Stanislava V. Avrova

The effect of the dilated cardiomyopathy-causing mutation Glu54Lys of α-tropomyosin on actin-myosin interactions during the ATPase cycle

In order to understand how the Glu54Lys mutation of alpha-tropomyosin affects actomyosin interactions, we labeled SH1 helix of myosin subfragment-1 (S1) and the actin subdomain-1 with fluorescent probes. These proteins were incorporated into ghost muscle fibers and their conformational states were monitored during the ATPase cycle by measuring polarized fluorescence. The addition of wild-type alpha-tropomyosin to actin filaments increases the amplitude of the SH1 helix and subdomain-1 movements during the ATPase cycle, indicating the enhancement of the efficiency of work of each cross-bridge. The Glu54Lys mutation inhibits this effect. The Glu54Lys mutation also results in the coupling of the weak-binding sub-state of S1 to the strong-binding sub-state of actin thus altering the concerted conformational changes during the ATPase cycle. We suggest that these alterations will result in reduced force production, which is likely to underlie at least in part the contractile deficit observed in human dilated cardiomyopathy.

Twitchin of mollusc smooth muscles can induce “catch”-like properties in human skeletal muscle: support for the assumption that the “catch” state involves twitchin linkages between myofilaments

Molluscan catch muscles can maintain tension with low or even no energy utilization, and therefore, they represent ideal models for studying energy-saving holding states. For many decades it was assumed that catch is due to a simple slowing of the force-generating myosin head cross-bridge cycles. However, recently evidences increased suggesting that catch is rather caused by passive structures linking the myofilaments in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. One possible linkage structure is the titin-like thick filament protein twitchin, which could form bridges to the thin filaments. Twitchin is known to regulate the catch state depending on its phosphorylation state. Here, we found that twitchin induces a catch-like stiffness in skinned human skeletal muscle fibres, when these fibres are exposed to this protein. Subsequent phosphorylation of twitchin reduces the stiffness. These findings support the assumption that catch of molluscan smooth muscle involves twitchin linkages between thick and thin filaments.

Aberrant movement of β-tropomyosin associated with congenital myopathy causes defective response of myosin heads and actin during the ATPase cycle.

We have investigated the effect of the E41K, R91G, and E139del β-tropomyosin (TM) mutations that cause congenital myopathy on the position of TM and orientation of actin monomers and myosin heads at different mimicked stages of the ATPase cycle in troponin-free ghost muscle fibers by polarized fluorimetry. A multi-step shifting of wild-type TM to the filament center accompanied by an increase in the amount of switched on actin monomers and the strongly bound myosin heads was observed during the ATPase cycle. The R91G mutation shifts TM further towards the inner and outer domains of actin at the strong- and weak-binding stages, respectively. The E139del mutation retains TM near the inner domains, while the E41K mutation captures it near the outer domains. The E41K and R91G mutations can induce the strong binding of myosin heads to actin, when TM is located near the outer domains. The E139del mutation inhibits the amount of strongly bound myosin heads throughout the ATPase cycle.

The effect of the dilated cardiomyopathy-causing Glu40Lys TPM1 mutation on actin-myosin interactions during the ATPase cycle

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), characterized by cardiac dilatation and contractile dysfunction, is a major cause of heart failure. DCM can result from mutations in the gene encoding cardiac α-tropomyosin (TM). In order to understand how the dilated cardiomyopathy-causing Glu40Lys mutation in TM affects actomyosin interactions, thin filaments have been reconstituted in muscle ghost fibers by incorporation of labeled Cys707 of myosin subfragment-1 and Cys374 of actin with fluorescent probe 1.5-IAEDANS and α-tropomyosin (wild-type or Glu40Lys mutant). For the first time, the effect of these α-tropomyosins on the mobility and rotation of subdomain-1 of actin and the SH1 helix of myosin subfragment-1 during the ATP hydrolysis cycle have been demonstrated directly by polarized fluorimetry. The Glu40Lys mutant TM inhibited these movements at the transition from AM(∗∗)·ADP·Pi to AM state, indicating a decrease of the proportion of the strong-binding sub-states in the actomyosin population. These structural changes are likely to underlie the contractile deficit observed in human dilated cardiomyopathy.

Twitchin can regulate the ATPase cycle of actomyosin in a phosphorylation-dependent manner in skinned mammalian skeletal muscle fibres

The effect of twitchin, a thick filament protein of molluscan muscles, on the actin-myosin interaction at several mimicked sequential steps of the ATPase cycle was investigated using the polarized fluorescence of 1.5-IAEDANS bound to myosin heads, FITC-phalloidin attached to actin and acrylodan bound to twitchin in the glycerol-skinned skeletal muscle fibres of mammalian. The phosphorylation-dependent multi-step changes in mobility and spatial arrangement of myosin SH1 helix, actin subunit and twitchin during the ATPase cycle have been revealed. It was shown that nonphosphorylated twitchin inhibited the movements of SH1 helix of the myosin heads and actin subunits and decreased the affinity of myosin to actin by freezing the position and mobility of twitchin in the muscle fibres. The phosphorylation of twitchin reverses this effect by changing the spatial arrangement and mobility of the actin-binding portions of twitchin. In this case, enhanced movements of SH1 helix of the myosin heads and actin subunits are observed. The data imply a novel property of twitchin incorporated into organized contractile system: its ability to regulate the ATPase cycle in a phosphorylation-dependent fashion by changing the affinity and spatial arrangement of the actin-binding portions of twitchin.

Gly126Arg substitution causes anomalous behaviour of α-skeletal and β-smooth tropomyosins during the ATPase cycle

To investigate how TM stabilization induced by the Gly126Arg mutation in skeletal α-TM or in smooth muscle β-TM affects the flexibility of TMs and their position on troponin-free thin filaments, we labelled the recombinant wild type and mutant TMs with 5-IAF and F-actin with FITC-phalloidin, incorporated them into ghost muscle fibres and studied polarized fluorescence at different stages of the ATPase cycle. It has been shown that in the myosin- and troponin-free filaments the Gly126Arg mutation causes a shift of TM strands towards the outer domain of actin, reduces the number of switched on actin monomers and decreases the rigidity of the C-terminus of α-TM and increases the rigidity of the N-terminus of β-TMs. The binding of myosin subfragment-1 to the filaments shifted the wild type TMs towards the inner domain of actin, decreased the flexibility of both terminal parts of TMs, and increased the number of switched on actin monomers. Multistep alterations in the position of α- and β-TMs and actin monomers in the filaments and in the flexibility of TMs and F-actin during the ATPase cycle were observed. The Gly126Arg mutation uncouples a correlation between the position of TM and the number of the switched on actin monomers in the filaments.

Molluscan twitchin can control actin–myosin interaction during ATPase cycle

The effect of twitchin, a thick filament protein of molluscan muscles, on actin-myosin interaction at several mimicked sequential steps of the ATPase cycle was investigated using fluorescent probes specifically bound to Cys707 of myosin subfragment-1 and Cys374 of actin incorporated into ghost muscle fibers. The multi-step changes in mobility and spatial arrangement of myosin SH1 helix and actin subdomain-1 during the ATPase cycle have been revealed. For the first time, the inhibition of movement of myosin SH1 helix and actin subdomain-1 during the ATPase cycle and the decrease in the myosin head and actin affinity in the presence of unphosphorylated twitchin have been demonstrated. Phosphorylation of twitchin by the catalytic subunit of protein kinase A reversed this effect. These data imply a novel property of twitchin consisting in its ability to regulate in a phosphorylation-dependent manner the actin-myosin interaction during the ATPase cycle by the inhibition of transformation of the weak-binding actomyosin states into the strong-binding ones.

Abnormal movement of tropomyosin and response of myosin heads and actin during the ATPase cycle caused by the Arg167His, Arg167Gly and Lys168Glu mutations in TPM1 gene

Amino acid substitutions: Arg167His, Arg167Gly and Lys168Glu, located in a consensus actin-binding site of the striated muscle tropomyosin Tpm1.1 (TM), were used to investigate mechanisms of the thin filament regulation. The azimuthal movement of TM strands on the actin filament and the responses of the myosin heads and actin subunits during the ATPase cycle were studied using fluorescence polarization of muscle fibres. The recombinant wild-type and mutant TMs labelled with 5-IAF, 1,5-IAEDANS-labelled S1and FITC-phalloidin F-actin were incorporated into the ghost muscle fibres to acquire information on the orientation of the probes relative to the fibre axis. The substitutions Arg167Gly and Lys168Glu shifted TM strands into the actin filament centre, whereas Arg167His moved TM towards the periphery of the filament. In the presence of Arg167Gly-TM and Lys168Glu-TM the fraction of actin monomers that were switched on and the number of the myosin heads strongly bound to F-actin were abnormally high even under conditions close to relaxation. In contrast, Arg167His-TM decreased the fraction of switched on actin and reduced the formation of strongly bound myosin heads throughout the ATPase cycle. We concluded that the altered TM-actin contacts destabilized the thin filament and affected the actin-myosin interactions.

Molecular mechanisms of dysfunction of muscle fibres associated with Glu139 deletion in TPM2 gene

Deletion of Glu139 in β-tropomyosin caused by a point mutation in TPM2 gene is associated with cap myopathy characterized by high myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity and muscle weakness. To reveal the mechanism of these disorders at molecular level, mobility and spatial rearrangements of actin, tropomyosin and the myosin heads at different stages of actomyosin cycle in reconstituted single ghost fibres were investigated by polarized fluorescence microscopy. The mutation did not alter tropomyosin’s affinity for actin but increased strongly the flexibility of tropomyosin and kept its strands near the inner domain of actin. The ability of troponin to switch actin monomers “on” and “off” at high and low Ca2+, respectively, was increased, and the movement of tropomyosin towards the blocked position at low Ca2+ was inhibited, presumably causing higher Ca2+-sensitivity. The mutation decreased also the amount of the myosin heads which bound strongly to actin at high Ca2+ and increased the number of these heads at relaxation; this may contribute to contractures and muscle weakness.

The reason for a high Ca2+-sensitivity associated with Arg91Gly substitution in TPM2 gene is the abnormal behavior and high flexibility of tropomyosin during the ATPase cycle

Substitution of Arg for Gly residue in 91th position in β-tropomyosin caused by a point mutation in TPM2 gene is associated with distal arthrogryposis, characterized by a high Ca2+-sensitivity of myofilament and contracture syndrome. To understand the mechanisms of this defect, we studied multistep changes in mobility and spatial arrangement of tropomyosin, actin and myosin heads during the ATPase cycle in reconstituted ghost fibres, using the polarized fluorescence microscopy. The mutation was shown to markedly decrease the bending stiffness of β-tropomyosin in the thin filaments. In the absence of the myosin heads the mutation did not alter the ability of troponin to shift tropomyosin to the blocked position and to switch actin monomers off at low Ca2+. During the ATPase cycle the movement of the mutant tropomyosin is restrained, it is located near the open position, which allows strong binding of the myosin heads to actin even at low Ca2+. This may be the reason for both high Ca2+-sensitivity and contractures associated with the Arg91Gly mutation. The use of reagents that decrease the Ca2+sensitivity of the troponin complex may not be appropriate to restore muscle function in patients with this mutation.