Myosin subunits

The tail domain mediates interaction with other molecules and/or other myosin subunits and may play a role in regulating motor activity. 

On the other hand, it has been suggested, based on immunopre-cipitation reactions, that CCT might interact with a broad range (accounting for 9-15%) of newly synthesized eukaryotic proteins (Feldman and Frydman, 2000 McCallum et al., 2000 Thulasiraman et al., 1999). There is also evidence that some proteins other than actins and tubulins fold via interaction with CCT. These include G -transducin (Farr etal, 1997), cyclinE (Won etal., 1998), and the von Hippel-Landau tumor suppressor protein VHL (Feldman et al., 1999). Moreover, translation in vitro of myosin heavy and light chains has identified an intermediate in the biogenesis of the heavy meromyosin subunit (HMM) of skeletal muscle myosin that contains all three myosin subunits and CCT, from which partially folded HMM can be released in an ATP-dependent reaction. Other as yet unknown cytosolic protein(s) are also apparently required for the completion of the myosin folding reaction (Srikakulam and Winkelmann, 1999). 

Subunits of Myosin. Matsumoto et al. (64) isolated H-meromyosin (HMM) and L-meromyosin (LMM) from carp muscle (15) and studied their stabilities at — 20°C. The ATPase activity of HMM decreased much faster than that of myosin and the capacity of HMM to bind with F-actin as determined by electron microscopy was lost. LMM also exhibited a decreased capacity to form well-ordered paracrystals. These results tend to indicate that frozen storage causes myosin molecules to aggregate side-by-side and myosin subunits to undergo conformational deformations. 

Smooth muscle myosin phosphatase contains tree subunits, a 110-130 kDa myosin phosphatase targeting and regulatory subunit (MYPT1), a 37 kDa catalytic subunit (PP-1C) and a 20 kDa subunit of unknown function. 

Calcium-dependent regulation involves the calcium-calmodulin complex that activates smooth muscle MLCK, a monomer of approximately 135 kDa. Dephosphorylation is initiated by MLCP. MLCP is a complex of three proteins a 110-130 kDa myosin phosphatase targeting and regulatory subunit (MYPT1), a 37 kDa catalytic subunit (PP-1C) and a 20 kDa subunit of unknown function. In most cases, calcium-independent regulation of smooth muscle tone is achieved by inhibition of MLCP activity at constant calcium level inducing an increase in phospho-rMLC and contraction (Fig. 1). 

Although in in vivo circumstances an intracellular free calcium increase apparently acts as the primary modulator of contraction, it can be bypassed in highly permeabilized smooth muscle preparations where the active subunit of MLCK can be introduced to phosphorylate myosin and induce contraction. The MLCK catalyzed phosphorylation of serine-19 is seen as the necessary event in the activation of smooth muscle myosin to form crossbridges. Thus, the rising phase of force during an isometric smooth muscle contraction follows an increase in the degree of phosphorylation of myosin, and that in turn follows the transient rise of (a) cytosolic free Ca, (b) Ca-calmodulin complexes, and (c) the active form of MLCK. The regulation of the intracellular calcium is discussed below. The dynam-... 

One should note overall, that while some of these suggested mechanisms may in the future prove to have a role in the control of smooth muscle contraction, in chemically skinned preparations maximum force development follows activation by the MLCK active subunit in extremely low Ca " ion concentrations. The conclusion can hardly be avoided that phosphorylation alone is sufficient for activation, and if another mechanism is involved, it is not necessary for the initial genesis of force. If such mechanisms are operative, then they might be expected to run in parallel or consequent to myosin phosphorylation. A possible example of this category of effect is that a GTP-dependent process (G-protein) shifts the force vs. Ca ion concentration relationship to lower Ca ion concentrations. This kind of mechanism calls attention to the divergence of signals along the intracellular control pathways. 

Szent-Gydrgyi, A.G. (1953). Meromyosin, the subunits of myosin. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 42, 305-320. 

Figure 49-3. Schematic representation of the thin fiiament, showing the spatiai configuration of its three major protein components actin, myosin, and tropomyosin. The upper panei shows individual molecules of G-actin. The middle panel shows actin monomers assembled into F-actin. Individual molecules of tropomyosin (two strands wound around one another) and of troponin (made up of its three subunits) are also shown. The lower panel shows the assembled thin filament, consisting of F-actin, tropomyosin, and the three subunits of troponin (TpC, Tpl, andTpT).

Smooth muscle sarcoplasm contains a myosin light chain kinase that is calcium-dependent. The Ca activation of myosin fight chain kinase requires binding of calmodulin-4Ca to its kinase subunit (Figure 49-14). 

Thick filaments. Each thick filament contains 200 to 300 myosin molecules. Each myosin molecule is made up of two identical subunits shaped like golf clubs two long shafts wound together with a myosin head, or crossbridge, on the end of each. These molecules are arranged so that the shafts are bundled together and oriented toward the center of the thick filament. The myosin heads project outward from either end of the thick filament (see Figure 11.1, panel a). 

In addition to actin and myosin, other proteins are found in the two sets of filaments. Tropomyosin and a complex of three subunits collectively called troponin are present in the thin filaments and play an important role in the regulation of muscle contraction. Although the proteins constituting the M and the Z bands have not been fully characterized, they include a-actinin and desmin as well as the enzyme creatine kinase, together with other proteins. A continuous elastic network of proteins, such as connectin, surround the actin and myosin filaments, providing muscle with a parallel passive elastic element. Actin forms the backbone of the thin filaments [4]. The thin... 

Walker, J. E., Saraste, M., Runswick, M. J. and Gay, N. J. (1982). Distantly related sequences in the alpha- and beta-subunits of ATP synthase, myosin, kinases and other ATP-requiring enzymes and a common nucleotide binding fold, EMBO J., 1, 945-951. 

Movement. The interaction between actin and myosin is responsible for muscle contraction and cell movement (see p.332). Myosin (right), with a length of over 150 nm, is among the largest proteins there are. Actin filaments (F-actin) arise due to the polymerization of relatively small protein subunits (G-actin). Along with other proteins, tropomyosin, which is associated with F-actin, controls contraction. 

Myosin is quantitatively the most important protein in the myofibrils, representing 65% of the total. It is shaped like a golf club (bottom right). The molecule is a hexamer consisting of two identical heavy chains (2 X 223 kDa) and four light chains (each about 20 kDa). Each of the two heavy chains has a globular head at its amino end, which extends into a tail about 150 nm long in which the two chains are intertwined to form a superhelix. The small subunits are attached in the head area. Myosin is present as a bundle of several hundred stacked molecules in the form of a thick myosin filament. The head portion of the molecule acts as an ATPase, the activity of which is modulated by the small subunits. 

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