Interaction of bacterial flagellum filaments with skeletal muscle myosin

Interaction of isolated bacterial flagellum filaments (BFF) and intact flagella from E. coli MS 1350 and B. brevis G.-B.p+ with rabbit skeletal myosin was studied. BFF were shown to coprecipitate with myosin (but not with isolated myosin rod) at low ionic strength, that is, under conditions of myosin aggregation. The data of electron microscopy indicate that filaments of intact bacterial flagella interact with isolated myosin heads (myosin subfragment 1, S1), and this interaction is fully prevented by addition of Mg2+ -ATP. Addition of BFF inhibited both K+ -EDTA- and Ca2+ -ATPase activity of skeletal muscle myosin, but had no effect on its Mg2+ -ATPase activity. Monomeric flagellin did not coprecipitate with myosin and had no effect on its ATPase activities. BFF were shown to compete with F-actin in myosin binding. It is concluded that BFF interact with myosin heads and affect their ATPase activity. Thus, BFF composed of a single protein flagellin are in many respects similar to actin filaments. Common origin of actin and flagellin may be a reason for this similarity.

Polymerization of bacteriophage T4 tail sheath protein mutants truncated at the C-termini

Gene 18 of bacteriophage T4 encodes the contractile protein of the tail sheath. Previous work has shown that the full-length recombinant gene product (gp) 18 of 658 amino acid residues assembles in Escherichia coli cells into a long polysheath structure. However, the gp18 mutants truncated at the N-termini form insoluble aggregates similar to inclusion bodies. In this study, six plasmid vectors expressing the recombinant gp18 proteins truncated at the C-termini have been constructed. The CDelta58, CDelta129, CDelta152, C[g1]72, CDelta248, and CDelta287 proteins contain 600, 529, 506, 486, 410, and 371 residues of the full-length gp18 molecule, respectively. All the recombinant proteins were soluble and, except for the CDelta287 mutant, were assembled into polysheath-related structures. Electron microscopy of negatively stained purified proteins was performed and the resulting images were analyzed by computing their Fourier transforms. The CDelta58 and CDelta129 mutants, in addition to forming common contracted-type polysheath structures, assembled into thinner filaments that we called "noncontracted polysheaths" (NCP). The CDelta152, CDelta172, and CDelta248 proteins assembled into the NCP type only. Image processing showed that the NCP filaments significantly differ from both extended sheaths of T4 particle and polysheaths. The structure of the NCP filaments might correspond to the transitional helices postulated by Moody (J. Mol. Biol., 1973, 80, 613-636) that appeared during the process of tail contraction. Our results suggest that a short region at the C-terminus of the CDelta129 protein determines the contractile properties of the gp18 molecule. The shortest, the CDelta287 protein, does not assemble into regular structures, thus indicating that a sequence's stretch at the C-end of the CDelta248 mutant might be responsible for polymerization of gp18.

Properties of recombinant bacteriophage T4 tail sheath protein and its deletion fragments

A vector for expression of recombinant bacteriophage T4 tail sheath protein (gp18) under control of phage T7 promoter in Escherichia coli cells has been constructed. The entire length recombinant gp18 (659 amino acids) polymerizes in vivo into extended polysheaths. To study gp18 folding mechanisms, six vectors for expression of deletion mutants have been constructed. Three proteins--1N, 2N, and 3N--contain, respectively, 268, 316, and 372 amino acids of the gp18 N-tail region. The other three fragments--1C, 2C, and 3C--contain, respectively, 455, 356, and 288 amino acids of the gp18 C-tail. The fragments 1N, 2N, 1C, 2C, and 3C form insoluble aggregates during expression. However, fragment 3N accumulates in soluble form in the cellular cytoplasm and does not form polymeric structures; this has allowed an effective purification method to be developed for it. The interaction of monoclonal antibodies against recombinant gp18 with protein fragments and with phage sheath before and after contraction has been studied. The fragment 3N seems to be a stable domain of native phage sheath gp18.

[Organization of biochemical systems]

Own and literature data on molecular organization of biological system from a single enzymatic complex to a large association of metabolon type are reviewed with emphasis on characterization of forces involved in the process of aggregation of protein molecules and a role of shaperons in organization of some complexes. Possible mechanism of chaperon transport along cytoskeleton structures is suggested. Problems of a theory of metabolon organization of enzymes and a role of an anchor in coordination of action of multienzyme complexes are discussed.

[Calorimetric study of stable complexes of myosin subfragment I with adenosine diphosphate and phosphate analogs]

This short review is concerned with the application of the method of differential scanning calorimetry to study the conformational changes of isolated myosin head (myosin subfragment 1, S1) caused by the formation of the S1 complexes with Mg(2+)-ADP and P(i) analogues such as orthovanadate (V), aluminium fluoride (AIF4-) or beryllium fluoride (BeFx). These changes of the whole S1 molecule are reflected in a significant increase of S1 thermal stability and in a pronounced increase of the cooperativity of the thermal denaturation. Since the complexes S1-ADP-V, S1-ADP-AIF4- and S1-ADP-BeFx are stable analogues of the S1**-ADP-P(i) transition state of the S1-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis, it is concluded that DSC studies with these complexes offer a new and promising approach to investigate the structural changes which occur in the myosin head during Mg(2+)-ATPase reaction.

A study on the mechanism of polymerisation of Bacillus brevis flagellin

Optical properties of intact flagellin and of modified-on-tyrosine flagellin incapable of self-assembly have been studied by the circular dichroism (CD) method. The CD spectra of both flagellins do not change and virtually coincide within the pH range from 2.9 to 10.0. In the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and ammonium sulfate which accelerate flagellin polymerization, the character of the CD spectra changes and depends on pH. The increase in the PEG content to 20% and that in the ammonium sulfate content to 1 M over the pH range from 4.3 to 10.0 results in a significant rise of the molar ellipticity at 222 nm ([theta]222) of both flagellins. However, [theta]222 does not reach values typical for bacterial flagella. The results obtained are discussed with respect to conformational changes in the flagellin molecule during polymerization.

Effects of nucleotide binding on thermal transitions and domain structure of myosin subfragment 1

The thermal unfolding and domain structure of myosin subfragment 1 (S1) from rabbit skeletal muscles and their changes induced by nucleotide binding were studied by differential scanning calorimetry. The binding of ADP to S1 practically does not influence the position of the thermal transition (maximum at 47.2 degrees C), while the binding of the non-hydrolysable analogue of ATP, adenosine 5'-[beta, gamma-imido]triphosphate (AdoPP[NH]P) to S1, or trapping of ADP in S1 by orthovanadate (Vi), shift the maximum of the heat adsorption curve for S1 up to 53.2 and 56.1 degrees C, respectively. Such an increase of S1 thermostability in the complexes S1-AdoPP[NH]P and S1-ADP-Vi is confirmed by results of turbidity and tryptophan fluorescence measurements. The total heat adsorption curves for S1 and its complexes with nucleotides were decomposed into elementary peaks corresponding to the melting of structural domains in the S1 molecule. Quantitative analysis of the data shows that the domain structure of S1 in the complexes S1-AdoPP[NH]P and S1-ADP-Vi is similar and differs radically from that of nucleotide-free S1 and S1 in the S1-ADP complex. These data are the first direct evidence that the S1 molecule can be in two main conformations which may correspond to different states during the ATP hydrolysis: one of them corresponds to nucleotide-free S1 and to the complex S1-ADP, and the other corresponds to the intermediate complexes S1-ATP and S1-ADP-Pi. Surprisingly it turned out that the domain structure of S1 with ADP trapped by p-phenylene-N, N'-dimaleimide (pPDM) thiol cross-linking almost does not differ from that of the nucleotide-free S1. This means that pPDM-cross-linked S1 in contrast to S1-AdoPP[NH]P and S1-ADP-Vi can not be considered a structural analogue of the intermediate complexes S1-ATP and S1-ADP-Pi.

GTPase activity of bacteriophage T4 sheath protein

We show by nuclear magnetic resonance studies that, following GTP hydrolysis during phage T4 sheath contraction, GDP remains bound to the sheath protein (gp18), whereas orthophosphate is released. gp18 in the contracted state has GTPase activity and can hydrolyse exogenous GTP; the reaction is calcium-dependent and displays high substrate specificity. The process comprises two steps: (1) displacement of GDP from gp18 by exogenous GTP, and (2) GTP hydrolysis proper. The first step appears to be rate-limiting and to be accelerated when the nucleotide-protein interaction is mechanically disrupted by sonication.

Domain structure of myosin subfragment-1. Selective denaturation of the 50 kDa segment

The structure of the myosin subfragment-1 (S1) from rabbit skeletal muscle was studied using differential scanning microcalorimetry. Three independently melting regions (domains) were revealed in S1. Selective denaturation of the middle 50 kDa segment of the S1 heavy chain resulted in the disappearance of the heat sorption peak corresponding to the melting of the first, the most thermolabile domain without any effect on the thermally induced blue shift of the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence spectrum which occurs within the temperature region of melting of the second domain. It is concluded that the most thermolabile domain seems to correspond to the N-terminal part of the 50 kDa segment devoid of tryptophan residues.

[Phosphorylation of isolated components of the troponin complex of skeletal and cardiac muscle phosphorylase kinase from bird skeletal muscles]

Pigeon and chicken skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase purified to a nearly homogeneous state is able to phosphorylate both cardiac and skeletal troponin I and T. After 1-hr incubation, the enzyme transfers up to 0.35 mole of phosphorus per mole of skeletal troponin I, up to 0.5 mole of cardiac troponin I and up to 0.1 mole of cardiac and skeletal troponin T. Avian muscle phosphorylase kinase does not phosphorylate the first serine residue of cardiac and skeletal troponin T, but catalyzes the phosphate incorporation into the site(s) of troponin T located in the central or C-terminal parts of the protein molecule. The rate of troponin phosphorylation by pigeon muscle phosphorylase kinase is pH-dependent: the 6.8/8.2 ratio for troponin I is close to 0,2, whereas that with troponin T varies in the range of 0.5-0.7. Troponin phosphorylation by avian phosphorylase kinase depends on the presence of Ca2+ in the incubation mixture. In the presence of 3 mM EGTA troponin I phosphorylation is inhibited by 70-90%, whereas that of troponin T--by 50%. The experimental results indicate that the phosphorylation of troponin I and T is catalyzed either by two different active centers or by different conformations of the single center of avian phosphorylase kinase.

Formation of complexes between long tail fibres and substructural elements of phage T4D

Complexes of substructural elements of bacteriophage T4 (baseplates, baseplate-core complexes) with long tail fibres were obtained for the first time by complementation in vitro. A study of the organization of the complexes was carried out by PAGE, electron microscopy and sedimentation analysis. About 90% of baseplates and baseplate-core complexes were combined with fibres. However, the number of the attached fibres varied from one to six. On the basis of the data obtained, we proposed that the attachment of long tail fibres can occur before the assembly of the whole bacteriophage.

[Structural changes in proteins of the bacteriophage T4 basal plate resulting from the attachment of long fibrils]

The effect of the attachment of long tail fibers on the structure of proteins of the bacteriophage T4 baseplate was studied by digital processing of electron microscopic images. The attachment of the long fibers was found to result in dramatical changes of the proteins of the baseplate plag, while the wedges, to which the long fibers are attached, undergo only slight changes. We studied the baseplates with one to six attached fibers and found that the attachment of one fiber resulted in the change of the entire baseplate, although the wedge located in the vicinity of the fiber attachment changed to a greater extent. Only after the attachment of three and more fibers the changes of the same kind occurred through the entire baseplate.

[Changes in the structural state of myosin filaments in glycerol-treated fibers of rabbit skeletal muscles induced by phosphorylation of myosin light chains]

Using the polarization microfluorimetry method, it was demonstrated that the increase in the degree of phosphorylation of myosin light chains (LC2) in extended single glycerinated fibers from rabbit psoas muscle changes the anisotropy of polarized fluorescence both tryptophan residue in the rod parts of the myosin molecule and the fluorescent label-N (iodoacetyl-aminoethyl)-5-naphthylamine-1-sulfonate (1,5-IAEDANS) bound to the SH1-group in myosin molecule heads. The changes in fluorescence anisotropy during LC2 phosphorylation were observed, when the measurements were performed only in the presence of 5 mM MgCl2. It was suggested that in the presence of MgCl2 the phosphorylation of LC2 associated with myosin heads changes their orientation and causes conformational shifts in the myosin filament core.

The effect of myosin light chain phosphorylation on the actin-stimulated ATPase activity of myosin minifilaments

It has been shown that in the absence of KCl, the actin-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase activity of rabbit skeletal myosin minifilaments with phosphorylated regulatory lights chains (LC2) exceeds 3-4-fold that of myosin minifilaments with dephosphorylated LC2. Addition of KCl leads to a decrease in the difference between the two ATPase activities. LC2 phosphorylation considerably increases the rate of ATPase reaction and only slightly decreases the affinity of myosin minifilaments for F-actin. It is suggested that the unusual effect of LC2 phosphorylation on the kinetic parameters of the actin-stimulated ATPase reaction of myosin minifilaments can be accounted for by its influence on the interaction between myosin heads which results in the ordered self-assembly of minifilaments.

Ordered assemblies of myosin minifilaments

Electron microscopic observations of negatively stained myosin minifilaments in a solution containing 10 mM-citrate buffer (pH 8.0), 4 mM-MgCl2 reveal ordered assemblies. They reveal bundles of parallel minifilaments of about 330 nm in length, aggregated into periodic linear and hexagonal structures. These structures are formed by means of interaction between myosin heads, arranged at the ends of minifilament bundles. The addition of 1 mM-ATP to the above solution causes dissociation of minifilament bundles into individual minifilaments without preventing the latter from association into linear "end-to-end" assemblies. Phosphorylation of myosin light chains does not exert any noticeable effect on the structure of the ordered minifilament assemblies but significantly increases their quantity. The interaction between minifilaments observed by us should be taken into consideration in studies on the properties of myosin which make use of minifilament systems.

[Effect of phosphorylation of myosin light chains on the interaction of myosin minifilaments with F-actin]

The effect of phosphorylation of light chains-2 (LC2) of rabbit skeletal muscle myosin on the interaction of myosin minifilaments with F-actin as well as on the actin-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase of minifilaments was studied. It was shown that in the absence of KCl the degree of F-actin-induced stimulation of myosin minifilament Mg2+-ATPase with phosphorylated LC2 exceeds 2-4-fold that with unphosphorylated LC2. Phosphorylation of LC2 considerably increases the rate of actin-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase reaction of myosin minifilaments but exerts only a very weak influence on the affinity of minifilaments for F-actin. After addition of KCl the differences in the actin-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase activity disappear in a great degree; in the presence of 50 mM KCl they do not exceed 50%. It was assumed that the observed specific influence of LC2 phosphorylation on the kinetic parameters of actin-stimulated Mg2+-ATPase reaction of myosin minifilaments is due to unique properties of the minifilaments (e.g., their ability to ordered self-assembly as a result of interaction between the heads of myosin molecules) which reflect their structural peculiarities.

Phosphorylase kinase from chicken skeletal muscle. Quaternary structure, regulatory properties and partial proteolysis

Phosphorylase kinase has been purified from white and red chicken skeletal muscle to near homogeneity, as judged by sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) gel electrophoresis. The molecular mass of the native enzyme, estimated by chromatography on Sepharose 4B, is similar to that of rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase, i.e. 1320 kDa. The purified enzyme both from white and red muscles showed four subunits upon polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the presence of SDS, corresponding to alpha', beta, gamma' and delta with molecular masses of 140 kDa, 129 kDa, 44 kDa and 17 kDa respectively. Based on the molecular mass of 1320 kDa for the native enzyme and on the molar ratio of subunits as estimated from densitometric tracings of the polyacrylamide gels, a subunit formula (alpha' beta gamma' delta)4 has been proposed. The antiserum against the mixture of the alpha' and beta subunits of chicken phosphorylase kinase gave a single precipitin line with the chicken enzyme but did not cross-react with the rabbit skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase. The pH 6.8/8.2 activity ratio of phosphorylase kinase from chicken skeletal muscle varied from 0.3 to 0.5 for different preparations of the enzyme. Chicken phosphorylase kinase could utilize rabbit phosphorylase b as a substrate with an apparent Km value of 0.02 mM at pH 8.2. The apparent V (18 mumol min-1 mg-1) and Km values for ATP at pH 8.2 (0.20 mM) were of the same order of magnitude as that of the purified rabbit phosphorylase kinase b. The activity of chicken phosphorylase kinase was largely dependent on Ca2+. The chicken enzyme was activated 2-4-fold by calmodulin and troponin C, with concentrations for half-maximal activation of 2 nM and 0.1 microM respectively. Phosphorylation with the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase (up to 2 mol 32P/mol alpha beta gamma delta monomer) and autophosphorylation (up to 8 mol 32P/mol alpha beta gamma delta monomer) increased the activity 1.5-fold and 2-fold respectively. Limited tryptic and chymotryptic hydrolysis of chicken phosphorylase kinase stimulated its activity 2-fold. Electrophoretic analysis of the products of proteolytic attack suggests some differences in the structure of the rabbit and chicken gamma subunits and some similarities in the structure of the rabbit red muscle and chicken alpha'.

[Interaction of muscle glycogen phosphorylase B with F-actin]

The binding of rabbit muscle glycogen phosphorylase b to F-actin has been studied by sedimentation in analytical centrifuge in 10 mM Tris-acetate buffer pH 6.8 at 20 degrees C. The adsorption capacity of F-actin is equal to (7.8 +/- 0.9) X 10(-7) mole of glycogen phosphorylase b per 1 g of F-actin; the microscopic dissociation constant for the glycogen phosphorylase-F-actin complex is (5.4 +/- 0.5) X 10(-7) M. It was found that the allosteric activator, AMP, facilitates the adsorption of glycogen phosphorylase b on F-actin, whereas the substrate, Pi, and the inhibitor, ATP, cause an opposite effect.

Interaction of actin with the enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism

As was shown earlier, actin is present not only in muscles, but in other animal tissues as well. Now it is firmly established that actin is built into cytoskeleton structures and is a necessary component of all kinds of eukaryotic cells. As is known, the main functions of the cytoskeleton are maintenance of the cell form and participation in the motile processes. At the same time a lot of information is available which indicates the regulatory role of actin in carbohydrate metabolism. The interaction of F-actin with most of the muscle glycolytic enzymes which are located in the region of actin filaments was shown in vitro. In particular, it was established that F-actin forms a complex with glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase and increases its activity. F-actin interacts with lactate dehydrogenase, forming a complex in which one molecule of the enzyme binds four actin monomers. The formation of the complex results in inhibition of lactate dehydrogenase activity. And, finally, F-actin has a strong activating effect on cellulase which belongs to the other enzyme system. Now the information is available on the induction of cellulase gene expression accompanied by an increase in actin synthesis. These results prove the opinion that actin is a coordinator of carbohydrate metabolism in the cell.

[Proteins of the basal plate of bacteriophage T4 participating in the contractile impulse]

Reversible linking of proteins with Cu2+ and Ni2+ ions was used to study the topography of the structural proteins of bacteriophage T4 basal plate. Gene products (GP) 9 and 10 were found to directly contact the proximal part of long fibrils (GP34). GP27, GP54 and GP5 interact with the lower disk of the contractive sheath (GP18), while GP48 and GP54 are in contact with the core (GP19). The proteins of the sheath (GP18) and the core (GP19) were found to have contact over the whole tail length.

[Regulatory properties of phosphorylase from chicken skeletal muscle]

The main kinetic parameters for purified phosphorylase kinase from chicken skeletal muscle were determined at pH 8.2: Vm = 18 micromol/min/mg; apparent Km values for ATP and phosphorylase b from rabbit muscle were 0.20 and 0.02 mM, respectively. The activity ratio at pH 6.8/8.2 was 0.1-0.4 for different preparations of phosphorylase kinase. Similar to the rabbit enzyme, chicken phosphorylase kinase had an absolute requirement for Ca2+ as demonstrated by complete inhibition in the presence of EGTA. Half-maximal activation occurred at [Ca2+] = 0.4 microM at pH 7.0. In the presence of Ca2+, the chicken enzyme from white and red muscles was activated 2-4-fold by saturating concentrations of calmodulin and troponin C. The C0.5 value for calmodulin and troponin C at pH 6.8 was 2 and 100 nM, respectively. Similar to rabbit phosphorylase kinase, the chicken enzyme was stimulated about 3-6-fold by glycogen at pH 6.8 and 8.2 with half-maximal stimulation occurring at about 0.15% glycogen. Protamine caused 60% inhibition of chicken phosphorylase kinase at 0.8 mg/ml. ADP (3 mM) at 0.05 mM ATP caused 85% inhibition with Ki = 0.2 mM. Unlike rabbit phosphorylase kinase, no phosphorylation of the chicken enzyme occurred in the presence of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Incubation with trypsin caused 2-fold activation of the chicken enzyme.

The activation of cellulases from different sources by actin

Actin has been shown to be a potent activator of the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose, its addition to the reaction mixture leading to an increase in the hydrolysis rate of up to 6-7 fold. The action of actin is directed primarily towards endoglucanases of cellulase complexes. The degree of activation varies in relation to the cellulases from different microbial sources. The activation of the enzymatic hydrolysis of an insoluble cellulose by actin does not affect the Michaelis constant but increases the maximum velocity of the reaction. Increasing the actin concentration leads to a linear increase in the activation effect which indicates a rather poor binding of actin with the cellulases under study.

On the presence of guanosine phosphate in the tail of bacteriophage T4

Treatment of gp18, a biologically active monomer of the structural protein of the bacteriophage T4 contractile sheath, with 0.6 M-HClO4 leads to the release of GDP, GMP and inorganic phosphate. Each gp18 molecule is shown to carry three atoms of phosphorus. In the isolated protein preparation, gp18 and the nucleoside phosphate are in equimolar relation. It is suggested that in the native sheath-protein subunit, GDP and inorganic phosphate are united as GTP.

[Interaction of bacterial flagella with myosin]

The interaction of isolated flagellar filaments of Bacillus brevis var. G.-B. P+ with skeletal muscle myosin has been investigated. Bacterial flagellar filaments co-precipitate with myosin at low ionic strength (at the conditions of myosin aggregation). Addition of bacterial flagellar filaments to myosin led to inhibition of its K+-EDTA- and Ca2+-ATPase activity, but had no influence on Mg2+-ATPase. Monomeric protein of bacterial flagella filaments (flagellin) did not co-precipitate with myosin and had no influence on its ATPase activity. The flagella filaments did not co-precipitate with myosin in the presence of F-actin if it was mixed with myosin before the filaments. If the flagella filaments were added to myosin solution before the addition of F-actin the amount of filaments and actin in myosin precipitate were comparable. In this case the presence of flagella filaments decreased activation of myosin Mg2+-ATPase by actin to 25-30%. Thus the bacterial flagellar filaments are able to interact with myosin and modify its ATPase activity. Probably, these properties of filaments are caused by resemblance of flagellin and actin. For instance, the unique origin of these proteins may be the reason of such resemblance.

Regulation of muscle phosphorylase kinase by actin and calmodulin

The activation of muscle phosphorylase kinase b by actin has been studied. F-actin which is polymerized by 2 mM MgCl2 is a more effective activator of phosphorylase kinase than F-actin polymerized by 50 mM KCl. There is evidence suggesting that the activation of phosphorylase kinase by actin is not due to trace contamination of actin preparations with calmodulin: (1) Troponin I and trifluoperazine inhibit the activation of phosphorylase kinase by calmodulin but do not inhibit the activation of phosphorylase kinase by F-actin. (2) The activation induced by saturating concentrations of calmodulin and actin is additive both at pH 8.2 and at pH 6.8. (3) The activation of phosphorylase kinase by calmodulin and actin has different pH profiles. An addition of F-actin does not affect the apparent Km value for ATP but increases the sensitivity to phosphorylase b and the value of Vmax.

Actin and coordination of metabolic processes

The current data on actin content in muscles and non-muscle cells were analyzed. It was demonstrated that actin is present in large amounts in all living cells. Study of actin interaction with different enzymes is of particular interest. A concept has been put forward, which is based on our experimental data and on the data obtained in other laboratories concerning the effects of F-actin on kinase phosphorylase, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase and lactate dehydrogenase. According to this concept, actin is a protein which coordinates metabolic processes.

[Study of cation binding to myosin subfragment I using the fluorescent probe Eu3+]

It was shown that binding of the cation Eu3+ to myosin subfragment I (SI) results in fluorescence with a maximum at 595 nm which is increased as EuCl3 concentration rises. The ATPase activity of SI is simultaneously enhanced. An addition of bivalent cations (Ca2+ and Mg2+) causes quenching of fluorescence of the bound Eu3+ by 8-12%, which corresponds to Eu3+-ATPase inhibition by Mg2+. At low (down to 0.1 mM) concentrations of Eu3+ no fluorescence quenching by Mg2+ or Ca2+ takes place; under these conditions Mg2+ activate ATPase of SI in the presence of Eu3+. Eu3+ activate SI ATPase in the presence of low (down to 0.1 mM) concentrations of Ca2+, but exerts an inhibition action at high concentrations of Ca2+. NaCl does not affect the fluorescence intensity of bound Eu3+ but considerably inhibits the ATPase activity of SI in the presence of EuCl3. An existence of a bivalent cation binding site in the vicinity if the SI active center is postulated. Eu3+ whose ionic radius is close to that of Ca2+ interacts with protein surface and occupies this site as well, thus determining the activation of SI ATPase and can be replaced from it by Ca2+ and Mg2+, but not by Na+. Hence bivalent and monovalent cations are bound at different sites. The data obtained provide another proof in favour of a hypothesis suggesting that the regulation of myosin ATPase activity by bivalent and monovalent cations can be mediated by binding of these cations to the protein.

Effect of Ca2+ binding to 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) light chains on conformational changes of F-actin caused by myosin subfragment-1

The fluorescent ADP analogue, 1:N6-ethenoadenosine 5'-diphosphate, was incorporated into F-actin in a myosin-free ghost single fibre. Polarized fluorescence measurements of tryptophan residues and 1:N6-ethenoadenosine 5'-diphosphate were performed under a microspectrophotometer to investigate the conformation of F-actin and the changes induced in it by myosin subfragment-1 with 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) light chains and without them. A relation was found between the conformational state of F-actin and the presence of 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) light chains. The conformational changes were shown to be controlled by Ca2+ in the presence of 5,5'-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) light chains.

Some comparative aspects of regulation of muscle and liver phosphorylase kinase

The interaction of muscle and liver phosphorylase kinase with some proteins has been studied. It was shown that muscle G-actin has a visible stimulating effect on the dephosphorylated form of muscle phosphorylase kinase. The effect of F-actin on this enzyme is very low. The interaction of phosphorylase kinase with G-actin probably is one of the additional links between glycogenolysis and muscle contraction. To answer the question what subunit(s) of phosphorylase kinase is involved in the interaction with G-actin we studied the influence of actin on the kinase preparations previously activated to a different degree by partial proteolysis with endogenous protease(s) or with trypsin. G-actin has almost no stimulating effect on the preparations of phosphorylase kinase deeply activated by proteolysis (pH 6.8-8.2 activity ratio more than 0.2). The experiments with partial proteolysis allow us to suppose that alpha-subunit is involved in the interaction of phosphorylase kinase with G-actin. Skeletal muscle G-actin activates purified preparations of liver phosphorylase kinase but to a lower degree than muscle enzyme. Brain and liver calmodulin has a low activating effect on liver phosphorylase kinase in the presence of calcium. Calcium-independent action of calmodulin on the preparations of liver phosphorylase kinase is stronger; probably it is connected with a nonspecific effect of this small acidic protein on the liver enzyme. The basic protein protamine has a strong inhibitory effect on liver phosphorylase kinase.

[Polymerization of bacterial flagellar flagellin in the presence of polyethyleneglycol]

Polymerization of flagellin from the flagella of Bacillus brevis in the presence of polyethyleneglycol (PEG) with molecular weight varying from 400 to 40 000 was studied. When 10% PEG2000-6000 was used, polymerization was completed within 5 min. When PEG with higher molecular weights were used, their higher concentrations were necessary. Polymerization of flagellin in the presence of PEG400-600 did not practically differ from that without PEG. At flagellin concentrations up to 0.1 mg/ml the polymerization process with PEG also occurred at a very high rate. Polymerization of flagellin obtained by heating of bacterial flagella in the presence of PEG did not require exogenous primer. A possible mechanism of flagellin polymerization in the presence of PEG is discussed.

[Role of bivalent and monovalent cations in the functioning of myosin ATPase]

The effects of bivalent (Mg2+, Ca2+, Sr2+) and monovalent (K+, Na+, NH4+) cations on the ATPase activity of subfragment 1 of myosin (SI) with a decreased Mg2+ content (EDTA-SI) were studied. Mg2+ activate the EDTA-SI ATPase, but only in the absence of other activating cations. K+, NH4+, a2+ and Sr2+ have a much stronger activating effect on EDTA-SI ATPase than on Mg-SI (SI enriched with Mg2+) ATPase. Monovalent cations inhibit Mg2+-ATPase and Ca2+-ATPase of EDTA-SI, while K+ and NH4+ activate Sr2+-ATPase of EDTA-SI. Based on experimental results and literary data, a hypothesis on the participation of the cations in the functioning of myosin ATPase was postulated. This hypothesis entails the existence of two closely interconnected cation-binding sites in the vicinity of the myosin active center (one for bivalent and one for monovalent cations); the ATPase activity of myosin is at any moment dependent on the nature of cations present in these two sites. An attempt to explain the role of the cations in the accomplishment of the ATPase reaction by myosin was made.

The effect of mechanical stretching of the myosin rod component (fragment LMMMM S-2) on the ATPase activity of myosin

The binding of myosin to nylon fiber gives immobilized myosin with a considerable ATPase activity. Treatment of immobilized enzyme with papain results in the entire ATPase activity (known to be concentrated in myosin heads, (fragment HMM S-1)) being replaced from the fiber into the solution; this means that myosin is chemically bound to the fiber via its rod part (fragment LMM+HMM S-2). When nylon fiber is mechanically stretched, the ATPase activity of myosin attached to it sharply decreases; after relaxation of the fiber the enzymatic activity returns to the initial level. The detailed study of this phenomenon has shown that reversible inactivation of myosin upon fiber stretching is not the result of an altered microenvironment of the enzyme. The discovered regulatory effect is ascribed to deformation of myosin molecules induced by support stretching. Thus deformation of the myosin tail (not indispensable for ATPase since its cleaving-off does not alter the enzymatic activity) leads to decrease in the ATPase activity of the enzyme. The possible role of the above phenomenon in the mechanism of muscle contraction is discussed.

Immobilization of actin and myosin

Using glutaric dialdehyde, the muscle proteins myosin, actin, actomyosin and heavy meromyosin subfragment-1 (S-1) have been immobilized on capron fibers. The ATPase activity of myosin and its capability to interact with actin have been preserved whereas the ATPase activity of its subfragment decreased significnatly. Immobilization on capron fibers changes the pH dependence of the ATPase activity of myosin and of S-1 shifting the maximum towards the acid zone (pH 5.5) and increases the thermal stability of the enzyme. Calcium ions produce a stimulatory effect on ATPase; Mg2+ions yield no effect on myosin and S-1 but enhance the activity in the case of immobilized actomyosin though to a lesser degree than the ions of Ca2+. Immobilized actin retains its ability to form actomyosin complex.