthy population.

Neurally mediated syncope diagnosis based on adenylate cyclase activity in Japanese patients

The study aims to clarify the mechanism in patients with neurally mediated syncope (NMS), focusing on the adenylate cyclase (AC) activity level in lymphocytes. This study included 40 subjects: 22 healthy volunteers and 18 NMS patients. We investigated the changes in AC activity that occur during of syncope at rest and during the head-up tilt (HUT) test. We obtained 8 mL of blood at rest time and four times during the HUT test. Then, we measured the AC activity and the test reagent was added to the lymphocytes (10,000) and reacted for 30 min at room temperature. We were able to determine the standard value of AC activity when adrenaline (AD) and isoproterenol (IP) were added to lymphocytes. The results of our study showed one of the causes of NMS has a difference in AC activity level and classification of the patients into two different types of NMS was possible: either the vasodepressor type (VT) or mixed type (MT). At rest time, VT patients showed significantly higher AC activity (AD; 100 μM: p = 0.005, IP; 50 μM: p = 0.02) and MT patients showed significantly lower AC activity (AD; 10 μM: p = 0.02, IP; 50 μM: p = 0.004) than the average AC activity in healthy volunteers. Moreover, VT patients had significantly higher AC activity than healthy volunteers at the four points of the HUT test. MT patients had significantly lower AC activity (AD: p = 0.04 and IP: p = 0.04) than healthy volunteers at the rest time of HUT. Our study showed a significant difference in AC activities between NMS patients and healthy volunteers at rest. Therefore, a detailed NMS diagnosis can be made by examining AC activity levels in blood taken at rest time.

Activation of ROCK and MLCK tunes regional stress fiber formation and mechanics via preferential myosin light chain phosphorylation

Graded induction of regulatory light chain (RLC) activators MLCK and ROCK were used to explore the relationship between RLC phosphorylation and actin-myosin stress fiber viscoelasticity. MLCK controls peripheral stress fiber mechanics by monophosphorylation of RLC, whereas ROCK acts on central stress fibers via diphosphorylation.

The assembly and mechanics of actomyosin stress fibers (SFs) depend on myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) phosphorylation, which is driven by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK). Although previous work suggests that MLCK and ROCK control distinct pools of cellular SFs, it remains unclear how these kinases differ in their regulation of RLC phosphorylation or how phosphorylation influences individual SF mechanics. Here, we combine genetic approaches with biophysical tools to explore relationships between kinase activity, RLC phosphorylation, SF localization, and SF mechanics. We show that graded MLCK overexpression increases RLC monophosphorylation (p-RLC) in a graded manner and that this p-RLC localizes to peripheral SFs. Conversely, graded ROCK overexpression preferentially increases RLC diphosphorylation (pp-RLC), with pp-RLC localizing to central SFs. Interrogation of single SFs with subcellular laser ablation reveals that MLCK and ROCK quantitatively regulate the viscoelastic properties of peripheral and central SFs, respectively. The effects of MLCK and ROCK on single-SF mechanics may be correspondingly phenocopied by overexpression of mono- and diphosphomimetic RLC mutants. Our results point to a model in which MLCK and ROCK regulate peripheral and central SF viscoelastic properties through mono- and diphosphorylation of RLC, offering new quantitative connections between kinase activity, RLC phosphorylation, and SF viscoelasticity.

Sevoflurane and isoflurane inhibit KCl-induced Class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase α subunit mediated vasoconstriction in rat aorta

BACKGROUND

Class II phosphoinositide 3-kinase α-isoform (PI3K-C2α) is involved in regulating KCl-induced vascular smooth muscle contraction. The current study was to investigate the effects of sevoflurane (SEVO) and isoflurane (ISO) on KCl-elicited PI3KC2α mediated vasoconstriction in rat aortic smooth muscle.

METHODS

Isometric force, in the absence or presence of SEVO or ISO (1 ~ 3 minimum alveolar concentration, MAC), PI3K inhibitor LY294002, Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632, and membrane translocation of PI3K-p85, PI3K-C2α, Rho kinase (Rock II), or phosphorylation of MYPT1/Thr853, MYPT1/Thr696, CPI-17/Thr38 and MLC in response to KCl (60 mM) was measured by using isometric force transducer and western blotting analysis, respectively.

RESULTS

KCl elicited a rapid and sustained contraction of rat aortic smooth muscle that was inhibited by both SEVO and ISO in a concentration-dependent manner, and also suppressed by LY294002 (1 mM) and Y27632 (1 uM). LY294002 (1 mM) and Y27632 (1 uM) also inhibited KCl-induced MLC phosphorylation. LY294002 (1 mM) inhibited KCl-induced PI3K-p85, PI3K-C2α membrane translocation in response to KCl (p <0.05, p < 0.01, respectively). Not only Y27632 (1 uM), but also LY294002 (1 mM), inhibited KCl-induced Rock-II membrane translocation (p < 0.01). SEVO and ISO inhibited KCl-stimulated MLC phosphorylation, PI3K-C2α and Rock-II,not PI3K p85 membrane translocation in a concentration-dependent manner in rat aorta. Both SEVO and ISO suppressed the MYPT1/Thr853, not MYPT1/Thr696 and CPI-17/Thr38, MLC phosphorylation in response to KCl.

CONCLUSION

PI3K-C2α mediates part of SEVO and ISO-mediated vasodilation in rat aorta. The cellular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effect of volatile anesthetics might be mediated by KCl/PI3K-C2α/Rho kinase/MYPT1/MLC pathway.

Diffusion of myosin light chain kinase on actin: A mechanism to enhance myosin phosphorylation rates in smooth muscle

Smooth muscle myosin (SMM) light chain kinase (MLCK) phosphorylates SMM, thereby activating the ATPase activity required for muscle contraction. The abundance of active MLCK, which is tightly associated with the contractile apparatus, is low relative to that of SMM. SMM phosphorylation is rapid despite the low ratio of MLCK to SMM, raising the question of how one MLCK rapidly phosphorylates many SMM molecules. We used total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy to monitor single molecules of streptavidin-coated quantum dot-labeled MLCK interacting with purified actin, actin bundles, and stress fibers of smooth muscle cells. Surprisingly, MLCK and the N-terminal 75 residues of MLCK (N75) moved on actin bundles and stress fibers of smooth muscle cell cytoskeletons by a random one-dimensional (1-D) diffusion mechanism. Although diffusion of proteins along microtubules and oligonucleotides has been observed previously, this is the first characterization to our knowledge of a protein diffusing in a sustained manner along actin. By measuring the frequency of motion, we found that MLCK motion is permitted only if acto-myosin and MLCK-myosin interactions are weak. From these data, diffusion coefficients, and other kinetic and geometric considerations relating to the contractile apparatus, we suggest that 1-D diffusion of MLCK along actin (a) ensures that diffusion is not rate limiting for phosphorylation, (b) allows MLCK to locate to areas in which myosin is not yet phosphorylated, and (c) allows MLCK to avoid getting "stuck" on myosins that have already been phosphorylated. Diffusion of MLCK along actin filaments may be an important mechanism for enhancing the rate of SMM phosphorylation in smooth muscle.

Pivotal role of Rho-associated kinase 2 in generating the intrinsic circadian rhythm of vascular contractility

BACKGROUND

The circadian variation in the incidence of cardiovascular events may be attributable to the circadian changes in vascular contractility. The circadian rhythm of vascular contractility is determined by the interplay between the central and peripheral clocks. However, the molecular mechanism of the vascular intrinsic clock that generates the circadian rhythm of vascular contractility still remains largely unknown.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The agonist-induced phosphorylation of myosin light chain in cultured smooth muscle cells synchronized by dexamethasone pulse treatment exhibited an apparent circadian oscillation, with a 25.4-hour cycle length. The pharmacological inhibition and knockdown of Rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2) abolished the circadian rhythm of myosin light chain phosphorylation. The expression and activity of ROCK2 exhibited a circadian rhythm in phase with that of myosin light chain phosphorylation. A clock gene, RORα, activated the promoter of the ROCK2 gene, whereas its knockdown abolished the rhythmic expression of ROCK2. In the mouse aorta, ROCK2 expression exhibited the circadian oscillation, with a peak at Zeitgeber time 0/24 and a nadir at Zeitgeber time 12. The myofilament Ca(2+) sensitization induced by GTPγS and U46619, a thromboxane A2 analog, at Zeitgeber time 0/24 was greater than that seen at Zeitgeber time 12. The circadian rhythm of ROCK2 expression and myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity was abolished in staggerer mutant mice, which lack a functional RORα.

CONCLUSIONS

ROCK2 plays a pivotal role in generating the intrinsic circadian rhythm of vascular contractility by receiving a cue from RORα. The ROCK2-mediated intrinsic rhythm of vascular contractility may underlie the diurnal variation of the incidence of cardiovascular diseases.

Effects of commonly used protein kinase inhibitors on vascular contraction and L-type Ca(2+) current

Regulation of smooth muscle contraction is driven by a number of protein kinases: the evidence for this often originates from studies that investigate the effects of extracellularly added specific protein kinase inhibitors. Six compounds, thought to be selective inhibitors of various kinases, were analysed for their effects on vascular L-type Ca(2+) channels because this potential subsidiary activity could strongly influence our understanding of the pathways involved in smooth muscle contraction. Whole-cell L-type Ba(2+) currents [I(Ba(L))] were recorded in single myocytes, and contractile responses were measured from endothelium-denuded rings taken from the rat tail artery. Although ML-7, ML-9, and wortmannin (MLCK inhibitors), HA-1077 and Y-27632 (Rho-associated kinase inhibitors), and GF-109203X (PKC inhibitor) relaxed rings pre-contracted with high KCl in a concentration-dependent manner, their effect on I(Ba(L)) intensity was surprisingly variable. Wortmannin showed negligible effects while HA-1077 and Y-27632 were ineffective. I(Ba(L)) was partly inhibited by GF-109203X and blocked by ML-7 and ML-9 in a concentration-dependent manner, with the blockade by ML-7 being voltage-dependent. Whilst ML-7, ML-9, and GF-109203X sped up the inactivation kinetics of I(Ba(L)), GF-109203X did not modify ML-7- or ML-9-induced effects, with both intensity and kinetics of the current remaining unchanged. In contrast, application of Bay K 8644 on myocytes pre-treated with ML-7 or ML-9 raised I(Ba(L)) beyond control values. In conclusion, ML-7 and ML-9 inhibit L-type Ca(2+) channels via a mechanism independent of MLCK, PKC or Rho kinase activities, and as such caution should be used in employing these agents to elucidate the role of kinases in smooth muscle contraction.

Seeing is believing! Imaging Ca2+-signalling events in living cells

Ever since it was shown that maintenance of muscle contraction required the presence of extracellular Ca(2+), evidence has accumulated that Ca(2+) plays a crucial role in excitation-contraction coupling. This culminated in the use of the photoprotein aequorin to demonstrate that [Ca(2+)](i) increased after depolarization but before contraction in barnacle muscle. Green fluorescent protein was extracted from the same jellyfish as aequorin, so this work also has important historical links to the use of fluorescent proteins as markers in living cells. The subsequent development of cell-permeant Ca(2+) indicators resulted in a dramatic increase in related research, revealing Ca(2+) to be a ubiquitous cell signal. High-speed, confocal Ca(2+) imaging has now revealed subcellular detail not previously apparent, with the identification of Ca(2+) sparks. These act as building blocks for larger transients during excitation-contraction coupling in cardiac muscle, but their function in smooth muscle appears more diverse, with evidence suggesting both 'excitatory' and 'inhibitory' roles. Sparks can activate Ca(2+)-sensitive Cl() and K(+) currents, which exert positive and negative feedback, respectively, on global Ca(2+) signalling, through changes in membrane potential and activation of voltage-operated Ca(2+) channels. Calcium imaging has also demonstrated that agonists that appear to evoke relatively tonic increases in average [Ca(2+)](i) at the whole tissue level often stimulate much higher frequency phasic Ca(2+) oscillations at the cellular level. These findings may require re-evaluation of some of our models of Ca(2+) signalling to account for newly revealed cellular and subcellular detail. Future research in the field is likely to make increasing use of genetically coded Ca(2+) indicators expressed in an organelle- or tissue-specific manner.

Maximal stimulation-induced in situ myosin light chain kinase activity is upregulated in fetal compared with adult ovine carotid arteries

Postnatal decreases in vascular reactivity involve decreases in the thick filament component of myofilament calcium sensitivity, which is measured as the relationship between cytosolic calcium concentration and myosin light chain (MLC20) phosphorylation. The present study tests the hypothesis that downregulation of thick filament reactivity is due to downregulation of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activity in adult compared with fetal arteries. Total MLCK activity, calculated as %MLC20 phosphorylated per second in intact arteries during optimal inhibition of myosin light chain phosphatase activity, was significantly less in adult (6.56+/-0.29%) than in fetal preparations (7.39+/-0.53%). In situ MLC20 concentrations (microM) in adult (198+/-28) and fetal arteries (236+/-44) did not differ significantly. In situ MLCK concentrations (microM), however, were significantly greater in adult (8.21+/-0.59) than in fetal arteries (1.83+/-0.13). In situ MLCK activities (ng MLC20 phosphorylated.s(-1).ng MLCK(-1)) were significantly less in adult (0.26+/-0.01) than in fetal arteries (1.52+/-0.11). In contrast, MLCK activities in adult (15.8+/-1.5) and fetal artery homogenates (17.3+/-1.3) were not significantly different. When in situ fractional activation was calculated, adult values (1.72+/-0.17%) were significantly less than fetal values (9.08+/-0.83%). Together, these results indicate that decreased thick filament reactivity in adult compared with fetal ovine carotid arteries is due at least in part to greater MLCK activity in fetal arteries, which in turn cannot be explained by differences in MLCK, MLC20, or calmodulin concentrations. Instead, this difference appears to involve age-related differences in fractional activation of the MLCK enzyme.

Cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating vascular tone. Part 2: regulatory mechanisms modulating Ca2+ mobilization and/or myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in vascular smooth muscle cells

Understanding the physiological mechanisms regulating vascular tone would lead to better circulatory management during general anesthesia. This two-part review provides an overview of current knowledge about the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating the contractile state of vascular smooth muscle cells (i.e., vascular tone). The first part reviews basic mechanisms controlling the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration in vascular smooth muscle cells, and the Ca2+-dependent regulation of vascular tone. This second part reviews the regulatory mechanisms modulating Ca2+ mobilization and/or myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in vascular smooth muscle cells-including Rho/Rho kinase, protein kinase C, arachidonic acid, Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, caldesmon, calponin, mitogen-activated protein kinases, tyrosine kinases, cyclic nucleotides, Cl- channels, and K+ channels.

Cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating vascular tone. Part 1: basic mechanisms controlling cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and the Ca2+-dependent regulation of vascular tone

General anesthetics cause hemodynamic instability and alter blood flow to various organs. There is mounting evidence that most general anesthetics, at clinical concentrations, influence a wide variety of cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating the contractile state of vascular smooth muscle cells (i.e., vascular tone). In addition, in current anesthetic practice, various types of vasoactive agents are often used to control vascular reactivity and to sustain tissue blood flow in high-risk surgical patients with impaired vital organ function and/or hemodynamic instability. Understanding the physiological mechanisms involved in the regulation of vascular tone thus would be beneficial for anesthesiologists. This review, in two parts, provides an overview of current knowledge about the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating vascular tone-i.e., targets for general anesthetics, as well as for vasoactive drugs that are used in intraoperative circulatory management. This first part of the two-part review focuses on basic mechanisms regulating cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and the Ca2+-dependent regulation of vascular tone.

Tumor Necrosis Factor-induced Long Myosin Light Chain Kinase Transcription Is Regulated by Differentiation-dependent Signaling Events

Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is expressed as long and short isoforms from unique transcriptional start sites within a single gene. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) augments intestinal epithelial long MLCK expression, which is critical to cytoskeletal regulation. We found that TNF increases long MLCK mRNA transcription, both in human enterocytes in vitro and murine enterocytes in vivo.5'-RACE identified two novel exons, 1A and 1B, which encode alternative long MLCK transcriptional start sites. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and site-directed mutagenesis identified two essential Sp1 sites upstream of the exon 1A long MLCK transcriptional start site. Analysis of deletion and truncation mutants showed that a 102-bp region including these Sp1 sites was necessary for basal transcription. A promoter construct including 4-kb upstream of exon 1A was responsive to TNF, AP-1, or NFkappaB, but all except NFkappaB responses were absent in a shorter 2-kb construct, and all responses were absent in a 1-kb construct. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays, ChIP, and site-directed mutagenesis explained these data by identifying three functional AP-1 sites between 2- and 4-kb upstream of exon 1A and two NFkappaB sites between 1- and 2-kb upstream of exon 1A. Analysis of differentiating epithelia showed that only well differentiated enterocytes activated the 4-kb long MLCK promoter in response to TNF, and consensus promoter reporters demonstrated that TNF-induced NFkappaB activation decreased during differentiation while TNF-induced AP-1 activation increased. Thus either AP-1 or NFkappaB can up-regulate long MLCK transcription, but the mechanisms by which TNF up-regulates intestinal epithelial long MLCK transcription from exon 1A are differentiation-dependent.

Peptide inhibitors of protein kinases-discovery, characterisation and use

Protein kinases are now the second largest group of drug targets, and most protein kinase inhibitors in clinical development are directed towards the ATP-binding site. However, these inhibitors must compete with high intracellular ATP concentrations and they must discriminate between the ATP-binding sites of all protein kinases as well the other proteins that also utilise ATP. It would therefore be beneficial to target sites on protein kinases other than the ATP-binding site. This review describes the discovery, characterisation and use of peptide inhibitors of protein kinases. In many cases, the development of these peptides has resulted from an understanding of the specific protein-binding partners for a particular protein kinase. In addition, novel peptide sequences have been discovered in library screening approaches and have provided new leads in the discovery and/or design of peptide inhibitors of protein kinases. These approaches are therefore providing exciting new opportunities in the development of ATP non-competitive inhibitors of protein kinases.

Effects of the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 and the phosphatase inhibitor calyculin A on outflow facility in monkeys

Previous studies have shown that the inhibition of Rho kinase is involved in the regulation of outflow facility in the live rabbit eye and the enucleated porcine eye. However, it is unknown whether the Rho kinase inhibition will do the same in non-human primates. To determine if the Rho kinase inhibitor Y-27632 will reduce outflow resistance in the live monkey eye, if Y-27632 and the phosphatase inhibitor calyculin A (Caly-A which antagonises Y-27632-induced MLC dephosphorylation) will affect outflow facility differently, and if the latter will inhibit effect of the former on facility, we studied effects of Y-27632 and Caly-A on outflow facility in living monkeys separately and concurrently. Total outflow facility was measured by 2-level constant pressure perfusion of the anterior chamber (AC) before and after exchange with different doses of Y-27632 (1, 10 and 100 microM) or Caly-A (10, 50 and 100 nM), or vehicles, followed by continuous AC infusion of corresponding drug/vehicle solution, in opposite eyes of cynomolgus or rhesus monkeys. The effect of 100 microM Y-27632 or 100 nM Caly-A vs vehicle and the effect of 100 microM Y-27632+100 nM Caly-A vs 100 microM Y-27632 alone on outflow facility were also determined in monkeys pre-treated topically with 10 microl of 1% atropine in both eyes 1 hr before perfusion. Both Y-27632 and Caly-A dose-dependently increased outflow facility by up to 2-3 fold in monkeys, adjusted for baseline and contralateral control eye washout. Pre-treatment with 1% topical atropine partially inhibited the effect of 100 nM Caly-A, but not 100 microM Y-27632, on outflow facility. 100 nM Caly-A gradually and partially inhibited the Y-27632-induced facility increase. In conclusion, Y-27632 increases outflow facility in monkeys presumably by inhibiting cellular contractility in the TM. Caly-A increases outflow facility by complicated mechanisms perhaps including drug-induced ciliary muscle contraction and cytoskeletal reorganisation in TM cells. The partial inhibitory effect of Caly-A on the Y-27632-induced increase in outflow facility may reflect the former partially inhibiting the latter's relaxation of cells in the TM.

Mechanism of TNF-{alpha} modulation of Caco-2 intestinal epithelial tight junction barrier: role of myosin light-chain kinase protein expression

TNF-alpha plays a central role in the intestinal inflammation of various inflammatory disorders including Crohn's disease (CD). TNF-alpha-induced increase in intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) permeability has been proposed as one of the proinflammatory mechanisms contributing to the intestinal inflammation. The intracellular mechanisms involved in the TNF-alpha-induced increase in intestinal TJ permeability remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that the TNF-alpha-induced increase in intestinal epithelial TJ permeability was regulated by myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) protein expression, using an in vitro intestinal epithelial model system consisting of the filter-grown Caco-2 intestinal epithelial monolayers. TNF-alpha (10 ng/ml) produced a time-dependent increase in Caco-2 MLCK expression. The TNF-alpha increase in MLCK protein expression paralleled the increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability, and the inhibition of the TNF-alpha-induced MLCK expression (by cycloheximide) prevented the increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability, suggesting that MLCK expression may be required for the increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability. The TNF-alpha increase in MLCK protein expression was preceded by an increase in MLCK mRNA expression but not an alteration in MLCK protein degradation. Actinomycin-D prevented the TNF-alpha increase in MLCK mRNA expression and the subsequent increase in MLCK protein expression and Caco-2 TJ permeability, suggesting that the increase in MLCK mRNA transcription led to the increase in MLCK expression. The TNF-alpha increase in MLCK protein expression was also associated with an increase in Caco-2 MLCK activity. The cycloheximide inhibition of MLCK protein expression prevented the TNF-alpha increase in MLCK activity and Caco-2 TJ permeability. Moreover, inhibitors of MLCK, Mg(2+)-myosin ATPase, and metabolic energy prevented the TNF-alpha increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability, suggesting that the increase in MLCK activity was required for the TNF-alpha-induced opening of the Caco-2 TJ barrier. In conclusion, our results indicate for the first time that 1) the TNF-alpha increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability was mediated by an increase in MLCK protein expression, 2) the increase in MLCK protein expression was regulated by an increase in MLCK mRNA transcription, and 3) the increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability required MLCK protein expression-dependent increase in MLCK activity.

Wortmannin inhibits the myofilament Ca2+ sensitization induced by endothelin-1

Endothelin-1 induces a positive inotropic effect due to a combination of an increase in Ca2+ transients and myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in rabbit ventricular myocardium. We carried out the experiments to examine the potential contribution of myosin light chain kinase to the Ca2+ sensitization induced by endothelin-1 by use of wortmannin that inhibits myosin light chain kinase at high concentrations (IC50=200 nM). Wortmannin at 3 microM suppressed the basal force of contraction, but did not affect the positive inotropic effect mediated by beta-adrenoceptors. Wortmannin at 1 and 3 microM markedly inhibited the positive inotropic effect of endothelin-1, but did not affect the increase in Ca2+ transients elicited by endothelin-1. The present findings imply that the increase in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity induced by endothelin-1 may be in part due to activation of myosin light chain kinase in rabbit ventricular myocardium.

Myosin phosphatase and myosin phosphorylation in differentiating C2C12 cells

C2C12 cells offer a useful model to study the differentiation of non-muscle cells to skeletal muscle cells. Myosin phosphorylation and changes in related enzymes, with an emphasis on myosin phosphatase (MP) were analyzed over the first 6 days of C2C12 differentiation. There was a transition from myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1), predominant in the non-muscle cells to increased expression of MYPT2. Levels of MYPT1/2 were estimated, and both isoforms were higher in non- or partially differentiated cells compared to the concentrations in the differentiated isolated myotubes from day 6. A similar profile of expression was estimated for the type 1 protein phosphatase catalytic subunit, delta isoform (PP1c delta). Phosphatase activities, using phosphorylated smooth and skeletal muscle myosins, were estimated for total cell lysates and isolated myotubes. In general, smooth muscle myosin was the preferred substrate. Although the expression of MYPT1/2 and PP1c delta was considerably reduced in isolated myotubes the phosphatase activities were not reduced to corresponding levels. Most of the MP activity was due to PP1c, as indicated by okadaic acid. In spite of relatively high expression of MYPT1/2 and PP1c delta, marked phosphorylation of non-muscle myosin (over 50% of total myosin) was observed at day 2 (onset of expression of muscle-specific proteins) and both mono- and diphosphorylated light chains were observed. Partial inhibition of MLCK by 1-(5-chloronaphthalene-1-sulphonyl)-1H-hexahydro-1,4-diazepine HCl (ML-9) or by a construct designed from the autoinhibitory domain of MLCK, resulted in an increase in small myotubes (3-5 nuclei) after 3 days of differentiation and a decrease in larger myotubes (compared to control). The effect of ML-9 was not due to a reduction in intracellular Ca2+ levels. These results suggest that phosphorylation of non-muscle myosin is important in growth of myotubes, either in the fusion process to form larger myotubes or indirectly, by its role in sarcomere organization.

ML-9, a myosin light chain kinase inhibitor, reduces intracellular Ca2+ concentration in guinea pig trachealis

We investigated the effects of ML-9 [1-(5-chloronaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-hexahydro-1,4-diazepine], a myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) inhibitor, on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), contraction induced by high K+ and an agonist, and capacitative Ca2+ entry in fura-2-loaded guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle. ML-9 inhibited both the increase in [Ca2+]i and the contraction induced by 60 mM K+, 1 microM methacholine or 1 microM thapsigargin, an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. However, another MLCK inhibitor, wortmannin (3 microM), inhibited the contraction elicited by these stimuli without affecting [Ca2+]i. Under the condition that the thapsigargin-induced contraction was fully suppressed by 3 microM wortmannin, 30 microM ML-9 caused a further decrease in [Ca2+]i. The inhibitory effects of ML-9 on [Ca2+]i and the contraction elicited by methacholine were similar to those of SKF-96365 (1-[beta-[3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propoxy]-4-methoxyphenethyl]-1H-imidazole hydrochloride), a Ca2+ channel blocker. These results indicate that ML-9 acts as a potent inhibitor of Ca2+-permeable channels independently of MLCK inhibition in tracheal smooth muscle.

Protein kinase network in the regulation of phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of smooth muscle myosin light chain

The contraction of smooth muscle is regulated primarily by intracellular Ca2+ signal. It is well established that the elevation of the cytosolic Ca2+ level activates myosin light chain kinase, which phosphorylates 20 kDa regulatory myosin light chain and activates myosin ATPase. The simultaneous measurement of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration and force development revealed that the alteration of the Ca2+-sensitivity of the contractile apparatus as well as the Ca2+ signal plays a critical role in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. The fluctuation of an extent of myosin phosphorylation for a given change in Ca2+ concentration is considered to contribute to the major mechanisms regulating the Ca2+-sensitivity. The level of myosin phosphorylation is determined by the balance between phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. The phosphorylation level for a given Ca2+ elevation is increased either by Ca2+-independent activation of phosphorylation process or inhibition of dephosphorylation. In the last decade, the isolation and cloning of myosin phosphatase facilitated the understanding of regulatory mechanism of dephosphorylation process at the molecular level. The inhibition of myosin phosphatase can be achieved by (1) alteration of hetrotrimeric structure, (2) phosphorylation of 110 kDa regulatory subunit MYPT1 at the specific site and (3) inhibitory protein CPI-17 upon its phosphorylation. Rho-kinase was first identified to phosphorylate MYPT1, and later many kinases were found to phosphorylate MYPT1 and inhibit dephosphorylation of myosin. Similarly, the phosphorylation of CPI-17 can be catalysed by multiple kinases. Moreover, the myosin light chain can be phosphorylated by not only authentic myosin light chain kinase in a Ca2+-dependent manner but also by multiple kinases in a Ca2+-independent manner, thus adding a novel mechanism to the regulation of the Ca2+-sensitivity by regulating the phosphorylation process. It is now clarified that the protein kinase network is involved in the regulation of myosin phosphorylation and dephosphorylation. However, the physiological role of each component remains to be determined. One approach to accomplish this purpose is to investigate the effects of the dominant negative mutants of the signalling molecule on the smooth muscle contraction. In this regards, a protein transduction technique utilizing the cell-penetrating peptides would provide a useful tool. In the preliminary study, we succeeded in introducing a fragment of MYPT1 into the arterial strips, and found enhancement of contraction.

Caldesmon exhibits a clustered distribution along individual chicken gizzard native thin filaments

Our earlier immuno-gold electron microscopic study indicated that the distribution of caldesmon (CaD) on actin filaments is not uniform and is restricted to the vicinity of the myosin filaments (Mabuchi K, Li Y, Tao T, Wang CLA (1996) J Muscle Res Cell Motil 17: 243). This suggested that CaD could effectively inhibit muscle contraction, if those actin filaments in the vicinity of myosin filaments were saturated with CaD. In the present study we further examined the distribution of CaD along isolated, crude and purified native thin filaments (NTF). Individual CaD molecules on purified NTF were visualized with the aid of a chemical crosslinker, 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid), which efficiently crosslinks CaD to actin (Graceffa P, Adam LP, Lehman W (1993) Biochem J294: 63), and of a monoclonal anti-CaD antibody. The results indicated that individual NTF had alternating CaD-rich and CaD-deficient regions. Moreover, we found that the N-termini of all CaD molecules in a given cluster appeared on the same side of an actin filament. Electron microscopic images of crude NTF immunoprecipitated by a polyclonal antibody clearly indicated that the spacing between the CaD clusters is wide enough for myosin heads to interact with actin subunits. Similar clustering of CaD was also observed in plastic embedded tissue sections. These observations raise the possibility that CaD is not acting as a simple on/off switch, but more likely as a modulator, of smooth muscle contraction.

Myosin light chain kinase- and PKC-dependent contraction of LES and esophageal smooth muscle

In smooth muscle cells enzymatically isolated from circular muscle of the esophagus (ESO) and lower esophageal sphincter (LES), ACh-induced contraction and myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation were similar. Contraction and phosphorylation induced by purified MLC kinase (MLCK) were significantly greater in LES than ESO. ACh-induced contraction and MLC phosphorylation were inhibited by calmodulin and MLCK inhibitors in LES and by protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors in ESO. Contraction of LES and ESO induced by the PKC agonist 1,2-dioctanoylglycerol (DG) was unaffected by MLCK inhibitors. Caldesmon and calponin concentration-dependently inhibited ACh-induced contraction of ESO and not LES. In ESO, caldesmon antagonist GS17C reversed caldesmon- but not calponin-induced ACh inhibition. GS17C caused contraction of permeabilized ESO but had much less effect on LES. GS17C-induced contraction was not affected by MLCK inhibitors, suggesting that MLCK may not regulate caldesmon-mediated contraction. DG-induced contraction of ESO and LES was inhibited by caldesmon and calponinin, suggesting that these proteins may regulate PKC-dependent contraction. We conclude that calmodulin and MLCK play a role in ACh-induced LES contraction, whereas the classical MLCK may not be the major kinase responsible for contraction and phosphorylation of MLC in ESO. ESO contraction is PKC dependent. Caldesmon and/or calponin may play a role in PKC-dependent contraction.

Cytochalasin B modulation of Caco-2 tight junction barrier: role of myosin light chain kinase

The intracellular mechanisms that mediate cytochalasin-induced increase in intestinal epithelial tight junction (TJ) permeability are unclear. In this study, we examined the involvement of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) in this process, using the filter-grown Caco-2 intestinal epithelial monolayers. Cytochalasin B (Cyto B) (5 microg/ml) produced an increase in Caco-2 MLCK activity, which correlated with the increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability. The inhibition of Cyto B-induced MLCK activation prevented the increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability. Additionally, myosin-Mg(2+)-ATPase inhibitor and metabolic inhibitors (which inhibit MLCK induced actin-myosin contraction) also prevented the Cyto B-induced increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability. Cyto B caused a late-phase (15-30 min) aggregation of actin fragments into large actin clumps, which was also inhibited by MLCK inhibitors. Cyto B produced a morphological disturbance of the ZO-1 TJ proteins, visually correlating with the functional increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability. The MLCK and myosin-Mg(2+)-ATPase inhibitors prevented both the functional increase in TJ permeability and disruption of ZO-1 proteins. These findings suggested that Cyto B-induced increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability is regulated by MLCK activation.

Mechanism of extracellular calcium regulation of intestinal epithelial tight junction permeability: role of cytoskeletal involvement

Recent studies suggest that an abnormal increase in intestinal tight junction (TJ) permeability may be an important etiologic factor in number of diseases including Crohn's disease, NSAID-associated enteritis, and various infectious diarrheal syndromes. The intracellular processes involved in regulation of intestinal epithelial TJ permeability, however, remain poorly understood. In this study, we used cultured Caco-2 intestinal epithelial cells to examine the intracellular processes involved in extracellular Ca(++) modulation of intestinal epithelial monolayer TJ barrier. Incubation of the filter-grown Caco-2 intestinal monolayers in Ca(++)-free solution (CFS), consisting of modified Krebs-buffer solution containing 0 mM Ca(++) and 1 mM EGTA, resulted in a rapid drop in Caco-2 epithelial resistance and increase in epithelial permeability to paracellular markers mannitol and inulin, indicating an increase in TJ permeability. The increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability was rapidly reversed by the re-introduction of Ca(++) (1.8 mM) into the incubation medium. The CFS-induced increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability was associated with separation of the cytoplasmic and transmembrane TJ proteins, ZO-1 and occludin, and formation of large intercellular openings between the adjoining cells. The CFS-induced modulation of TJ barrier was associated with activation of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activity and centripetal retraction of peri-junctional actin and myosin filaments. The inhibition of CFS-induced activation of Caco-2 MLCK with MLCK inhibitor (ML-7) prevented the CFS-induced retraction of actin and myosin filaments and the subsequent alteration of TJ barrier function and structure. Our results suggested that the CFS-induced alteration of TJ proteins and functional increase in TJ permeability was mediated by Caco-2 MLCK activation and the resultant contraction of the peri-junctionally located actin-myosin filaments. Consistent with the role of MLCK in this process, selected inhibitors of Mg(++)-myosin ATPase and metabolic energy, but not protein synthesis inhibitors, also prevented the CFS-induced retraction of actin and myosin filaments and the subsequent increase in TJ permeability. In conclusion, our results indicate that extracellular Ca(++) is crucial for the maintenance of intestinal epithelial TJ barrier function. The removal of extracellular Ca(++) from the incubation medium causes activation of Caco-2 MLCK, which in turn leads to an increase in intestinal monolayer TJ permeability.

Show me the pathway! Regulation of paracellular permeability by Na(+)-glucose cotransport

The physiological impact of Na(+)-nutrient cotransport-dependent regulation of intestinal tight junction permeability has been controversial. Nonetheless, increased permeability of small intestinal mucosae and enterocyte tight junctions as a consequence of Na(+)-nutrient cotransport has been documented by a significant number of in vivo and in vitro studies. Some details of the intracellular signaling events that regulate this process have been described recently. The aims of this article are to: (i) review studies of tight junction regulation and paracellular nutrient absorption in mammalian intestine, (ii) identify potential applications of tight junction regulation, and (iii) summarize recent progress in defining molecular mechanisms that lead to altered tight junction permeability.

The maximal velocity of vascular smooth muscle shortening is independent of the expression of calponin

In smooth muscle, the phosphorylation/dephosphorylation of the 20-kDa regulatory light chain of myosin (MLC20) is known to regulate actomyosin interaction and force. However, a thin filament based regulatory system for actomyosin interaction has been suggested to exist in parallel to MLC20 phosphorylation. Calponin is a thin filament associated protein that in vitro inhibits actomyosin interaction, and has been suggested to reduce maximal shortening velocity (vmax). Using antibodies to h1- and h2-calponin, we demonstrated that calponin was present in smooth muscle from Sprague Dawley (SD) rats, while calponin was not detectable in the smooth muscle from Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats. vmax determined from the force vs. velocity relationship at maximal Ca2+ activation was not different for either the aorta or the portal vein of SD vs. WKY rats. These results suggest that physiological levels of calponin do not contribute to a thin filament-based secondary regulation to inhibit smooth muscle contraction.

Agonist-induced changes in cell shape during regulated secretion in rat pancreatic acini

The actin cytoskeleton plays an important role in the mediation of exocytosis and the determination of cell shape. Experimentally induced changes in cell shape have been shown to affect stimulated secretion in pancreatic acini. In this study, we have examined whether physiologic agonists induce changes in acinar cell shape to modulate secretion. Computer-enhanced video microscopy, immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, and quantitative Western blotting were used to study cell shape changes and cytoskeletal dynamics in rat pancreatic acini. Amylase assays were performed to study the effect of the actin-myosin cytoskeletal antagonists latrunculin A, BDM, and ML-9 on secretion. We found that pancreatic acini underwent a prominent and reversible shape change in response to the physiologic secretory agonist cholecystokinin. This was accompanied by an apical activation of myosin II as well as a basolateral redistribution of both actin and myosin II. Cytoskeletal antagonists inhibited this shape change and attenuated stimulated amylase secretion. Therefore, in addition to acting as a barrier at the apex, the actin-myosin cytoskeleton may also function to modulate cell shape to further regulate stimulated secretion.

A major role for the rho-associated coiled coil forming protein kinase in G-protein-mediated Ca2+ sensitization through inhibition of myosin phosphatase in rabbit trachea

1 G protein-mediated Ca2+ sensitization of airway smooth muscle contraction was investigated with respect to the relative importance of Rho-associated coiled coil forming protein kinase (ROCK) and protein kinase C (PKC). We examined the effects of Y-27632, a ROCK inhibitor, and GF 109203X, a PKC inhibitor, on guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPgammaS)-induced contraction in alpha-toxin- or beta-escin-permeabilized rabbit trachea. 2 Although pre-treatment with Y-27632 dose-dependently inhibited GTPgammaS (10 microM)-induced Ca2+ sensitization of alpha-toxin-permeabilized trachea, a Y-27632-insensitive component (approximately 16% of the maximum contraction) was retained during the early phase of the GTPgammaS response in the presence of Y-27632 (100 microM). 3 GF 109203X (5 microM) abolished 1 microM 4beta-phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDBu)-induced, but only partially inhibited the GTPgammaS-induced Ca2+ sensitization. A combination of Y-27632 (100 microM) and GF 109203X (5 microM) totally abolished the GTPgammaS response. 4 GTPgammaS caused only a small contraction in the absence of Ca2+. Wortmannin (30 microM), a myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) inhibitor, completely inhibited Ca2+-induced contraction. ATP-triggered contraction of the strip which had been treated with calyculin A (1 microM), a phosphatase inhibitor, in rigor solutions was markedly slowed by worthmannin (30 microM), but not by Y-27632 (100 microM), in the presence of GTPgammaS and Ca2+. 5 GTPgammaS, but not PDBu, contracted the beta-escin-permeabilized trachea in the absence of Ca2+, but the presence of Ca2+-independent MLCK. 6 We conclude that ROCK plays a primary role in G-protein-mediated Ca2+ sensitization, which requires MLCK activity, with minor contribution of PKC to the early phase of contraction, and PDBu utilizes conventional PKC(s) in airway smooth muscle.

Relaxation of contracted rabbit tracheal and human bronchial smooth muscle by Y-27632 through inhibition of Ca2+ sensitization

The mechanism of Ca2+ sensitization of contraction has not been elucidated in airway smooth muscle (SM). To determine the role of a small G protein, rhoA p21, and its target protein, rho-associated coiled coil-forming protein kinase (ROCK), in receptor-coupled Ca2+ sensitization of airway SM, we studied the effect of (+)-(R)-trans-4-(1-aminoethyl)-N-(4-pyridyl)cyclohexane carboxamide dihydrochloride, monohydrate (Y-27632), a ROCK inhibitor, on isometric contractions in rabbit tracheal and human bronchial SM. Y-27632 completely reversed 1 microM carbachol (CCh)-induced contraction of intact trachea with a concentration producing half-maximum inhibition of effect (IC50) of 1.29 +/- 0.2 microM (n = 5). Although 4beta-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (1 microM)-induced Ca2+ sensitization was relatively resistant to Y-27632 in alpha-toxin-permeabilized trachea, CCh (100 microM) plus guanosine triphosphate (GTP) (3 microM)- and guanosine 5'-O-(3'-thiotriphosphate) (10 microM)-induced contractions were relaxed completely by Y-27632 with IC50 of 1.44 +/- 0.3 (n = 6) and 1.15 +/- 0.3 microM (n = 6). Endothelin-1 (1 microM) plus GTP (3 microM)- developed force was also reversed by Y-27632 with IC50 of 4. 10 +/- 1.1 microM (n = 6) in the alpha-toxin-permeabilized bronchus. Both the rabbit and human SM expressed rhoA p21, ROCK I, and its isoform ROCK II. Collectively, rho/ROCK-mediated Ca2+ sensitization plays a central role in the sustained phase of airway SM contraction, and selective inhibition of this pathway may become a new strategy to resolve airflow limitation in asthma.

Ca2+-independent phosphorylation of myosin in rat caudal artery and chicken gizzard myofilaments

1. Smooth muscle contraction is activated primarily by the Ca2+-calmodulin (CaM)-dependent phosphorylation of the 20 kDa light chains (LC20) of myosin. Activation can also occur in some instances without a change in intracellular free [Ca2+] or indeed in a Ca2+-independent manner. These signalling pathways often involve inhibition of myosin light chain phosphatase and unmasking of basal kinase activity leading to LC20 phosphorylation and contraction. 2. We have used demembranated rat caudal arterial smooth muscle strips and isolated chicken gizzard myofilaments in conjunction with the phosphatase inhibitor microcystin-LR to investigate the mechanism of Ca2+-independent phosphorylation of LC20 and contraction. 3. Treatment of Triton X-100-demembranated rat caudal arterial smooth muscle strips with microcystin at pCa 9 triggered a concentration-dependent contraction that was slower than that induced by pCa 4.5 or 6 but reached comparable steady-state levels of tension. 4. This Ca2+-independent, microcystin-induced contraction correlated with phosphorylation of LC20 at serine-19 and threonine-18. 5. Whereas Ca2+-dependent LC20 phosphorylation and contraction were inhibited by a synthetic peptide (AV25) based on the autoinhibitory domain of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), Ca2+-independent, microcystin-induced LC20 phosphorylation and contraction were resistant to AV25. 6. Ca2+-independent LC20 kinase activity was also detected in chicken gizzard smooth muscle myofilaments and catalysed phosphorylation of endogenous myosin LC20 at serine-19 and/or threonine-18. This is in contrast to MLCK which phosphorylates threonine-18 only after prior phosphorylation of serine-19. 7. Gizzard Ca2+-independent LC20 kinase could be separated from MLCK by differential extraction from myofilaments and by CaM affinity chromatography. Its activity was resistant to AV25. 8. We conclude that inhibition of smooth muscle myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) unmasks the activity of a Ca2+-independent LC20 kinase associated with the myofilaments and distinct from MLCK. This kinase, therefore, probably plays a role in Ca2+ sensitization and Ca2+-independent contraction of smooth muscle in response to stimuli that act via Ca2+-independent pathways, leading to inhibition of MLCP.

Ethanol modulation of intestinal epithelial tight junction barrier

Previous studies have shown that high concentrations of ethanol (>/=40%) cause functional damage of the gastrointestinal epithelial barrier by direct cytotoxic effect on the epithelial cells. The effects of lower noncytotoxic doses of ethanol on epithelial barrier function are unknown. A major function of gastrointestinal epithelial cells is to provide a barrier against the hostile substances in the gastrointestinal lumen. The apicolaterally located tight junctions (TJs) form a paracellular seal between the lateral membranes of adjacent cells and act as a paracellular barrier. In this study, we investigated the effects of lower doses of ethanol on intestinal epithelial TJ barrier function using filter-grown Caco-2 intestinal epithelial monolayers. The Caco-2 TJ barrier function was assessed by measuring epithelial resistance or paracellular permeability of the filter-grown monolayers. Ethanol (0, 1, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10%) produced a dose-related drop in Caco-2 epithelial resistance and increase in paracellular permeability. Ethanol also produced a progressive disruption of TJ protein (ZO-1) with separation of ZO-1 proteins from the cellular junctions and formation of large gaps between the adjacent cells. Ethanol, at the doses used (</=10%), did not cause cytotoxicity (lactate dehydrogenase release) to the Caco-2 cells. Ethanol produced a disassembly and displacement of perijunctional actin and myosin filaments from the perijunctional areas. On ethanol removal, actin and myosin filaments rapidly reassembled at the cellular borders. Ethanol stimulated the Caco-2 myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) activity but did not affect the MLCK protein levels. Specific MLCK inhibitor ML-7 inhibited both ethanol increases in MLCK activity and TJ permeability without affecting the MLCK protein levels. Consistent with these findings, metabolic inhibitors sodium azide and 2,4-dinitrophenol significantly prevented ethanol-induced increase in Caco-2 TJ permeability, whereas cycloheximide or actinomycin D had no effect. The results of this study indicate that ethanol at low noncytotoxic doses causes a functional and structural opening of the Caco-2 intestinal epithelial TJ barrier by activating MLCK.

A method for isolating adult and neonatal airway smooth muscle cells and measuring shortening velocity

Methods are described for isolating smooth muscle cells from the tracheae of adult and neonatal sheep and measuring the single-cell shortening velocity. Isolated cells were elongated, Ca2+ tolerant, and contracted rapidly and substantially when exposed to cholinergic agonists, KCl, serotonin, or caffeine. Adult cells were longer and wider than preterm cells. Mean cell length in 1.6 mM CaCl2 was 194 +/- 57 (SD) microm (n = 66) for adult cells and 93 +/- 32 microm (n = 20) for preterm cells (P < 0.05). Mean cell width at the widest point of the adult cells was 8.2 +/- 1.8 microm (n = 66) and 5.2 +/- 1.5 microm (n = 20) for preterm cells (P < 0.05). Cells were loaded into a perfusion dish maintained at 35 degreesC and exposed to agonists, and contractions were videotaped. Cell lengths were measured from 30 video frames and plotted as a function of time. Nonlinear fitting of cell length to an exponential model gave shortening velocities faster than most of those reported for airway smooth muscle tissues. For a sample of 10 adult and 10 preterm cells stimulated with 100 microM carbachol, mean (+/- SD) shortening velocity of the preterm cells was not different from that of the adult cells (0.64 +/- 0.30 vs. 0.54 +/- 0.27 s-1, respectively), but preterm cells shortened more than adult cells (68 +/- 12 vs. 55 +/- 11% of starting length, respectively; P < 0.05). The preparative and analytic methods described here are widely applicable to other smooth muscles and will allow contraction to be studied quantitatively at the single-cell level.

HA1077, a protein kinase inhibitor, inhibits calponin phosphorylation on Ser175 in porcine coronary artery

Calponin is a thin filament-associated protein which has been implicated in the modulation of the contractile state of smooth muscle via its interaction with actin and inhibition of the actin-activated myosin Mg-ATPase. This inhibitory effect is alleviated by phosphorylation of calponin at Ser175 in vitro by protein kinase C. The issue of calponin phosphorylation in intact smooth muscle in response to agonists that activate protein kinase C is controversial. We have produced a monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes calponin phosphorylated at Ser175 and used it to analyze calponin phosphorylation in porcine coronary arterial smooth muscle stimulated with prostaglandin F2alpha or phorbol 12,13-dibutylate (PDB). Calponin phosphorylation increased rapidly in response to prostaglandin F2alpha concomitant with the increase in tension. Calponin was then dephosphorylated while force was maintained. Tension development in response to PDB was significantly slower, but again calponin phosphorylation paralleled force development. In this case, calponin dephosphorylation was very slow, consistent with prolonged activation of protein kinase C. The protein kinase inhibitors, HA1077 (1-5-(isoquinoline sulfonyl)-homopiperazine HCl) and HA1100 (1-hydroxy HA1077; 1-(hydroxy-5-isoquinoline sulfonyl-homopiperazine), inhibited tension development and calponin phosphorylation in a concentration-dependent manner with similar ED50 values in response to prostaglandin F2alpha and PDB. These results support physiological roles for calponin in force development in smooth muscle in response to agonists which trigger protein kinase C activation and in the latch state, i.e., force maintenance at low energy cost. Furthermore, the vasodilator effect of HA1077 and HA1100 is more likely due to inhibition of protein kinase C than of myosin light chain kinase.

The actin-myosin cytoskeleton mediates reversible agonist-induced membrane blebbing

Suprastimulation of pancreatic acinar cells with specific agonists inhibits zymogen secretion and induces the formation of large basolateral blebs. Currently the molecular mechanisms that mediate this dramatic morphologic response are undefined. Further, it is unclear if blebbing represents a terminal or reversible event. Using computer-enhanced video microscopy of living acini we have found that these large blebs form rapidly (within 2–3 minutes) and exhibit ameboid undulations. They are induced by small increases in agonist concentration and require an energy-dependent phosphorylation event. Remarkably, the blebs are rapidly absorbed when agonist levels are reduced, indicating that blebbing is a reversible response to a physiological stimulus, not a terminal event. Morphological methods show that these dramatic changes in cell shape are accompanied by a marked reorganization of actin and myosin II at the basolateral domain. During 30 minutes of suprastimulation, both basolateral actin and myosin II gradually increase to form a ring centered at the necks of the blebs. Immunocytochemical and biochemical studies with a phospho-specific antibody to the myosin regulatory light chain reveal an activation of myosin II in suprastimulated acini that is completely absent in resting cells. Studies using cytoskeletal antagonistic drugs indicate that bleb formation and motility require actin remodeling concomitant with an activation of myosin II. This aberrant activation and reorganization of the actin-myosin cytoskeleton is likely to have detrimental effects on acinar cell function. Additionally, this mechanism of bleb formation may be conserved among other forms of physiological blebbing events.

Signaling pathways underlying eosinophil cell motility revealed by using caged peptides

Insights into structure-function relations of many proteins opens the possibility of engineering peptides to selectively interfere with a protein's activity. To facilitate the use of peptides as probes of cellular processes, we have developed caged peptides whose influence on specific proteins can be suddenly and uniformly changed by near-UV light. Two peptides are described which, on photolysis of a caging moiety, block the action of calcium-calmodulin or myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). The efficacy of theses peptides is demonstrated in vitro and in vivo by determining their effect before and after photolysis on activities of isolated enzymes and cellular functions known to depend on calcium-calmodulin and MLCK. These caged peptides each were injected into motile, polarized eosinophils, and when exposed to light promptly blocked cell locomotion in a similar manner. The results indicate that the action of calcium-calmodulin and MLCK, and by inference myosin II, are required for the ameboid locomotion of these cells. This methodology provides a powerful means for assessing the role of these and other proteins in a wide range of spatio-temporally complex functions in intact living cells.

Myosin light chain-activating phosphorylation sites are required for oogenesis in Drosophila

The Drosophila spaghetti squash (sqh) gene encodes the regulatory myosin light chain (RMLC) of nonmuscle myosin II. Biochemical analysis of vertebrate nonmuscle and smooth muscle myosin II has established that phosphorylation of certain amino acids of the RMLC greatly increases the actin-dependent myosin ATPase and motor activity of myosin in vitro. We have assessed the in vivo importance of these sites, which in Drosophila correspond to serine-21 and threonine-20, by creating a series of transgenes in which these specific amino acids were altered. The phenotypes of the transgenes were examined in an otherwise null mutant background during oocyte development in Drosophila females. Germ line cystoblasts entirely lacking a functional sqh gene show severe defects in proliferation and cytokinesis. The ring canals, cytoplasmic bridges linking the oocyte to the nurse cells in the egg chamber, are abnormal, suggesting a role of myosin II in their establishment or maintenance. In addition, numerous aggregates of myosin heavy chain accumulate in the sqh null cells. Mutant sqh transgene sqh-A20, A21 in which both serine-21 and threonine-20 have been replaced by alanines behaves in most respects identically to the null allele in this system, with the exception that no heavy chain aggregates are found. In contrast, expression of sqh-A21, in which only the primary phosphorylation target serine-21 site is altered, partially restores functionality to germ line myosin II, allowing cystoblast division and oocyte development, albeit with some cytokinesis failure, defects in the rapid cytoplasmic transport from nurse cells to cytoplasm characteristic of late stage oogenesis, and some damaged ring canals. Substituting a glutamate for the serine-21 (mutant sqh-E21) allows oogenesis to be completed with minimal defects, producing eggs that can develop normally to produce fertile adults. Flies expressing sqh-A20, in which only the secondary phosphorylation site is absent, appear to be entirely wild type. Taken together, this genetic evidence argues that phosphorylation at serine-21 is critical to RMLC function in activating myosin II in vivo, but that the function can be partially provided by phosphorylation at threonine-20.

Slow cycling of unphosphorylated myosin is inhibited by calponin, thus keeping smooth muscle relaxed

A key unanswered question in smooth muscle biology is whether phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) is sufficient for regulation of contraction, or if thin-filament-based regulatory systems also contribute to this process. To address this issue, the endogenous RLC was extracted from single smooth muscle cells and replaced with either a thiophosphorylated RLC or a mutant RLC (T18A/S19A) that cannot be phosphorylated by myosin light chain kinase. The actin-binding protein calponin was also extracted. Following photolysis of caged ATP, cells without calponin that contained a nonphosphorylatable RLC shortened at 30% of the velocity and produced 65% of the isometric force of cells reconstituted with the thiophosphorylated RLC. The contraction of cells reconstituted with nonphosphorylatable RLC was, however, specifically suppressed in cells that contained calponin. These results indicate that calponin is required to maintain cells in a relaxed state, and that in the absence of this inhibition, dephosphorylated cross-bridges can slowly cycle and generate force. These findings thus provide a possible framework for understanding the development of latch contraction, a widely studied but poorly understood feature of smooth muscle.

Myosin isoforms and functional diversity in vertebrate smooth muscle

The expression of fast and slow myosin isoforms in individual cells is associated with differences in shortening velocities and power output in fully differentiated vertebrate striated muscle. This paradigm in which shortening velocity is determined by the myosin isoform (and load) is inappropriate for smooth muscle. Smooth muscle tissues express multiple myosin heavy and light chain isoforms, and it is not currently possible to separate and identify chemically distinct native myosin hexamers (i.e., isoforms). It is not known if different isoforms are localized in subpopulations of cells or in specific cellular domains nor whether they combine preferentially to form a small number of native myosin hexamer isoforms. Potentially, thick filaments are aggregates of many different combinations of heavy and light chain isoforms that may or may not exhibit different kinetics. Shortening velocities in smooth muscle are regulated by Ca(2+)-dependent crossbridge phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chains. Much of the observed diversity in power output in smooth muscle may be attributed to regulatory mechanisms modulating crossbridge cycling rates rather than contractile protein isoform expression.

Inhibition of cross-bridge binding to actin by caldesmon fragments in skinned skeletal muscle fibers

Several regions within the 35-kDa COOH-terminal portion of caldesmon have been implicated in the ability of caldesmon to inhibit actin-activated myosin ATPase activity. To further define the functional regions of caldesmon, we have studied the effects of three chymotryptic fragments, one fragment produced by CNBr digestion and two fragments produced by digestion with submaxillaris arginase C protease, on the relaxed stiffness and active force of rabbit psoas fibers. Each of the regions of caldesmon studied had either direct or indirect effects on single-fiber mechanics. The 35-kDa and 20-kDa fragments of caldesmon, like intact caldesmon, were effective inhibitors of fiber stiffness, a measure of cross-bridge attachment. The 7.3-kDa and 10-kDa fragments, which constitute the NH2 and COOH halves of the 20-kDa fragment, inhibited both relaxed fiber stiffness and active force production, but with a reduced efficacy compared to the 20-kDa fragment. These results suggest that several regions within the 35-kDa COOH-terminal region of caldesmon are required for optimum function of caldesmon and that function includes inhibition of weak cross-bridge attachment and force production.

Epsilon-isoenzyme of protein kinase C induces a Ca(2+)-independent contraction in vascular smooth muscle

We provide here the first direct evidence for in situ functional specificity of protein kinase C (PKC)-epsilon as a regulator of smooth muscle contractility. PKC is known to cause a Ca(2+)-independent contraction of ferret aortic smooth muscle, and the expression of two Ca(2+)-independent PKC isoenzymes, epsilon and zeta, has been demonstrated in this tissue. To test directly the hypothesis that one of these isoenzymes regulates contractility, constitutively active forms of PKC-epsilon and PKC-zeta were applied to saponin-permeabilized single ferret aortic smooth muscle cells. PKC-zeta caused no significant force response, but PKC-epsilon induced contraction of a magnitude (105 +/- 8 micrograms) similar to that produced by phenylephrine (110 +/- 10 micrograms), a relatively selective alpha 1-adrenergic agonist that triggers a PKC-dependent contraction. The PKC-epsilon-induced contraction was reversed by the PKC pseudosubstrate inhibitory peptide, PKC19-31. The myosin light chain kinase inhibitor 1-(5-chloronaphthalene-1-sulfonyl)-1H-hexahydro-1,4-diazepine (ML-9) did not affect the force response of PKC-epsilon-activated cells, suggesting that PKC-epsilon may induce this contraction solely via thin filament disinhibition. In support of this conclusion, calponin and caldesmon were shown to be good in vitro substrates of PKC-epsilon but not of PKC-zeta.

Voltage-dependent calcium currents and cytosolic calcium in equine airway myocytes

1. The relationship between voltage-dependent calcium channel current (I(Ca)) and cytosolic free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) was studied in fura-2 AM-loaded equine tracheal myocytes at 35 degrees C and 1.8 mM Ca2+ using the nystatin patch clamp method. The average cytosolic calcium buffering constant was 77 +/- 3 (n = 14), and the endogenous calcium buffering constant component is likely to be between 15 and 50. 2. I(Ca) did not evoke significant calcium-induced calcium release (CICR) since (i)[Ca2+]i scaled with the integrated I(Ca) over the full voltage range of evoked calcium currents, (ii) increases in [Ca2+]i associated with I(Ca) were consistent with cytoplasmic buffering of calcium ions entering through voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) only, (iii) there was a fixed instantaneous relationship between transmembrane calcium flux (J(Ca)) and the change in cytosolic free calcium concentration (delta [Ca2+]i) during I(Ca), (iv) caffeine (8 mM) triggered 8-fold higher calcium transients than I(Ca), and (v) I(Ca) evoked following release of intracellular calcium by caffeine resulted in an equivalent delta[Ca2+]i-J(Ca) relationship. 3. The time constant (T) for the decay in [Ca2+]i was 8.6 +/- 1.5 s (n = 8) for single steps and 8.6 +/- 1.1 s (n = 13) following multiple steps that increased [Ca2+]i to much higher levels. Following application of caffeine (8 mM), however, [Ca2+]i decay was enhanced (T = 2.0 +/- 0.2 s, n = 3). The rate of [Ca2+]i decay was not voltage dependent, was not decreased in the absence of extracellular Na+ ions, and no pump current was detected. 4. We conclude that under near physiological conditions, neither CICR nor Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange play a substantial role in the regulation of I(Ca)-induced increases in [Ca2+]i, and that, even following release of intracellular calcium by caffeine, Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange does not play an appreciable role in the removal of calcium ions from the cytosol.

Effects of calponin on isometric force and shortening velocity in permeabilized taenia coli smooth muscle

Calponin, a thin filament-associated protein, inhibits actomyosin adenosinetriphosphatase in solution and has been suggested to modulate smooth muscle contractility. We used permeabilized guinea pig taenia coli smooth muscle to investigate whether calponin can modulate actin-myosin interaction in a more organized contractile system. Fibers were permeabilized with Triton X-100 and glycerol, which permit access of large macromolecules to the contractile apparatus. For contractures elicited by Ca2+ (6.6 microM + 0.1 microM calmodulin), the recombinant alpha-isoform of chicken gizzard calponin (CaP) decreased isometric force (Fo) and unloaded shortening velocity (Vus) in a dose-dependent manner; 1 microM CaP had minimal effects on force (< 10%) but reduced Vus by approximately 50% and 10 microM CaP reduced Fo to 27% of control and Vus to near zero levels. To eliminate any effects of the binding of calmodulin by CaP and consequent inhibition of myosin light chain kinase activity, we also studied fibers activated by thiophosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain. Fo was only moderately inhibited, remaining at approximately 75% of control in the presence of CaP (10 microM), whereas Vus was reduced to 32% of control. A similar inhibition was obtained with a mutant (CaPcys175) that retains the ability to bind to actin. CaP phosphorylated by protein kinase C and CaPcys175 mutant labeled with 1,5-IAEDANS, which bind actin poorly, were not effective inhibitors. Our results indicate that 1) CaP more strongly inhibits Vus (approximately cross-bridge cycle rate) than Fo (approximately number of activated cross bridges) and 2) the effects of CaP are related to its binding to actin. Thus the function of CaP in regulation of smooth muscle contractility may be more strongly related to its function as a modulator of velocity, as related to the "latch state," than as an "on-off" switch.

Calmodulin is the divalent cation receptor for rapid endocytosis, but not exocytosis, in adrenal chromaffin cells

Exocytosis and the ensuing rapid endocytosis in adrenal chromaffin cells are both Ca(2+)-dependent phenomena but differ in their divalent cation specificity, implying distinct Ca2+ receptors for the two processes. To ascertain whether calmodulin is the Ca2+ receptor for either process, we blocked its function by introducing calmodulin-binding peptides or anti-calmodulin antibodies into these cells. Exo/endocytosis was followed by measurement of cell membrane capacitance. Rapid endocytosis, but not exocytosis, was abolished by these treatments, indicating that calmodulin is the Ca2+ receptor for rapid endocytosis but is not involved in exocytosis. The principal calmodulin target is not protein phosphatase-2B, as antagonism of this enzyme did not inhibit but accelerated rapid endocytosis. Calmodulin may thus regulate both the rate and extent of rapid endocytosis by distinct pathways.

A fluorescent protein biosensor of myosin II regulatory light chain phosphorylation reports a gradient of phosphorylated myosin II in migrating cells

Phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) regulates the motor activity of smooth muscle and nonmuscle myosin II. We have designed reagents to detect this phosphorylation event in living cells. A new fluorescent protein biosensor of myosin II regulatory light chain phosphorylation (FRLC-Rmyosin II) is described here. The biosensor depends upon energy transfer from fluorescein-labeled regulatory light chains to rhodamine-labeled essential and/or heavy chains. The energy transfer ratio increases by up to 26% when the regulatory light chain is phosphorylated by MLCK. The majority of the change in energy transfer is from regulatory light chain phosphorylation by MLCK (versus phosphorylation by protein kinase C). Folding/unfolding, filament assembly, and actin binding do not have a large effect on the energy transfer ratio. FRLC-Rmyosin II has been microinjected into living cells, where it incorporates into stress fibers and transverse fibers. Treatment of fibroblasts containing FRLC-Rmyosin II with the kinase inhibitor staurosporine produced a lower ratio of rhodamine/fluorescein emission, which corresponds to a lower level of myosin II regulatory light chain phosphorylation. Locomoting fibroblasts containing FRLC-Rmyosin II showed a gradient of myosin II phosphorylation that was lowest near the leading edge and highest in the tail region of these cells, which correlates with previously observed gradients of free calcium and calmodulin activation. Maximal myosin II motor force in the tail may contribute to help cells maintain their polarized shape, retract the tail as the cell moves forward, and deliver disassembled subunits to the leading edge for incorporation into new fibers.

A calponin peptide enhances Ca2+ sensitivity of smooth muscle contraction without affecting myosin light chain phosphorylation

In permeabilized smooth muscle, exogenously applied calponin binds to myofibrils and reduces Ca(2+)-activated tension (Itoh, T., Suzuki, S., Suzuki, A., Nakamura, F., Naka, M., and Tanaka, T. (1994) Pflügers Arch. Eur. J. Physiol. 427, 301-308). A calponin peptide (calponin Phe173-Arg185), which inhibits the binding of calponin to actin, blocks the action of calponin and enhances the contraction induced by submaximal Ca2+ in permeabilized vascular smooth muscle. Unlike calmodulin, this peptide enhances the Ca(2+)-induced contraction without a corresponding increase in the level of myosin light chain phosphorylation. These results suggest that calponin decreases the sensitivity of smooth muscle to Ca2+ at a given level of myosin light chain phosphorylation.

Effect of caldesmon on the assembly of smooth muscle myosin

Smooth muscle myosin filaments are much less stable than the skeletal muscle counterpart. Smooth myosin requires higher concentration of Mg2+ than skeletal myosin to form thick filaments and addition of ATP disassembles the dephosphorylated smooth muscle myosin filaments into monomers but not phosphorylated ones. We found that the addition of caldesmon to dephosphorylated myosin induced the formation of the filaments under the conditions where myosin by itself is soluble or disassembled. Although the induced filaments were short at 1 mM Mg2+, they became medium sized and seemed like side polar filaments with prominent 14 nm periodicity at higher Mg2+ conditions (8 mM). In the presence of F-actin, myosin filaments induced by caldesmon were associated along actin filaments to form large structures. The association of actin and myosin filaments was observed only in the presence of caldesmon, suggesting that caldesmon cross-linked actin and myosin filaments. This cross-linking was disrupted by the addition of calmodulin. Caldesmon-induced filament formation of dephosphorylated myosin in the presence of Mg(2+)-ATP may explain the existence of myosin filaments in relaxed smooth muscle fibers. A similar effect of telokin on myosin filament assembly was also examined and is discussed.

Thin filament regulation of force activation is not essential in single vascular smooth muscle cells

To investigate thin filament regulation of force activation in smooth muscle, we recorded force and stiffness of alpha-toxin-permeabilized single smooth muscle cells. At pCa 9, the rigor state was characterized by high in-phase stiffness, low force, and low quadrature stiffness, suggesting that the attachment of rigor cross bridges does not depend on either Ca2+ or myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation, and cross bridges can enter a rigor state without producing force. At pCa 4, 20 microM ATP increased force, in-phase stiffness, and quadrature stiffness, while 20 microM CTP did not increase any of these parameters, suggesting that although MLC phosphorylation is not required for the formation of rigor cross bridges, MLC phosphorylation is required for detached cross bridges to attach to actin and undergo a force-producing isomerization. These results also suggest that for smooth muscle, force activation is regulated by myosin light-chain kinase. From rigor, 20 microM ATP (pCa 9) increased force and quadrature without changing in-phase stiffness. This force increase could be explained if in rigor solution both actomyosin (AM) and AM.ADP cross bridges exist (2, 32), and ATP-induced detachment of AM cross bridges is accompanied by AM.ADP cross bridges undergoing a force-producing isomerization in combination with cooperative cross-bridge reattachment (36). Thus results of our experiments suggest that thin filament-based regulation of force activation is not essential in smooth muscle, and a population of cross bridges must begin in an attached state for force to be produced in the absence of MLC phosphorylation.

Signal transduction and regulation in smooth muscle

Smooth muscle cells in the walls of many organs are vital for most bodily functions, and their abnormalities contribute to a range of diseases. Although based on a sliding-filament mechanism similar to that of striated muscles, contraction of smooth muscle is regulated by pharmacomechanical as well as by electromechanical coupling mechanisms. Recent studies have revealed previously unrecognized contractile regulatory processes, such as G-protein-coupled inhibition of myosin light-chain phosphatase, regulation of myosin light-chain kinase by other kinases, and the functional effects of smooth muscle myosin isoforms. Abnormalities of these regulatory mechanisms and isoform variations may contribute to diseases of smooth muscle, and the G-protein-coupled inhibition of protein phosphatase is also likely to be important in regulating non-muscle cell functions mediated by cytoplasmic myosin II.