The MgATP-binding site on chicken gizzard myosin light chain kinase remains open and functionally competent during the calmodulin-dependent activation-inactivation cycle of the enzyme

Molecular Insights into the MLCK Activation by CaM

Calmodulin (CaM) is a universal regulatory protein that modulates numerous cellular processes by using calcium (Ca2+) as the signal. In smooth muscle cells (SMC), one major target of CaM is myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), a kinase that phosphorylates the myosin regulatory light chain and thereby regulates cell contraction. In the absence of CaM, MLCK remains inhibited by its autoinhibitory domain (AID). While it is well established that CaM activates MLCK, the molecular interactions between these two proteins remain elusive due to the lack of structural data. In this work, we constructed a molecular model of mammalian CaM (mCaM) in complex with MLCK leveraging AlphaFold, published biochemical data, and protein-protein docking. The model, along with a strategic set of CaM mutants including a inhibitory variant soybean CaM isoform 4 (sCaM-4), was subject to molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Using principal component analysis (PCA), we mapped out the transition path for the removal of the AID from the MLCK kinase domain to provide molecular basis of MLCK activation. Additionally, we established MLCK conformations that correspond to the active and inactive states of the kinase. We showed that mCaM and sCaM-4 cause MLCK to undergo the transition to the active and inactive states, respectively. Using two structural metrics, we computed the probabilities of MLCK activation by different CaM variants, which were in good agreement with the experimental data. Distributions along these metrics revealed that different inhibitory CaM variants impair MLCK activation through unique mechanisms. We finally identified molecular contacts that contribute to the MLCK activation by CaM. Overall, we report a de novo molecular model of CaM-MLCK that provides insights into the molecular mechanism of MLCK activation by CaM. The mechanism requires effective removal of the AID while preserving an active configuration of the kinase domain. This mechanism may be shared by other MLCK isoforms and potentially other structurally similar kinases with CaM-mediated regulatory domains.

Increasing evidence of mechanical force as a functional regulator in smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase

Mechanosensitive proteins are key players in cytoskeletal remodeling, muscle contraction, cell migration and differentiation processes. Smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (smMLCK) is a member of a diverse group of serine/threonine kinases that feature cytoskeletal association. Its catalytic activity is triggered by a conformational change upon Ca²⁺/calmodulin (Ca²⁺/CaM) binding. Due to its significant homology with the force-activated titin kinase, smMLCK is suspected to be also regulatable by mechanical stress. In this study, a CaM-independent activation mechanism for smMLCK by mechanical release of the inhibitory elements is investigated via high throughput AFM single-molecule force spectroscopy. The characteristic pattern of transitions between different smMLCK states and their variations in the presence of different substrates and ligands are presented. Interaction between kinase domain and regulatory light chain (RLC) substrate is identified in the absence of CaM, indicating restored substrate-binding capability due to mechanically induced removal of the auto-inhibitory regulatory region.

DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.26473.001

Myosin Light Chain Kinase MYLK1: Anatomy, Interactions, Functions, and Regulation

This review discusses and summarizes the results of molecular and cellular investigations of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK, MYLK1), the key regulator of cell motility. The structure and regulation of a complex mylk1 gene and the domain organization of its products is presented. The interactions of the mylk1 gene protein products with other proteins and posttranslational modifications of the mylk1 gene protein products are reviewed, which altogether might determine the role and place of MLCK in physiological and pathological reactions of cells and entire organisms. Translational potential of MLCK as a drug target is evaluated.

Myosin light chain kinase: functional domains and structural motifs

Conventional myosin light chain kinase found in differentiated smooth and non-muscle cells is a dedicated Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase which phosphorylates the regulatory light chain of myosin II. This phosphorylation increases the actin-activated myosin ATPase activity and is thought to play major roles in a number of biological processes, including smooth muscle contraction. The catalytic domain contains residues on its surface that bind a regulatory segment resulting in autoinhibition through an intrasteric mechanism. When Ca2+/calmodulin binds, there is a marked displacement of the regulatory segment from the catalytic cleft allowing phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain. Kinase activity depends upon Ca2+/calmodulin binding not only to the canonical calmodulin-binding sequence but also to additional interactions between Ca2+/calmodulin and the catalytic core. Previous biochemical evidence shows myosin light chain kinase binds tightly to actomyosin containing filaments. The kinase has low-affinity myosin and actin binding sites in Ig-like motifs at the N- and C-terminus, respectively. Recent results show the N-terminus of myosin light chain kinase is responsible for filament binding in vivo. However, the apparent binding affinity is greater for smooth muscle myofilaments, purified thin filaments, or actin-containing filaments in permeable cells than for purified smooth muscle F-actin or actomyosin filaments from skeletal muscle. These results suggest a protein on actin thin filaments that may facilitate kinase binding. Myosin light chain kinase does not dissociate from filaments in the presence of Ca2+/calmodulin raising the interesting question as to how the kinase phosphorylates myosin in thick filaments if it is bound to actin-containing thin filaments.

Photoaffinity labeling of a peptide substrate to myosin light chain kinase

The substrate binding properties of skeletal muscle myosin light chain kinase were investigated with a synthetic peptide containing the photoreactive amino acid p-benzoylphenylalanine (Bpa) incorporated amino-terminal of the phosphoacceptor serine (BpaKKRAARATSNVFA). When photolyzed at 350 nm, the peptide was cross-linked stoichiometrically to myosin light chain kinase in a Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent manner. Peptide incorporation into kinase inhibited light chain phosphorylation, and the loss of kinase activity was proportional to the extent of peptide incorporated. After peptide I was incorporated into myosin light chain kinase, it was partially phosphorylated in the absence of Ca2+/calmodulin. The extent of phosphorylation increased in the presence of Ca2+/calmodulin. The cross-linked photoadduct was digested, labeled peptides were purified by high performance liquid chromatography, and sites of covalent modification were determined by amino acid sequencing and analysis. The covalent modification in the catalytic core occurred on Ile-373 (66%) and in a peptide containing residues Asn-422 to Met-437 (14%), respectively. Lys-572 in the autoinhibitory region accounted for 20% of the incorporated label. The coincident covalent modification of the autoinhibitory domain suggests that it is located near the catalytic site. Based upon a model of the catalytic core, the substrate peptide is predicted to bind in the cleft between the two lobes of the kinase. The orientation of the substrate peptide on myosin light chain kinase is similar to the orientation of the substrate recognition fragment, but not the high affinity binding fragment, of inhibitor peptide of cAMP-dependent protein kinase in the catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase.

Affinity labelling of smooth-muscle myosin light-chain kinase with 5'-[p-(fluorosulphonyl)benzoyl]adenosine

5'-(p-(Fluorosulphonyl)[14C]benzoyl)adenosine (FSBA) was synthesized and used as a probe to study the ATP-binding site of smooth-muscle myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK). FSBA modified both free MLCK and calmodulin/MLCK complex, resulting in inactivation of the kinase activity. Nearly complete protection of the calmodulin/MLCK complex against FSBA modification was obtained by addition of excess ATP whereas MLCK activity alone was lost in a dose-dependent manner even in the presence of excess ATP. These results suggest that FSBA modified ATP-binding sites and ATP-independent sites, and the latter sites are protected by calmodulin binding. The results also suggest that the ATP-binding site is accessible to the nucleotide substrate regardless of calmodulin binding. The FSBA-labelled MLCK was completely proteolysed by alpha-chymotrypsin, and the 14C-labelled peptides were isolated and sequenced. The sequence of the labelled peptide was Ala-Gly-X-Phe, where X is the labelled residue. The sequence was compared with the known MLCK sequence, and the labelled residue was identified as lysine-548, which is located downstream of the GXGXXG motif conserved among ATP-utilizing enzymes.