PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

E A Czuryło

Publications and source records attributed to E A Czuryło.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

Motifs of the caldesmon family.

Seven highly conserved regions were found in caldesmon molecules from various sources using the multiple sequence alignment method. Their localization coincides with regions where the binding sites to other proteins were postulated. Less conserved and highly divergent regions of the sequences are described as well. These results could refine the planning of caldesmon gene manipulations and accelerate the precise localization of binding sites in the caldesmon molecule and, as a consequence, this could help to elucidate its function in smooth muscle contraction.

Actins↗

Does calponin interact with caldesmon?

The roles of calponin and caldesmon and their interaction in regulation of smooth muscle contraction are controversial. Recently, strong binding between these two proteins has been reported (Graceffa, P., Adam, L. P., and Morgan, K. G. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 30336-30339). Results in this paper fail to confirm their data and are consistent with the concept of independent functions for calponin and caldesmon. To examine the ability of duck gizzard caldesmon to interact with calponin, three caldesmon derivatives, each containing a different sulfhydryl-specific reporter probe (6-acryloyl-2-dimethylaminonaphtalene, N-(1-pyrenyl)iodoacetamide, and N-iodoacetyl-N'-(5-sulfo-1-naphtylo)ethylenediamine) attached to a single cysteine located in the C-terminal domain, were synthesized. Addition of calponin to labeled caldesmon at both low and physiological salt concentrations did not induce any changes in fluorescence intensity or maximum shift. Under the same conditions, calmodulin and tropomyosin (known to bind to the C terminus of caldesmon) produced substantial changes in these spectral parameters. Gel filtration of an equimolar caldesmon-calponin mixture on a fast protein liquid chromatography Superose-12 column revealed two base-line-separated peaks, the first containing only caldesmon and the second only calponin, thus confirming the lack of any interaction between these two proteins. Also, the addition of calponin did not change the fluorescence parameters of labeled caldesmon in complexes with F-actin and F-actin-tropomyosin.

Animals↗

The size and shape of caldesmon and its fragments in solution studied by dynamic light scattering and hydrodynamic model calculations.

The size and the shape of caldesmon as well as its 50-kDa central and 19-kDa C-terminal fragments were investigated by photon correlation spectroscopy. The hydrodynamic radii, which have been calculated from the experimentally obtained translational diffusion coefficients, are 9.8 nm, 6.0 nm, and 2.9 nm, respectively. Moreover, the experimental values for the translational diffusion coefficients are compared with results obtained from hydrodynamic model calculations. Detailed models for the structure of caldesmon in solution are derived. The contour length is about 64 nm for all of the models used for caldesmon.

Animals↗

Studies on secondary structure of caldesmon and its C-terminal fragments.

Evaluation of the secondary structure of caldesmon from c.d. spectra revealed that it contains 51% helix, 9% beta-strand and 40% of remainder structures. These values agree well with the predicted ones from amino acid sequence, assuming an extended chain structure for caldesmon. The estimates of the secondary-structure elements in C-terminal 34 kDa and 19 kDa fragments are: 11 and 12% helix, 22 and 20% beta-strand, 13 and 17% beta-turns and loops, and 54 and 50% of remainder structure respectively. The best fit of experimental data was obtained assuming the globular state of the fragments. On the basis of structural analysis and fragmentation by proteolytic and chemical cleavages the six-domain model of caldesmon is proposed.

Animals↗

Interaction of caldesmon with phospholipids.

The interaction of caldesmon with liposomes composed of various phospholipids has been examined by tryptophan fluorescence spectroscopy. The results indicate that caldesmon makes its strongest complex with phosphatidylserine (PS) vesicles (Kass. = 1.45 x 10(5) M-1). Both electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions contribute to the stability of this complex. The site for strong binding of PS seems to be located in the N-terminal part of the 34 kDa C-terminal fragment of caldesmon. Binding of PS at this site results in displacement of calmodulin from its complex with caldesmon.

Animals↗

Spectrofluorimetric studies on C-terminal 34 kDa fragment of caldesmon.

Analysis of the tryptophan fluorescence emission spectra of caldesmon and its 34 kDa C-terminal fragment indicates that all tryptophan residues are located on the surface of the molecule, accessible to solvent. All three tryptophan residues of the 34 kDa fragment and four of the five tryptophan residues of intact protein are accessible to free water, whereas one located in the N-terminal region of molecule is accessible only to bound water molecules. The temperature dependence of the fluorescence parameters indicates higher thermal stability of the 34 kDa fragment than the whole caldesmon molecule. The interaction of the 34 kDa fragment of caldesmon (like that of the intact molecule) with calmodulin is accompanied by a blue shift of the fluorescence emission maximum and an increase in the relative quantum yield. Computer-calculated binding constants show that the binding of calmodulin to the 34 kDa fragment (K = 2.5 x 10(5) M-1) is of two orders of magnitude weaker than that to intact caldesmon (K = 1.4 x 10(7) M-1). The interaction with tropomyosin results in a blue shift of the spectrum of the 34 kDa fragment, yet there is no effect on the spectrum of intact caldesmon. Binding constants of tropomyosin to caldesmon (K = 3.8 x 10(5) M-1) and its 34 kDa fragment (K = 2.3 x 10(5) M-1) are similar. Binding of calmodulin to caldesmon and to the 34 kDa fragment affects their interaction with tropomyosin.

Animals↗