Michiko Naka

The modulatory role of myosin light chain phosphorylation in human platelet activation

Myosin 20 K-Da light chain phosphorylation in human platelets was found to be catalyzed by MLCK in the early phase during collagen activation. The effect of newly synthesized selective inhibitor of MLCK, ML-9, on collagen induced platelet activation was investigated. ML-9 delayed the time course of the myosin 20 K-Da light chain phosphorylation, sequentially led to a delay in aggregation, secretion and phosphorylation of the 40K-Da peptide, in a dose-dependent fashion. It is proposed that the MLCK catalyzed phosphorylation of myosin 20 K-Da light chain may be an initial response and if so may influence the sequent reactions in the activation of platelets with collagen.

Ca2+-phospholipid dependent phosphorylation of smooth muscle myosin

Abstract Isolated myosin light chain from chicken gizzard has been shown to serve as a substrate for Ca 2+ -activated phospholipid-dependent protein kinase. Autoradiography showed that Ca 2+ -activated phospholipid-dependent protein kinase phosphorylated mainly the 20,000-dalton light chain of chicken gizzard myosin. Exogenously added calmodulin had no effect on myosin light chain phosphorylation catalyzed by the enzyme. The 20,000-dalton myosin light chain, both in the isolated form and in the whole myosin form, served as the substrate for this enzyme. In contrast to the isolated myosin light chain, the light chain of whole myosin was phosphorylated to a lesser extent by the Ca 2+ -activated phospholipid dependent kinase. Our results suggest the involvement of phospholipid in regulating Ca 2+ -dependent phosphorylation of the 20,000-dalton light chain of smooth muscle myosin.

Effect of novel specific myosin light chain kinase inhibitors on Ca2+-activated Mg2+-ATPase of chicken gizzard actomyosin

Abstract Vascular relaxing agents such as N-(6-aminohexyl)-5-chloro-l-naphthalenesulfonamide (W-7), N 2 -dansyl-L-arginine-4-t-butyl-piperidine amide (No. 233), prenylamine and chlorpromazine that interact with Ca 2+ -regulated modulator protein of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibited Ca 2+ -dependent phosphorylation of chicken gizzard myosin light chain. Inhibition by the agents of myosin light chain phosphorylation resulted in inhibition of calcium activated, magnesium dependent adenosine triphosphatase of the gizzard actomyosin. The specificity of these agents for inhibition of light chain phosphorylation was shown by negative effect of these agents on ATPase activity of gizzard actomyosin in the phosphorylated form. Results suggest that the agents provide useful tool for the study on the Ca 2+ -sensitive regulatory mechanism of modulator-related enzyme systems.

Activation of myosin light chain kinase by trypsin.

Abstract We have demonstrated that trypsin activated the activities of partially purified myosin light chain kinases both from chicken gizzard and from rabbit skeletal muscle. Controlled exposure to trypsin produced activation of the chicken gizzard kinase to a similar extent as was observed with calmodulin plus calcium. The activation by trypsin did not require calcium and was dependent on both the preincubation time with the protease and its concentration. Our result suggests that the limited proteolysis of the kinase by trypsin not only stimulates the activity of the kinase but also converts the kinase to the Ca 2+ -calmodulin insensitive form.

Purification and characterization of a novel calcium-binding protein, S100C, from porcine heart

A novel Ca(2+)-binding protein, which we have named S100C (Ohta et al. (1991) FEBS Lett. 295, 93-96), was purified to homogeneity from porcine heart by Ca(2+)-dependent dye-affinity chromatography. S100C possesses some properties of S100 proteins, such as self-association and exposure of a hydrophobic site upon binding of Ca2+ but it differs from S100 proteins in forms of its isoelectric point (pI = 6.2), cross-reactivity with antibodies, staining by Stains-all, and its Ca(2+)-dependent interaction with the immobilized dye. S100C bound to cytoskeletal components at physiological concentrations of Ca2+. Moreover, it was found that 125I-labeled S100C interacted with annexin I in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. S100C also inhibited the phosphorylation of annexin I by protein kinase C. These data suggest that S100C might act to regulate the cytoskeleton in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner via interactions with annexin I.

Effects of exogenously applied calponin on Ca2+-regulated force in skinned smooth muscle of the rabbit mesenteric artery

To help elucidate the physiological role of calponin (a thin-filament-linked regulatory protein) in smooth muscle contraction, the effects of its exogenous application were investigated on actin-activated MgATPase activity in crude actomyosin from chicken gizzard, and on contraction induced by Ca2+-dependent and -independent means in arterial smooth muscle strips skinned by saponin or β-escin. Calponin concentration dependently inhibited actin-activated MgATPase activity with a proportional increase in its binding to actomyosin and also attenuated Ca2+-induced contractions, in the presence or absence of calmodulin, in skinned arterial strips. Calponin, when phosphorylated by protein kinase C, reduced both its ability to bind to actomyosin and its inhibitory action on actomyosin MgATPase. The phosphorylated calponin also had no effect on the maximum Ca2+-induced contraction in skinned smooth muscle, suggesting that these actions of calponin are not non-specific. Calponin attenuated the Ca2+-independent contraction observed in myosin light chain thio-phosphorylated strips, or on application of trypsin-treated myosin light chain kinase. However, calponin had no effect on maintained rigor contraction. These results suggest that in vascular smooth muscle, calponin may play a physiological role in the inhibition of Ca2+-regulated force, possibly through a direct action on active actin-myosin interactions.

Modulation of smooth muscle calponin by protein kinase C and calmodulin

When smooth muscle calponin was incubated with protein kinase C, 1 mole of phosphate was incorporated per mole of calponin. The apparent Km value for calponin of the protein kinase was about 0.4 microM. The phosphorylation of calponin by protein kinase C was inhibited markedly by calmodulin in a calcium-dependent manner. Kinetic analysis of calmodulin-induced inhibition of calponin phosphorylation by protein kinase C revealed that calmodulin inhibited the phosphorylation in a noncompetitive fashion with calponin and the determined Ki value was 0.4 microM. These results suggest that interaction of calmodulin with calponin may play a regulatory role in the phosphorylation by protein kinase C and smooth muscle contraction.

Molecular cloning and expression of the cDNA coding for a new member of the S100 protein family from porcine cardiac muscle

We isolated a new calcium‐binding protein from porcine cardiac muscle by calcium‐dependent hydrophobic and dye‐affinity chromatography. It showed an apparent molecular weight of 11 000 on SDS‐PAGE. Amino acid sequence determination revealed that the protein contained two calcium‐binding domains of the EF‐hand motif. The cDNA gene coding for this protein was cloned from the porcine lung cDNA library. Sequence analysis of the cloned cDNA showed that the protein was composed of 99 amino acid residues and its molecular weight was estimated to be 11 179. Immunological and functional characterization showed that the recombinant S100C protein expressed in Escherichia coli was identical to the natural protein. Homologies to calpactin light chain, S100α and β protein were 41.1%, 40.9% and 37.5%, respectively. The protein was expressed at high levels in lung and kidney, and low levels in liver and brain. The tissue distribution was apparently different from those of the other S100 protein family. These results indicate that this protein represents a new member of the S100 protein family, and thus we refer to it as S100C protein.

The catalytic subunit of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase directly inhibits sodium channel activities in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes

We investigated the effects of the purified catalytic subunit (C subunit) of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (A-kinase) on the cardiac Na+ channel currents. Single Na+ channel currents in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes were recorded using the patch clamp technique of the inside-out configuration. Application of C subunit decreased the peak average current and slowed the current decay, effects which were caused by decrease in the open probability of Na+ channels and increase in the first latency, whereas the unitary current amplitude and mean open times were not affected. We conclude that the cardiac Na+ channel is directly modulated by phosphorylation process through A-kinase.

Effects of amrinone and enoximone on the subclasses of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase from human heart and kidney

We observed the intracellular localization of low-Km cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) phosphodiesterase (PDEIII) subclasses in human heart in comparison to that in human kidney by using comparable potencies of specific inhibitors. PDEIII was observed in not only soluble fraction but particulate fraction in human heart and kidney. Both soluble and particulate PDEIII from human heart selectively hydrolyzed cAMP with similar Km values of 0.36 and 0.40 μM, respectively. They were potently inhibited by amrinone, enoximone, and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), but were weakly inhibited by rolipram with much the same IC50 values. Although several animals having soluble and particulate PDEIII possess two pharmacologically distinct subclasses of PDEIII, human heart has only one form, cGMP-sensitive PDEIII. In contrast to cardiac PDEIII, both soluble and particulate PDEIII from human kidney were not readily inhibited by amrinone, enoximone, and cGMP, but rather strongly inhibited by rolipram. Human kidney contains only cGMP-less sensitive form of PDEIII in soluble and particulate fractions. These results suggest that the intracellular distribution of PDEIII subclasses in human hearts are significantly different from those in the hearts of other animal species, and subclasses of PDEIII in humans hearts could not be distinguished by intracellular localization but by organ specificity.