Relationships between chemical and mechanical events during muscular contraction

Single molecule mechanics resolves the earliest events in force generation by cardiac myosin

Key steps of cardiac mechanochemistry, including the force-generating working stroke and the release of phosphate (P_i), occur rapidly after myosin-actin attachment. An ultra-high-speed optical trap enabled direct observation of the timing and amplitude of the working stroke, which can occur within <200 μs of actin binding by β-cardiac myosin. The initial actomyosin state can sustain loads of at least 4.5 pN and proceeds directly to the stroke or detaches before releasing ATP hydrolysis products. The rates of these processes depend on the force. The time between binding and stroke is unaffected by 10 mM P_i which, along with other findings, indicates the stroke precedes phosphate release. After P_i release, P_i can rebind enabling reversal of the working stroke. Detecting these rapid events under physiological loads provides definitive indication of the dynamics by which actomyosin converts biochemical energy into mechanical work.

MicroRNA-432 targeting E2F3 and P55PIK inhibits myogenesis through PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway

Skeletal muscle is the dominant executant in locomotion and regulator in energy metabolism. Embryonic myogenesis and postnatal muscle growth are controlled by a cascade of transcription factors and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a family of non-coding RNA of 22 nucleotides in length, post-transcriptionally regulates expression of mRNA by pairing the seed sequence to 3' UTR of target mRNA. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that miRNAs are important regulators in diverse myogenic processes. The profiling of miRNA expression revealed that miR-432 is more enriched in the longissimus dorsi of 35-day-old piglets than that of adult pigs. Our gain of function study showed that miR-432 can negatively regulate both myoblast proliferation and differentiation. Mechanically, we found that miR-432 is able to down-regulate E2F transcription factor 3 (E2F3) to inactivate the expression of cell cycle and myogenic genes. We also identified that phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit (P55PIK) is another target gene of miR-432 in muscle cells. downregulation of P55PIK by miR-432 leads to inhibition of P55PIK-mediated PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway during differentiation. The blocking effect of miR-432 on this pathway can be rescued by insulin treatment. Taken together, our findings identified microRNA-432 as a potent inhibitor of myogenesis which functions by targeting E2F3 and P55PIK in muscle cells.

Temperature effect on the chemomechanical regulation of substeps within the power stroke of a single Myosin II

Myosin IIs in the skeletal muscle are highly efficient nanoscale machines evolved in nature. Understanding how they function can not only bring insights into various biological processes but also provide guidelines to engineer synthetic nanoscale motors working in the vicinity of thermal noise. Though it was clearly demonstrated that the behavior of a skeletal muscle fiber, or that of a single myosin was strongly affected by the temperature, how exactly the temperature affects the kinetics of a single myosin is not fully understood. By adapting the newly developed transitional state model, which successfully explained the intriguing motor force regulation during skeletal muscle contraction, here we systematically explain how exactly the power stroke of a single myosin proceeds, with the consideration of the chemomechanical regulation of sub-steps within the stroke. The adapted theory is then utilized to investigate the temperature effect on various aspects of the power stroke. Our analysis suggests that, though swing rates, the isometric force, and the maximal stroke size all strongly vary with the temperature, the temperature can have a very small effect on the releasable elastic energy within the power stroke.

The effect of Astym® Therapy on muscle strength: a blinded, randomized, clinically controlled trial

Background

Astym^® therapy is a manual therapy intervention used to stimulate tissue healing, decrease pain, improve mobility, and improve muscle performance associated with musculoskeletal pathology. The purpose of this study was to determine if Astym therapy administered to the lower extremity would result in an immediate change of maximal force output during a unilateral isometric squat test among individuals with a lower extremity injury.

Methods

Forty-five subjects (14 males; 31females) between 18 and 65 years of age were randomized into 3 treatment groups: 1) Control group – received no treatment 2) Placebo group – received a sham Astym treatment 3) Astym therapy group– received Astym therapy to the lower extremity. A baseline measure of maximal force output (pre-test) during a unilateral isometric squat was performed. The subjects then received the designated treatment intervention. Immediately following the treatment intervention, maximal force output (post-test) was retested using identical testing procedures by an investigator who was blinded to the treatment intervention received by the subjects. The percent change of maximal force output from pre-test to post-test measures was compared using a one-way analysis of variance. A Tukey’s post-hoc analysis determined the statistical differences between the groups.

Results

The treatment intervention had a significant effect on the percent change of maximal force output [F(2,42) = 7.91, p = 0.001]. Tukey’s post hoc analysis demonstrated that the percent change of maximal force output was significantly greater in the Astym group (15 ± 18 % change of Newtons) compared to the placebo (−6 ± 11 % change of Newtons; p = 0.0001) and control (−1 ± 17 % change of Newtons; p = 0.0014) groups. No significant difference (p = 0.68) was noted between the control and placebo groups.

Conclusions

Astym therapy to the involved lower extremity increased maximum force output during an isometric squat test immediately following treatment. The results of this study suggest that Astym therapy can immediately improve muscle performance (maximal force output) for patients presenting with muscular weakness caused by a lower extremity musculoskeletal injury.

Trial registration

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02349230. Registered 23 January 2015.

Constriction model of actomyosin ring for cytokinesis by fission yeast using a two-state sliding filament mechanism

We developed a model describing the structure and contractile mechanism of the actomyosin ring in fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. The proposed ring includes actin, myosin, and α-actinin, and is organized into a structure similar to that of muscle sarcomeres. This structure justifies the use of the sliding-filament mechanism developed by Huxley and Hill, but it is probably less organized relative to that of muscle sarcomeres. Ring contraction tension was generated via the same fundamental mechanism used to generate muscle tension, but some physicochemical parameters were adjusted to be consistent with the proposed ring structure. Simulations allowed an estimate of ring constriction tension that reproduced the observed ring constriction velocity using a physiologically possible, self-consistent set of parameters. Proposed molecular-level properties responsible for the thousand-fold slower constriction velocity of the ring relative to that of muscle sarcomeres include fewer myosin molecules involved, a less organized contractile configuration, a low α-actinin concentration, and a high resistance membrane tension. Ring constriction velocity is demonstrated as an exponential function of time despite a near linear appearance. We proposed a hypothesis to explain why excess myosin heads inhibit constriction velocity rather than enhance it. The model revealed how myosin concentration and elastic resistance tension are balanced during cytokinesis in S. pombe.

Stretching actin filaments within cells enhances their affinity for the myosin II motor domain

To test the hypothesis that the myosin II motor domain (S1) preferentially binds to specific subsets of actin filaments in vivo, we expressed GFP-fused S1 with mutations that enhanced its affinity for actin in Dictyostelium cells. Consistent with the hypothesis, the GFP-S1 mutants were localized along specific portions of the cell cortex. Comparison with rhodamine-phalloidin staining in fixed cells demonstrated that the GFP-S1 probes preferentially bound to actin filaments in the rear cortex and cleavage furrows, where actin filaments are stretched by interaction with endogenous myosin II filaments. The GFP-S1 probes were similarly enriched in the cortex stretched passively by traction forces in the absence of myosin II or by external forces using a microcapillary. The preferential binding of GFP-S1 mutants to stretched actin filaments did not depend on cortexillin I or PTEN, two proteins previously implicated in the recruitment of myosin II filaments to stretched cortex. These results suggested that it is the stretching of the actin filaments itself that increases their affinity for the myosin II motor domain. In contrast, the GFP-fused myosin I motor domain did not localize to stretched actin filaments, which suggests different preferences of the motor domains for different structures of actin filaments play a role in distinct intracellular localizations of myosin I and II. We propose a scheme in which the stretching of actin filaments, the preferential binding of myosin II filaments to stretched actin filaments, and myosin II-dependent contraction form a positive feedback loop that contributes to the stabilization of cell polarity and to the responsiveness of the cells to external mechanical stimuli.

Mapping the classical cross-bridge theory and backward steps in a three bead laser trap setup

According to the cross-bridge theory (Huxley, 1957), the interaction between myosin and actin is governed by a deterministic process where the myosin molecule pulls the actin filament in one specific direction only. However, studies on single myosin-actin interactions produced displacements of actin not only in the preferred but also in the opposite direction. This phenomenon is typically referred to as backward steps by the myosin head. Molloy et al. (1995) speculated that these backward steps are not caused by the molecular interactions of actin with myosin but are an artifact of the Brownian motion associated with these molecular level experiments. The aim of this study was to investigate, whether a theoretical model can support Molloy's speculation. We therefore developed a theoretical model of actin-myosin based muscle contraction that was strictly based on Huxley's assumption of one stepping direction only, but incorporated Brownian motion, as observed in single cross-bridge-actin interactions. The mathematical model is based on Langevin equations describing the classical three-bead laser trap setup and uses a novel semi-analytical approach to study the percentage of backward steps. We analyzed the effects of different initial actin attachment site distribution and laser trap stiffness on the ratio of forward to backward steps. Our results demonstrate that backward steps and the classical cross-bridge theory are perfectly compatible in a three-bead laser trap setup.

The ATPase cycle of PcrA helicase and its coupling to translocation on DNA

The superfamily 1 bacterial helicase PcrA has a role in the replication of certain plasmids, acting with the initiator protein (RepD) that binds to and nicks the double-stranded origin of replication. PcrA also translocates single-stranded DNA with discrete steps of one base per ATP hydrolyzed. Individual rate constants have been determined for the DNA helicase PcrA ATPase cycle when bound to either single-stranded DNA or a double-stranded DNA junction that also has RepD bound. The fluorescent ATP analogue 2'(3')-O-(N-methylanthraniloyl)ATP was used throughout all experiments to provide a complete ATPase cycle for a single nucleotide species. Fluorescence intensity and anisotropy stopped-flow measurements were used to determine rate constants for binding and release. Quenched-flow measurements provided the kinetics of the hydrolytic cleavage step. The fluorescent phosphate sensor MDCC-PBP was used to measure phosphate release kinetics. The chemical cleavage step is the rate-limiting step in the cycle and is essentially irreversible and would result in the bound ATP complex being a major component at steady state. This cleavage step is greatly accelerated by bound DNA, producing the high activation of this protein compared to the protein alone. The data suggest the possibility that ADP is released in two steps, which would result in bound ADP also being a major intermediate, with bound ADP.P(i) being a very small component. It therefore seems likely that the major transition in structure occurs during the cleavage step, rather than P(i) release. ATP rebinding could then cause reversal of this structural transition. The kinetic mechanism of the PcrA ATPase cycle is very little changed by potential binding to RepD, supporting the idea that RepD increases the processivity of PcrA by increasing affinity to DNA rather than affecting the enzymatic properties per se.

Development of fluorescent biosensors for probing the function of motor proteins

Biosensors are becoming widely used both in basic research and in screening assays and reagentless sensors with fluorescent reporter groups attached to proteins form one class. This article describes the development of sensors for two small molecules, driven in particular by the need for high sensitivity and time resolution to probe mechanistic aspects of ATP-coupled motor proteins. The biosensors are for the products of the ATPase reaction, ADP and inorganic phosphate. The interplay between the possibilities for design and understanding the mechanism of the signal are discussed. Examples are described of how these sensors have been applied to understanding myosin and helicase motors.

Effect of strain on actomyosin kinetics in isometric muscle fibers

Investigations were conducted into the biochemical and mechanical states of cross-bridges during isometric muscle contraction. Rapid length steps (3 or 6 nm hs(-1)) were applied to rabbit psoas fibers, permeabilized and isometric, at either 12 degrees C or 20 degrees C. Fibers were activated by photolysis of P(3)-1-(2-nitrophenyl)-ethyl ester of ATP infused into rigor fibers at saturating Ca(2+). Sarcomere length, tension, and phosphate release were recorded-the latter using the MDCC-PBP fluorescent probe. A reduction in strain, induced by a rapid release step, produced a short-lived acceleration of phosphate release. Rates of the phosphate transient and that of phases 3 and 4 of tension recovery were unaffected by step size but were elevated at higher temperatures. In contrast the amplitude of the phosphate transient was smaller at 20 degrees C than 12 degrees C. The presence of 0.5 or 1.0 mM added ADP during a release step reduced both the rate of tension recovery and the poststep isometric tension. A kinetic scheme is presented to simulate the observed data and to precisely determine the rate constants for the elementary steps of the ATPase cycle.

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

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

Why choose myofibrils to study muscle myosin ATPase?

Our objective is to propose an overview of the usefulness of skeletal myofibril as an experimental system for studying mechanochemical coupling of skeletal muscles and myosin ATPase activity. The myofibril is a true functional mini-muscle that is able to contract in the presence of ATP. It also contains the machinery necessary for the calcium sensitivity of the contraction. In the absence of calcium, myofibrillar ATPase activity is basal, no shortening occurs and no active force is developed. In the presence of calcium, myofibrillar ATPase is activated and myofibrils either shorten with no external load (native myofibrils) or contract isometrically (cross-linked myofibrils). With this organised system, both chemical and mechanical studies can be carried out. For a decade, our laboratory has been using rabbit psoas myofibrils for exploring myosin ATPase activity. The first challenge was to successfully apply rapid kinetic approaches, such as rapid-flow-quench, to this organised system. Another challenge was to work with myofibrils in cryoenzymic conditions, i.e. in the presence of organic solvents and at sub-zero temperatures. In this overview, we highlight differences between the myosin ATPase in organised systems (myofibrils or fibres) and that of contractile proteins in solution (S1 or actoS1) that we observed using these approaches. We discuss the importance of these differences in terms of mechanochemical coupling. It is concluded that great care should be taken when extrapolating mechanochemical properties of the contractile proteins in solution to the whole muscle.

Amino acids 519-524 of Dictyostelium myosin II form a surface loop that aids actin binding by facilitating a conformational change

Residues 519-524 of Dictyostelium myosin II form a small surface loop on the actin binding face, and have been suggested to bind directly to actin through high affinity hydrophobic interactions. To test this hypothesis, we have characterized mutant myosins that lack this loop in vivo and in vitro. A mutant myosin in which this loop was replaced by an Ala residue (delta519-524/+A) was non-functional in vivo. Replacement with a single Gly residue instead of Ala yielded partial function, suggesting that structural flexibility, rather than hydrophobicity, is the key feature of the loop. The in vivo phenotype of the mutant enabled us to identify a number of additional amino acid changes that restore function to the delta519-524/+A mutation. Intriguingly, many of these, including L596S, were located at some distances away from the 519-524 loop. We have also isolated suppressors for the L596S mutant myosin, which was not functional in vivo. The suppressors for delta519-524/+A and those for L596S showed complementary charge patterns. In ATPase assays, delta519-524/+A S1 showed very low activity and little enhancement by actin, whereas L596S S1 was hyper active and displayed enhanced affinity for actin. In motility assays, delta519-524/+A myosin released actin filaments upon addition of ATP and was unable to support movements. L596S myosin was also inactive, but in this case actin filaments stayed immobile even after the addition of ATP. Transient kinetic measurements demonstrated that delta519-524/+A S1 is not only slower than wild type to bind actin filaments, but also slower to dissociate from actin filaments. Based on these results, we concluded that the 519-524 loop is not a major actin binding site but aids actin binding by facilitating a critical conformational change.

Transient kinetics and mechanics of myosin's force-generating rotation in muscle: resolution of millisecond rotational transitions in the spin-labeled myosin light-chain domain

We have used electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of spin-labeled scallop muscle, in conjunction with laser flash photolysis of caged ATP, to resolve millisecond rotational transitions of the myosin light-chain domain (LCD) during transient force generation. We previously used EPR to resolve two distinct orientations of the LCD [Baker, J. E., Brust-Mascher, I., Ramachandran, S., LaConte, L. E., and Thomas, D. D. (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 95, 2944-2949], correlated these structural states with biochemical states in the actin-myosin ATPase reaction, and showed that a small shift in the steady-state distribution between these two LCD orientations (i.e., a net lever arm rotation) is associated with force generation in muscle. In the study presented here, we measured millisecond changes in this orientational distribution (i.e., the rates of transition between the two LCD orientations) in muscle following flash photolysis of caged ATP, in both the presence and absence of Ca. The transient acquired in the absence of Ca is dominated by a rapid (1/tau(1) = 37 s(-1)) disordering transition from the single orientation in rigor to the bimodal orientation distribution observed for detached cross-bridges in relaxation (i.e., the reversal of the lever arm rotation), followed by a recovery phase (1/tau(2) = 2.4 s(-1)) of very small amplitude (small fraction of heads participating). In the presence of Ca, the transient exhibited a similar initial disordering phase (1/tau(1) = 38.5 s(-1)), followed by a recovery phase (1/tau(2) = 8.33 s(-1)) of substantial amplitude, corresponding to the forward rotation and ordering of the lever arm. A standard kinetic model was used to fit these data, revealing rate constants consistent with those previously determined by other methods. Surprisingly, a comparison of the EPR transients with force transients reveals that the rate of force development (91 s(-1)) is faster than the rate of the forward lever arm rotation (8 s(-1)). This observed relationship between the kinetics of the lever arm rotation and transient force development in muscle provides new insight into how myosin both generates and responds to muscle force.

The conformation of myosin head domains in rigor muscle determined by X-ray interference

In the absence of adenosine triphosphate, the head domains of myosin cross-bridges in muscle bind to actin filaments in a rigor conformation that is expected to mimic that following the working stroke during active contraction. We used x-ray interference between the two head arrays in opposite halves of each myosin filament to determine the rigor head conformation in single fibers from frog skeletal muscle. During isometric contraction (force T(0)), the interference effect splits the M3 x-ray reflection from the axial repeat of the heads into two peaks with relative intensity (higher angle/lower angle peak) 0.76. In demembranated fibers in rigor at low force (<0.05 T(0)), the relative intensity was 4.0, showing that the center of mass of the heads had moved 4.5 nm closer to the midpoint of the myosin filament. When rigor fibers were stretched, increasing the force to 0.55 T(0), the heads' center of mass moved back by 1.1-1.6 nm. These motions can be explained by tilting of the light chain domain of the head so that the mean angle between the Cys(707)-Lys(843) vector and the filament axis increases by approximately 36 degrees between isometric contraction and low-force rigor, and decreases by 7-10 degrees when the rigor fiber is stretched to 0.55 T(0).

Myosin head configuration in relaxed insect flight muscle: x-ray modeled resting cross-bridges in a pre-powerstroke state are poised for actin binding

Low-angle x-ray diffraction patterns from relaxed insect flight muscle recorded on the BioCAT beamline at the Argonne APS have been modeled to 6.5 nm resolution (R-factor 9.7%, 65 reflections) using the known myosin head atomic coordinates, a hinge between the motor (catalytic) domain and the light chain-binding (neck) region (lever arm), together with a simulated annealing procedure. The best head conformation angles around the hinge gave a head shape that was close to that typical of relaxed M*ADP*Pi heads, a head shape never before demonstrated in intact muscle. The best packing constrained the eight heads per crown within a compact crown shelf projecting at approximately 90 degrees to the filament axis. The two heads of each myosin molecule assume nonequivalent positions, one head projecting outward while the other curves round the thick filament surface to nose against the proximal neck of the projecting head of the neighboring molecule. The projecting heads immediately suggest a possible cross-bridge cycle. The relaxed projecting head, oriented almost as needed for actin attachment, will attach, then release Pi followed by ADP, as the lever arm with a purely axial change in tilt drives approximately 10 nm of actin filament sliding on the way to the nucleotide-free limit of its working stroke. The overall arrangement appears well designed to support precision cycling for the myogenic oscillatory mode of contraction with its enhanced stretch-activation response used in flight by insects equipped with asynchronous fibrillar flight muscles.

Creatine phosphate consumption and the actomyosin crossbridge cycle in cardiac muscles

To investigate the regulation of the actomyosin crossbridge cycle in cardiac muscles, the effects of ATP, ADP, Pi, and creatine phosphate (CP) on the rate of force redevelopment (ktr) were measured. We report that CP is a primary determinant in controlling the actomyosin crossbridge cycling kinetics of cardiac muscles, because a reduction of CP from 25 to 2.5 mmol/L decreased ktr by 51% despite the presence of 5 mmol/L MgATP. The effects of CP on ktr were not a reflection of reduced ATP or accumulated ADP, because lowering ATP to 1 mmol/L or increasing ADP to 1 mmol/L did not significantly decrease ktr. Therefore, the effect of CP on the actomyosin crossbridge cycle is proposed to occur through a functional link between ADP release from myosin and its rephosphorylation by CP-creatine kinase to regenerate ATP. In activated fibers, the functional link influenced the kinetics of activated crossbridges without affecting the aggregate number of force-generating crossbridges. This was demonstrated by the ability of CP to affect ktr in maximally and submaximally activated fibers without altering the force per cross-sectional area. The data also confirm the important contribution of strong binding crossbridges to cardiac muscle activation, likely mediated by cooperative recruitment of adjacent crossbridges to maximize force redevelopment against external load. These data provide additional insight into the role of CP during pathophysiological conditions such as ischemia, suggesting that decreased CP may serve as a primary determinant in the observed decline of dP/dt.

Mechanism of inhibition of skeletal muscle actomyosin by N-benzyl-p-toluenesulfonamide

N-Benzyl-p-toluenesulfonamide (BTS) is a small organic molecule that specifically inhibits the contraction of fast skeletal muscle fibers. To determine the mechanism of inhibition by BTS, we performed a kinetic analysis of its effects on the elementary steps of the actomyosin subfragment-1 ATPase cycle. BTS decreases the steady-state acto-S1 ATPase rate approximately 10-fold and increases the actin concentration for half-maximal activation. BTS primarily affects three of the elementary steps of the reaction pathway. It decreases the rate of P(i) release >20-fold in the absence of actin and >100-fold in the presence of actin. It decreases the rate of S1.ADP dissociation from 3.9 to 0.8 s(-)(1) while decreasing the S1.ADP dissociation constant from 2.3 to 0.8 microM. BTS weakens the apparent affinity of S1.ADP for actin, increasing the K(d) from 7.0 to 29.5 microM. ATP binding to S1, hydrolysis, and the affinity of nucleotide-free S1 for actin are unaffected by BTS. Kinetic modeling indicates that the binding of BTS to myosin depends on actin association/dissociation and on nucleotide state. Our results suggest that the reduction of the acto-S1 ATPase rate is due to the inhibition of P(i) release, and the suppression of tension is due to inhibition of P(i) release in conjunction with the decreased apparent affinity of S1.ADP.P(i) and S1.ADP for actin.

Cooperative activation in cardiac muscle: impact of sarcomere length

This study was undertaken to determine the impact of sarcomere length (SL) on the level of cooperative activation of the cardiac myofilament at physiological [Mg2+]. Active force development was measured in skinned rat cardiac trabeculae as a function of free [Ca2+] at five SLs (1.85-2.25 microm; 1 mM free [Mg2+]; 15 degrees C). Only muscle preparations with minimal force rundown during the entire protocol were included in the analysis (average 7.2 +/- 1.7%). Median SL was measured by on-line computer video micrometry and controlled within 0.01 microm. Care was taken to ensure a sufficient number of data points in the steep portion of the [Ca2+]-force relationship at every SL to allow for accurate fit of the data to a modified Hill equation. Multiple linear regression analysis of the fit parameters revealed that both maximum, Ca2+-saturated force and Ca2+ sensitivity were a significant function of SL (P < 0.001), whereas the level of cooperativity did not depend on SL (P = 0.2). Further analysis of the [Ca2+]-force relationships revealed a marked asymmetry that, also, was not affected by SL (P = 0.2-0.6). Finally, we found that the level of cooperativity in isolated skinned myocardium was comparable to that reported for intact, nonskinned myocardium. Our results suggest that an increase in SL induces an increase in the Ca2+ responsiveness of the cardiac sarcomere without affecting the level of cooperativity.

The myosin power stroke

Optical trapping technology now allows investigators in the motility field to measure the forces generated by single motor molecules. A handful of research groups have exploited this approach to further develop our understanding of the actin-based motor, myosin, an ATPase that is capable of converting chemical energy into mechanical work during a cyclical interaction with filamentous actin. In this regard, myosin-II from muscle is the most well-characterized myosin superfamily member. By combining the data obtained from optical trap assays with that from ensemble biochemical and mechanical assays, this review discusses the fundamental properties of the myosin-II power stroke and, perhaps more significantly, how these properties are governed by this molecule's atomic structure and the biochemical transitions that define its catalytic cycle.

Effect of deuterium oxide on actomyosin motility in vitro

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

Fluorescent coumarin-labeled nucleotides to measure ADP release from actomyosin

Several coumarin-labeled nucleotides have been synthesized, based on 2'(3')-O-(2-aminoethyl)carbamoyl-ATP (edaATP). The fluorescent coumarins coupled with the free amino group are 7-diethylaminocoumarin-3-carboxylic acid (to give deac-edaATP), coumarin 343 (but-edaATP) and 7-ethylamino-8-bromocoumarin-3-carboxylic acid (mbc-edaATP). The carbamoyl linkage of these nucleotide analogs undergoes interconversion between 2'- and 3'-hydroxyl attachment very slowly, so that the 2'- and 3'-isomers were separated and stored with minimal equilibration. 3'-Deac-edaADP had fluorescence excitation and emission maxima at 430 nm and 477 nm, with a fluorescence quantum yield of 0.012. The equivalent data for 3'-but-edaADP are 445 nm, 494 nm, and 0.51, respectively, and for 3'-mbc-edaADP, 405 nm, 464 nm, and 0.62. The interaction with skeletal myosin subfragment 1 was measured in the absence and presence of actin. In each case the fluorescence was decreased when bound to subfragment 1, 3-fold for 3'-deac-edaADP, 7-fold for 3'-but-edaADP, and 11-fold for 3'-mbc-edaADP. Steady-state ATPase measurements and the kinetics of binding and release of nucleotides were similar to those reported for the natural nucleotide. Large fluorescence changes could be observed for the release of these analogs from actomyosin subfragment 1, enabling a direct measurement of the kinetics of this process. In the case of 3'-deac-edaADP a rate constant of 474 s(-1) was measured (at pH 7.0, 20 degrees C, and low ionic strength).

Myosin learns to walk

Recent experiments, drawing upon single-molecule, solution kinetic and structural techniques, have clarified our mechanistic understanding of class V myosins. The findings of the past two years can be summarized as follows: (1) Myosin V is a highly efficient processive motor, surpassing even conventional kinesin in the distance that individual molecules can traverse. (2) The kinetic scheme underlying ATP turnover resembles those of myosins I and II but with rate constants tuned to favor strong binding to actin. ADP release precedes dissociation from actin and is rate-limiting in the cycle. (3) Myosin V walks in strides averaging ∼36 nm, the long pitch pseudo-repeat of the actin helix, each step coupled to a single ATP hydrolysis. Such a unitary displacement, the largest molecular step size measured to date, is required for a processive myosin motor to follow a linear trajectory along a helical actin track.

A fluorescent sensor of the phosphorylation state of nucleoside diphosphate kinase and its use to monitor nucleoside diphosphate concentrations in real time

A sensor for purine nucleoside diphosphates in solution based on nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDPK) has been developed. A single cysteine was introduced into the protein and labeled with the environmentally sensitive fluorophore, N-[2-(iodoacetamido)ethyl]-7-diethylaminocoumarin-3-carboxamide. The resultant molecule shows a 4-fold fluorescence increase when phosphorylated on His117; this phosphorylation is on the normal reaction pathway of the enzyme. The emission maximum of the phosphoenzyme is at 475 nm, with maximum excitation at 430 nm. The fluorescent phosphorylated NDPK is used to measure the amount of ADP and the unphosphorylated to measure ATP. The labeled protein is phosphorylated to > 90%, and the resultant molecule is stable on ice or can be stored at -80 degrees C. The fluorescence responds to the fraction of protein phosphorylated and so to the equilibrium between ADP plus NDPK approximately P and ATP plus NDPK. In effect, the sensor measures the ADP/ATP concentration ratio. The enzyme has a broad specificity for the purine of the nucleotides, so the sensor also can measure GDP/GTP ratios. The fluorescence and kinetic properties of the labeled protein are described. The binding rate constants of nucleotides are approximately 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), and the fluorescence change is at >200 s(-1) when the ADP concentration is >1 mM. Results are presented with two well-defined systems, namely, the kinetics of ADP release from myosin subfragment 1 and GDP release from the small G protein, human rho. The results obtained with this novel sensor agree with those from alternate methods and demonstrate the applicability for following micromolar changes in nucleoside diphosphate in real time.

Effects of sarcomere length and temperature on the rate of ATP utilisation by rabbit psoas muscle fibres

1. The steady state rate of ATP utilisation by single permeabilised fibres from rabbit psoas muscle immersed in silicone oil was measured using a linked enzyme assay that coupled ADP production to the oxidation of NADH.2. At sarcomere length 2.5 microm, at 10 degrees C, the rate of ATP utilisation in relaxing conditions was 6 +/- 1 microM s-1 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 8 fibres); during isometric contraction it was 310 +/- 10 microM s-1 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 11). Assuming a myosin active site concentration of 150 microM, these values correspond to rates of ATP utilisation per active site of about 0.04 and 2.1 s-1, respectively. 3. The rate of ATP utilisation in relaxing conditions was independent of sarcomere length in the range 2.5-4.0 microm. The rate of ATP utilisation during isometric contraction had a dependence on resting sarcomere length similar to that of isometric force in the range 2.5-4.0 microm, but was less strongly dependent on sarcomere length than was isometric force in the range 1.5-2.5 microm. 4. The rate of ATP utilisation in relaxing conditions had a Q10 of 2.5 in the temperature range 7-25 degrees C, but this increased to 9.7 in the range 25-35 degrees C, suggesting that some active force may have been generated in relaxing solution at temperatures above 25 degrees C. 5. The rate of ATP utilisation during isometric contraction had a Q10 of 3.6 throughout the temperature range 7-25 degrees C; this was similar to the Q10 for isometric force at low temperature (3.5 at 7-10 degrees C) but much larger than that for isometric force at higher temperature (1.3 at 20-25 degrees C). 6. Application of the NADH-linked assay to single muscle fibres in oil improves the effective sensitivity and time resolution of the method, and allows continuous measurements of the rate of ADP production during active contraction.

Link between the enzymatic kinetics and mechanical behavior in an actomyosin motor

We have attempted to link the solution actomyosin ATPase with the mechanical properties of in vitro actin filament sliding over heavy meromyosin. To accomplish this we perturbed the system by altering the substrate with various NTPs and divalent cations, and by altering ionic strength. A wide variety of enzymatic and mechanical measurements were made under very similar solution conditions. Excellent correlations between the mechanical and enzymatic quantities were revealed. Analysis of these correlations based on a force-balance model led us to two fundamental equations, which can be described approximately as follows: the maximum sliding velocity is proportional to square root of V(max)K(m)(A), where K(m)(A) is the actin concentration at which the substrate turnover rate is half of its maximum (V(max)). The active force generated by a cross-bridge under no external load or under a small external load is proportional to square root of V(max)/K(m)(A). The equations successfully accounted for the correlations observed in the present study and observations in other laboratories.

The smooth muscle cross-bridge cycle studied using sinusoidal length perturbations

The mechanical characteristics of smooth muscle can be broadly defined as either phasic, or fast contracting, and tonic, or slow contracting (, Pharmacol. Rev. 20:197-272). To determine if differences in the cross-bridge cycle and/or distribution of the cross-bridge states could contribute to differences in the mechanical properties of smooth muscle, we determined force and stiffness as a function of frequency in Triton-permeabilized strips of rabbit portal vein (phasic) and aorta (tonic). Permeabilized muscle strips were mounted between a piezoelectric length driver and a piezoresistive force transducer. Muscle length was oscillated from 1 to 100 Hz, and the stiffness was determined as a function of frequency from the resulting force response. During calcium activation (pCa 4, 5 mM MgATP), force and stiffness increased to steady-state levels consistent with the attachment of actively cycling cross-bridges. In smooth muscle, because the cross-bridge states involved in force production have yet to be elucidated, the effects of elevation of inorganic phosphate (P(i)) and MgADP on steady-state force and stiffness were examined. When portal vein strips were transferred from activating solution (pCa 4, 5 mM MgATP) to activating solution with 12 mM P(i), force and stiffness decreased proportionally, suggesting that cross-bridge attachment is associated with P(i) release. For the aorta, elevating P(i) decreased force more than stiffness, suggesting the existence of an attached, low-force actin-myosin-ADP- P(i) state. When portal vein strips were transferred from activating solution (pCa 4, 5 mM MgATP) to activating solution with 5 mM MgADP, force remained relatively constant, while stiffness decreased approximately 50%. For the aorta, elevating MgADP decreased force and stiffness proportionally, suggesting for tonic smooth muscle that a significant portion of force production is associated with ADP release. These data suggest that in the portal vein, force is produced either concurrently with or after P(i) release but before MgADP release, whereas in aorta, MgADP release is associated with a portion of the cross-bridge powerstroke. These differences in cross-bridge properties could contribute to the mechanical differences in properties of phasic and tonic smooth muscle.

The effect of inorganic phosphate on force generation in single myofibrils from rabbit skeletal muscle

In striated muscle, force generation and phosphate (P(i)) release are closely related. Alterations in the [P(i)] bathing skinned fibers have been used to probe key transitions of the mechanochemical coupling. Accuracy in this kind of studies is reduced, however, by diffusional barriers. A new perfusion technique is used to study the effect of [P(i)] in single or very thin bundles (1-3 microM in diameter; 5 degrees C) of rabbit psoas myofibrils. With this technique, it is possible to rapidly jump [P(i)] during contraction and observe the transient and steady-state effects on force of both an increase and a decrease in [P(i)]. Steady-state isometric force decreases linearly with an increase in log[P(i)] in the range 500 microM to 10 mM (slope -0.4/decade). Between 5 and 200 microM P(i), the slope of the relation is smaller ( approximately -0.07/decade). The rate constant of force development (k(TR)) increases with an increase in [P(i)] over the same concentration range. After rapid jumps in [P(i)], the kinetics of both the force decrease with an increase in [P(i)] (k(Pi(+))) and the force increase with a decrease in [P(i)] (k(Pi(-))) were measured. As observed in skinned fibers with caged P(i), k(Pi(+)) is about three to four times higher than k(TR), strongly dependent on final [P(i)], and scarcely modulated by the activation level. Unexpectedly, the kinetics of force increase after jumps from high to low [P(i)] is slower: k(Pi(-)) is indistinguishable from k(TR) measured at the same [P(i)] and has the same calcium sensitivity.

Regulation of contraction in striated muscle

Ca(2+) regulation of contraction in vertebrate striated muscle is exerted primarily through effects on the thin filament, which regulate strong cross-bridge binding to actin. Structural and biochemical studies suggest that the position of tropomyosin (Tm) and troponin (Tn) on the thin filament determines the interaction of myosin with the binding sites on actin. These binding sites can be characterized as blocked (unable to bind to cross bridges), closed (able to weakly bind cross bridges), or open (able to bind cross bridges so that they subsequently isomerize to become strongly bound and release ATP hydrolysis products). Flexibility of the Tm may allow variability in actin (A) affinity for myosin along the thin filament other than through a single 7 actin:1 tropomyosin:1 troponin (A(7)TmTn) regulatory unit. Tm position on the actin filament is regulated by the occupancy of NH-terminal Ca(2+) binding sites on TnC, conformational changes resulting from Ca(2+) binding, and changes in the interactions among Tn, Tm, and actin and as well as by strong S1 binding to actin. Ca(2+) binding to TnC enhances TnC-TnI interaction, weakens TnI attachment to its binding sites on 1-2 actins of the regulatory unit, increases Tm movement over the actin surface, and exposes myosin-binding sites on actin previously blocked by Tm. Adjacent Tm are coupled in their overlap regions where Tm movement is also controlled by interactions with TnT. TnT also interacts with TnC-TnI in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. All these interactions may vary with the different protein isoforms. The movement of Tm over the actin surface increases the "open" probability of myosin binding sites on actins so that some are in the open configuration available for myosin binding and cross-bridge isomerization to strong binding, force-producing states. In skeletal muscle, strong binding of cycling cross bridges promotes additional Tm movement. This movement effectively stabilizes Tm in the open position and allows cooperative activation of additional actins in that and possibly neighboring A(7)TmTn regulatory units. The structural and biochemical findings support the physiological observations of steady-state and transient mechanical behavior. Physiological studies suggest the following. 1) Ca(2+) binding to Tn/Tm exposes sites on actin to which myosin can bind. 2) Ca(2+) regulates the strong binding of M.ADP.P(i) to actin, which precedes the production of force (and/or shortening) and release of hydrolysis products. 3) The initial rate of force development depends mostly on the extent of Ca(2+) activation of the thin filament and myosin kinetic properties but depends little on the initial force level. 4) A small number of strongly attached cross bridges within an A(7)TmTn regulatory unit can activate the actins in one unit and perhaps those in neighboring units. This results in additional myosin binding and isomerization to strongly bound states and force production. 5) The rates of the product release steps per se (as indicated by the unloaded shortening velocity) early in shortening are largely independent of the extent of thin filament activation ([Ca(2+)]) beyond a given baseline level. However, with a greater extent of shortening, the rates depend on the activation level. 6) The cooperativity between neighboring regulatory units contributes to the activation by strong cross bridges of steady-state force but does not affect the rate of force development. 7) Strongly attached, cycling cross bridges can delay relaxation in skeletal muscle in a cooperative manner. 8) Strongly attached and cycling cross bridges can enhance Ca(2+) binding to cardiac TnC, but influence skeletal TnC to a lesser extent. 9) Different Tn subunit isoforms can modulate the cross-bridge detachment rate as shown by studies with mutant regulatory proteins in myotubes and in in vitro motility assays. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Thin filament activation probed by fluorescence of N-((2-(iodoacetoxy)ethyl)-N-methyl)amino-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole-labeled troponin I incorporated into skinned fibers of rabbit psoas muscle

A method is described for the exchange of native troponin of single rabbit psoas muscle fibers for externally applied troponin complexes without detectable impairment of functional properties of the skinned fibers. This approach is used to exchange native troponin for rabbit skeletal troponin with a fluorescent label (N-((2-(iodoacetoxy)ethyl)-N-methyl)amino-7-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1, 3-diazole, IANBD) on Cys(133) of the troponin I subunit. IANBD-labeled troponin I has previously been used in solution studies as an indicator for the state of activation of reconstituted actin filaments (. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 77:7209-7213). In the skinned fibers, the fluorescence of this probe is unaffected when cross-bridges in their weak binding states attach to actin filaments but decreases either upon the addition of Ca(2+) or when cross-bridges in their strong binding states attach to actin. Maximum reduction is observed when Ca(2+) is raised to saturating concentrations. Additional attachment of cross-bridges in strong binding states gives no further reduction of fluorescence. Attachment of cross-bridges in strong binding states alone (low Ca(2+) concentration) gives only about half of the maximum reduction seen with the addition of calcium. This illustrates that fluorescence of IANBD-labeled troponin I can be used to evaluate thin filament activation, as previously introduced for solution studies. In addition, at nonsaturating Ca(2+) concentrations IANBD fluorescence can be used for straightforward classification of states of the myosin head as weak binding (nonactivating) and strong binding (activating), irrespective of ionic strength or other experimental conditions. Furthermore, the approach presented here not only can be used as a means of exchanging native skeletal troponin and its subunits for a variety of fluorescently labeled or mutant troponin subunits, but also allows the exchange of native skeletal troponin for cardiac troponin.

Two components of transducer adaptation in auditory hair cells

Mechanoelectrical transducer currents in turtle auditory hair cells adapted to maintained stimuli via a Ca(2+)-dependent mechanism characterized by two time constants of approximately 1 and 15 ms. The time course of adaptation slowed as the stimulus intensity was raised because of an increased prominence of the second component. The fast component of adaptation had a similar time constant for both positive and negative displacements and was unaffected by the myosin ATPase inhibitors, vanadate and butanedione monoxime. Adaptation was modeled by a scheme in which Ca(2+) ions, entering through open transducer channels, bind at two intracellular sites to trigger independent processes leading to channel closure. It was assumed that the second site activates a modulator with 10-fold slower kinetics than the first site. The model was implemented by computing Ca(2+) diffusion within a single stereocilium, incorporating intracellular calcium buffers and extrusion via a plasma membrane CaATPase. The theoretical results reproduced several features of the experimental responses, including sensitivity to the concentration of external Ca(2+) and intracellular calcium buffer and a dependence on the onset speed of the stimulus. The model also generated damped oscillatory transducer responses at a frequency dependent on the rate constant for the fast adaptive process. The properties of fast adaptation make it unlikely to be mediated by a myosin motor, and we suggest that it may result from Ca(2+) binding to the transducer channel or a nearby cytoskeletal element.

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

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

Modulation by substrate concentration of maximal shortening velocity and isometric force in single myofibrils from frog and rabbit fast skeletal muscle

1. The effects of magnesium adenosine triphosphate (MgATP; also referred to as 'substrate') concentration on maximal force and shortening velocity have been studied at 5 C in single and thin bundles of striated muscle myofibrils. The minute diameters of the preparations promote rapid diffusional equilibrium between the bathing medium and lattice space so that during contraction fine control of substrate and product concentrations is achieved. 2. Myofibrils from frog tibialis anterior and rabbit psoas fast skeletal muscles were activated maximally by rapidly (10 ms) exchanging a continuous flux of pCa 8.0 for one at pCa 4.75 at a range of substrate concentrations from 10 microM to 5 mM. At high substrate concentrations maximal isometric tension and shortening velocity of both frog and rabbit myofibrils were very close to those determined in whole fibre preparations from the same muscle types. 3. As in frog and rabbit skinned whole fibres, the maximal isometric force of the myofibril preparations decreases as MgATP concentration is increased. The maximal velocity of unloaded shortening (V0) depends hyperbolically on substrate concentration. V0 extrapolated to infinite MgATP (3.6 +/- 0.2 and 0.8 +/- 0.03 l0 s-1 in frog and rabbit myofibrils, respectively) is very close to that determined directly at high substrate concentration. The Km is 210 +/- 20 microM for frog tibialis anterior and 120 +/- 10 microM for rabbit psoas myofibrils, values about half those found in larger whole fibre preparations of the same muscle types. This implies that measurements in whole skinned fibres are perturbed by diffusional delays, even in the presence of MgATP regenerating systems. 4. In both frog and rabbit myofibrils, the Km for V0 is about one order of magnitude higher than the Km for myofibrillar MgATPase determined biochemically in the same experimental conditions. This confirms that the difference between the Km values for MgATPase and shortening velocity is a basic feature of the mechanism of chemomechanical transduction in muscle contraction.

Fluorescence of NBD-labelled troponin-I as a probe for the kinetics of thin filament activation in skeletal muscle fibers

Using fluorescence of NBD-labelled troponin I incorporated into skinned fibers of the rabbit psoas muscle by chasing native troponin by troponin with the NBD-labelled TnI subunit we attempted to study kinetics of thin filament activation at different Ca(++)-concentrations. Since fluorescence of NBD-labelled TnI is sensitive to both, changes in Ca++, and strong cross-bridge attachment, we were able to induce changes thin filament activation by rapidly dropping the fraction of strongly attached cross-bridges to very low levels, e.g. by switching from isometric to isotonic contraction conditions. At any [Ca++], the time course of the resulting changes in fluorescence of NBD-labelled TnI was found at least an order of magnitude faster than the time course of force redevelopment subsequent to the period of isotonic contraction. Modelling shows that with the kinetics of thin filament activation derived from these studies, common kinetic schemes of the actomyosin ATPase predict regulation to act via changes in cross-bridge cycling kinetics, as we had previously proposed.

Binding of nucleotides by the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier as studied by 1H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy

Nucleotide binding to the cytosolic binding site of the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier (AAC) was studied by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Binding (as opposed to translocation) could be identified as a result of the rapid ligand on/off kinetics, using the cytosolic side specific inhibitor carboxyatractyloside (CAT) for the distinction from nonspecific interactions. The off rate constant of the nonhydrolyzable ATP analogue AMP-PCP was more than 3 orders of magnitude larger than the transport rate. The nucleotides adopt an anti conformation in the carrier binding site as shown by measurements of the transferred nuclear overhauser effect (TRNOE). A thermal transition around 14 degreesC that had been previously detected in transport studies [Klingenberg, M., Grebe, K., and Appel, M. (1982) Eur. J. Biochem. 126, 263-269] was reflected by the inhibitor sensitive line broadening, indicating that this transition also affects nucleotide binding. Nucleotide monophosphates were employed to study the relation between nucleotide structure and affinity, using selective excitation, sample spinning with digital suppression of spinning sidebands, and line shape simulation. The binding of purines depends on the distribution of the electrical potential and on the position of ring substituents, while pyrimidines are barely recognized at all by the AAC. It is also shown that the photocleavable "caged" derivatives are more tightly bound than the original nucleotides. A two step model of carrier catalysis will be discussed on the basis of these results.

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

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

Protein cross talking through osmotic work: the free energy of formation of the MgADP-myosin complexes at the muscle protein osmotic pressure

A method is presented to determine the energy of formation of the myosin-ADP complexes at the muscle protein osmotic pressure. It is found that, at 18 kP, the putative protein osmotic pressure in skeletal muscle, the increase of MgADP from 0.05 to 2 mmolal, increases the free energy of myosin-ADP and of myosin-(ADP)2 by 0. 756 and by 9.85 kJ/mol, respectively, and decreases the free energy of myosin by 8.34 kJ erg/mol. It is pointed out that the local changes of water chemical potential, induced by the binding of MgADP to myosin, can be sensed by other structures of the contractile machinery, which per se may even be insensitive to MgADP. Cross talking between macromolecules can thus be achieved by changes of the water chemical potential.

Troponin and tropomyosin: proteins that switch on and tune in the activity of cardiac myofilaments

We present a current perception of the regulation of activation of cardiac myofilaments with emphasis on troponin (Tn) and tropomyosin (Tm). Activation involves both a Ca2+-regulated molecular switch and a potentiated state, dependent on feedback effects of force-generating crossbridges. Recent developments in the elucidation of the structure and arrangement of the myofilament proteins offer insights into the molecular interactions that constitute the switching and potentiating mechanisms. Transgenic mice overexpressing myofilament proteins, in vitro studies of mutant myofilament proteins, multidimensional multinuclear nuclear magnetic resonance, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer offer important approaches to understanding the molecular signaling processes. These studies reveal special features of the cardiac myofilament proteins that appear specialized for the unique functions of the heart. An important aspect of these special features is their role in mechanical, chemical, and neurohumoral coupling processes that tune myofilament activation to hemodynamics and beating frequency. Understanding these processes has become essential to understanding cardiac pathologies such as heart failure, ischemia and reperfusion injury, stunning, and familial hypertrophic cardiac myopathies.

Muscle contraction as a Markov process. I: Energetics of the process

Force generation during muscle contraction can be understood in terms of cyclical length changes in segments of actin thin filaments moving through the three-dimensional lattice of myosin thick filaments. Recent anomalies discovered in connection with analysis of myosin step sizes in in vitro motility assays and with skinned fibres can be rationalized by assuming that ATP hydrolysis on actin accompanies these length changes. The paradoxically rapid regeneration of tension in quick release experiments, as well as classical energetic relationships, such as Hill's force-velocity curve, the Fenn effect, and the unexplained enthalpy of shortening, can be given mutually self-consistent explanations with this model. When muscle is viewed as a Markov process, the vectorial process of chemomechanical transduction can be understood in terms of lattice dependent transitions, wherein the phosphate release steps of the myosin and actin ATPases depend only on occurrence of allosteric changes in neighbouring molecules. Tropomyosin has a central role in coordinating the steady progression of these cooperative transitions along actin filaments and in gearing up the system in response to higher imposed loads.

Peak power output is maintained in rabbit psoas and rat soleus single muscle fibers when CTP replaces ATP

The chemomechanical coupling mechanism in striated muscle contraction was examined by changing the nucleotide substrate from ATP to CTP. Maximum shortening velocity [extrapolation to zero force from force-velocity relation (Vmax) and slope of slack test plots (V0)], maximum isometric force (Po), power, and the curvature of the force-velocity curve [a/Po (dimensionless parameter inversely related to the curvature)] were determined during maximum Ca2+-activated isotonic contractions of fibers from fast rabbit psoas and slow rat soleus muscles by using 0.2 mM MgATP, 4 mM MgATP, 4 mM MgCTP, or 10 mM MgCTP as the nucleotide substrate. In addition to a decrease in the maximum Ca2+-activated force in both fiber types, a change from 4 mM ATP to 10 mM CTP resulted in a decrease in Vmax in psoas fibers from 3.26 to 1.87 muscle length/s. In soleus fibers, Vmax was reduced from 1.94 to 0.90 muscle length/s by this change in nucleotide. Surprisingly, peak power was unaffected in either fiber type by the change in nucleotide as the result of a three- to fourfold decrease in the curvature of the force-velocity relationship. The results are interpreted in terms of the Huxley model of muscle contraction as an increase in f1 and g1 coupled to a decrease in g2 (where f1 is the rate of cross-bridge attachment and g1 and g2 are rates of detachment) when CTP replaces ATP. This adequately accounts for the observed changes in Po, a/Po, and Vmax. However, the two-state Huxley model does not explicitly reveal the cross-bridge transitions that determine curvature of the force-velocity relationship. We hypothesize that a nucleotide-sensitive transition among strong-binding cross-bridge states following Pi release, but before the release of the nucleotide diphosphate, underlies the alterations in a/Po reported here.

Interaction of actin and ADP with the head domain of smooth muscle myosin: implications for strain-dependent ADP release in smooth muscle

Transient kinetic methods were used to study interactions between actin, MgADP, and smooth muscle (chicken gizzard) myosin subfragment 1 (smS1). The equilibrium dissociation constant (Kd) of actin for smS1 was 3.5 nM, tighter than that of skeletal S1 (skS1). Actin binding to smS1 was weakened 5-fold by saturation with ADP compared to 30-60-fold for skS1. The Kd of ADP for smS1 was increased from 1.2 to 5 microM by actin, whereas for skS1 values increased from 2 to 100 microM. Thus, coupling between ADP and actin binding is weaker for smS1. Previous studies show that release of ADP from actin.smS1.ADP produces a tilt of the regulatory domain [Whittaker, M., Wilson-Kubalek, E. M., Smith, J. E., Faust, L., Milligan, R. A., and Sweeney, H. L. (1995) Nature 378, 748-751]. This result was confirmed by independent structural methods; tilting was absent for skS1, and the Kd for ADP was in agreement with the values measured here [Gollub, J., Cremo, C. R., and Cooke, R. (1996) Nat. Struct. Biol. 3, 796-802; Poole, K. I. V., Lorenz, M., Ellison, P., Evans, G., Rosenbaum, G., Boesecke, P., Holmes, K. C., and Cremo, C. R. (1997) J. Muscle Res. Cell Motility 18, 264]. We discuss tilting upon ADP release with respect to our measurements, previous measurements with skS1, and nucleotide concentrations in smooth muscle. We propose that these data suggest a strain-dependent ADP release mechanism that may be accentuated in smooth muscles.