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R Cardinaud

Publications and source records attributed to R Cardinaud.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Cleavage points of rabbit skeletal myosin light chains selectively modified in situ by limited proteolysis: structural characteristics of the neoformed isozymes.

The functional significance of myosin light chains in vertebrate striated muscle is an issue of interest any myosin species selectivity modified by papain or trypsin in their LC1 and LC2 light chains are potentially useful for further investigation. We therefore determined the cleavage sites resulting in the (T)-LC1', (P)-LC1' and (T)-LC2'species. Sequence analysis of (T)-LC1' indicated that the cleavage point in LC1 is at Lys7. Under appropriate conditions papain rapidly cleaves a short N-terminal segment from myosin light chain 1 and produces a new isozyme specifically modified in its essential light chain 1. The cleavage occurred at either Ala11, Ala12, or Ala13, the Ala11 cleavage being the most frequent. Trypsin was used to produce a myosin species with a regulatory light chain 2 specifically truncated of a short N-terminal segment. The cleavage was specific at Arg8 with no indication of other significant cleavage sites in this LC2. The effects of trypsin and papain on myosin light chains are different, indicating different proteolytic specificities. None of these modifications, including (CT)-LC2" cleavage at Phe19, changed the K(+)-EDTA- and Ca(2+)-ATPase activities of monomeric myosin significantly, indicating that LC1 and LC2 N-terminal have little or no direct influence on the active site. An electric birefringence study also showed that these modified species retained their average shape and flexibility. These observations are essential in showing that the role of light chain extremities is expressed only in the presence of a minimum of structural organization (filament or acto-myosin complex).

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

The proteolytic susceptibility of specific sites in myosin light chains is modulated by the filament conformation.

The proteolytic susceptibilities of specific sites in the LC1 and LC2 N-termini were modulated by ionic strength in myosin (a species able to form filaments) but not in S1. (a) In the presence of Ca2+ or Mg2+, the proteolytic susceptibility (apparent initial reaction rate) showed a sharp discontinuity at a critical ionic concentration similar for LC1', LC2' and LC2'' cleavages. (b) The susceptibility of LC1' and LC2'' was higher at low ionic concentration in the more compact structure of the filament than in the dissociated form at high ionic concentration. (c) The ionic concentration effect was no longer observed with species unable to form filaments. (d) This effect occurred at a critical ionic concentration markedly different from the critical concentration at which the monomer-filament equilibrium was found. These observations lead to the following conclusions. (a) The ionic concentration effect is an attribute of the filament structure. (b) In the filament the faster cleavage at sites (LC1' and LC2'') near the LC1 and LC2 N-termini are due to an extended configuration of the N-terminal segment binding to a site in the filament structure. (c) The slower rate of formation of LC2' in the filament indicates that the N-terminal segment of LC2 binds more tightly to the structure than that of LC1. (d) The critical ionic concentration is not that of the filament-monomer equilibrium but corresponds to the order-disorder transition of the heads in the filament. These results suggest that the N-termini of the light chains (here in striated muscles) play a role in a secondary regulatory mechanism. The analysis of these regions may contribute to our understanding of the altered activity and regulation seen in such diseases as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy [Margossian, S. S., White, H. D., Caulfield, J. B., Norton, P., Taylor, S. & Slayter, H. S. (1992) Circulation 85, 1720-1733].

Animals↗

Probing myosin light chain 1 structure with monoclonal antibodies.

Five monoclonal antibodies that react with different regions of myosin light chain 1 from human ventricular myocardial muscle were used to obtain information on interactions between the light chain 1 and heavy chains and generally on the tertiary structure of the light chain 1 within the myosin head. We performed Western blot assays of the five antibodies with myosins from different cardiac and skeletal muscles, with different proteolytic fragments of bovine ventricular myosin light chain 1 (LC1) and to different recombinant fragments of human ventricular LC1 and rat fast skeletal light chain LC1/LC3. The five antibodies were mapped in three different regions of the light chain 1: two antibodies mapped within the first eight amino-terminal residues, two between residues 71 and 74, and one between residues 129 and 134. The apparent dissociation constants of the last three antibodies, determined by antibody-antigen equilibria in solution, were lower than when isolated light chains were used as antigens. It is probable that the corresponding amino acids involved in the antibody epitopes were either involved in interactions between the light and heavy myosin subunits, or somehow hindered by the myosin heavy chain bulk. In contrast, the apparent dissociation constants measured for both other antibodies were higher when myosin, rather than isolated light chains, was used as antigen. Thus LC1 fixation to heavy chains within the myosin molecule induced conformation changes at the amino-terminal end of the light chain 1. No difference in the accessibility of this mobile LC1 segment was detected in the presence of actin. Finally, observed differences in epitope accessibility on the light chain LC1 in myosin, as compared with chymotryptic subfragment 1 (SF1), indicated conformational differences between native myosin and extensively studied SF1 molecules.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Refined conditions for selective modifications of rabbit skeletal myosin light chains.

We selectively modified the LC1 and LC2 N-terminus as an approach to understand the function of skeletal myosin light chains and their possible implication in some diseases. Three new myosin isoforms were thus created, namely: myosin-[(P)LC1'], myosin-[(T)LC2'] and myosin-[(CT)LC2"] in which the N-terminus was selectively cleaved at Lys7 in (P)LC1', Arg8 in (T)LC2' and Phe19 in (CT)LC2". In order to obtain species with a minimum amount of secondary cleavages, eight to 12 different conditions were screened for each species and the two most efficient conditions were tested at the preparative scale.

Animals↗

Flexibility of myosin in pyrophosphate and NaCl solutions. An electric birefringence study.

The orientational relaxation time of myosin has been reported as 38 microseconds when measured in pyrophosphate media at elevated pH (Hvidt et al. 1984) and as 17 microseconds when measured in 0.3 M KCl at pH 7.3 (Bernengo and Cardinaud 1982). This discrepancy, which is reexamined in the present report, suggests that in KCl solution the rod portion of the myosin molecule is bent with an average angle close to 110 degrees, whereas in pyrophosphate at elevated pH it assumes a nearly straight and rigid conformation. Electric birefringence shows that the amount of dimeric and polymeric species in pyrophosphate media at pH's 8.0 and 8.5 is certainly greater than usually thought. In these media, relaxation times can be measured correctly at pH 9.0. A comparative analysis of the influence of protein concentration, field strength, medium composition and concentration, pH and temperature showed that a high relaxation time is associated with the presence of pyrophosphate and that the myosin tail is significantly stiffened in the presence of this anion.

Animals↗

Conformational calculations on the Ala14-Pro27 LC1 segment of rabbit skeletal myosin.

In order to define the conformational characteristics of a singular Ala14-Pro27 segment in myosin LC1, conformational calculations were performed using the Simplex algorithm of Nelder and Mead (Computer J. 7 (1965) 308-313) in the ACME program proposed by Tournarie (J. Appl. Cryst. 6 (1973) 309-346). The (Ala-Pro) n = 1 unit was assigned a given conformation x; the conformation energy was then minimized for n = 1 to n = 7 by adjusting structural parameters (angle values). Similarly, 13 different possible conformations were optimized and compared, showing that a (beta 2R)7 conformation is favored by about 20 kcal per mol over the next most probable conformation (C7R)7. In the beta 2R conformation, the (Ala-Pro)7 segment is a wide helix, 15 A in length and 8.65 A in diameter, while the C7R conformation results in a semi-extended structure of 25 A long, with an approximate diameter of 6 A. These characteristics are in agreement with available experimental data and putative functions of the LC1 N-terminus.

Alanine↗

Proteolysis rates of a myosin heavy chain site with papain. Evidence for a combined LC2-filament-mediated mechanism.

In striated muscle myosin, a proteolysis site at the 25-50 kDa junction, susceptible in the filament and efficiently protected by nucleotides, is similarly protected when myosin is monomeric. Kinetic studies at low ionic strength show a close relationship between LC2 cleavage or degradation rate and cleavage of the 25-50 kDa heavy chain site. The myosin-[(T)-LC2'] species forms normal reconstituted filaments but its 25-50 kDa site susceptibility is closer to that of monomeric myosin, thus becoming practically ionic strength-independent. In this species the absence of the LC2 N-terminal segment induces a significantly greater susceptibility of the papain-sensitive site in LC1. In an LC2-depleted myosin the 25-50 kDa site susceptibility also becomes ionic strength-independent, however, the cleavage rates are then closer to that of filaments. Susceptibility in HMM and S1 is also much less dependent on ionic strength with rates intermediary between those of filament and monomer. These observations show that the maximum susceptibility to papain of the 25-50 kDa site requires both the integrity of the LC2 light chain and the filament structure and furthermore provide evidence that: (i) the LC2 N-terminus interacts specifically with some part of the filament; (ii) this interaction induces a specific transconformation in a region close to the ATPase active site; (iii) there is an interrelationship between LC1 and LC2 light chain N-terminal extremities, at least in the filament structure.

Animals↗

A simple and rapid preparation of fully phosphorylated and fully dephosphorylated skeletal muscle myosin. Application to the preparation of a phosphorylated LC2-modified artificial isozyme.

Fast skeletal myosin LC2 is phosphorylated on ser-15 by a specific myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) in the presence of Ca2+ and calmodulin, and dephosphorylated by a muscle phosphate in the presence of Mg2+. Fully dephosphorylated myosin is obtained by dialysis of muscle crude extract (0.06 M NaCl, 0.01 M Tris-HCl, pH 7.5, 50 microM EGTA); fully phosphorylated myosin is obtained by addition of Ca2+ (0.2 mM), Mg2+ (10 mM) and ATP (3 mM) and 5 min incubation at 28 degrees C. The following reaction characteristics were noted. The crude extract is a very efficient phosphorylating complex and can be diluted to phosphorylate or dephosphorylate purified myosin. Phosphorylation and dephosphorylation appear monophasic, showing no evidence of negative cooperativity in this particular type of myosin and medium. Phosphorylation is 24 times slower in the presence of 0.45 M KCl, 5 mM pyrophosphate. Thiophosphorylated myosin is slowly dephosphorylated by phosphatase. At the crude myosin stage the dephosphorylation reaction is efficiently inhibited (at 0-4 degrees C) by the presence of 70 mM NaF. Myosin-[(T)-LC2'] (a myosin species in which LC2 has been selectively modified by trypsin) is an interesting species refractory to phosphorylation. The myosin-[(T)-LC2'] isozyme can be obtained fully phosphorylated by phosphorylation of myosin followed by limited tryptic proteolysis as described earlier. Urea-PAGE as used separates LC2, phosphoryl-LC2, LC2' and phosphoryl-LC2' effectively and in this order. Through this procedure the (de)-phosphorylating complex is ipso facto specific to the myosin species considered; the method avoids lengthy preparations of purified proteins and is easy, rapid and efficient.

Animals↗

Influence of the regulatory light chain of fast skeletal muscle myosin on its interaction with actin in the presence and absence of ATP.

The effect of myosin LC2 modifications (phosphorylation or selective proteolytic removal of a seven-residue N-terminal peptide) and partial or complete removal of the whole LC2 was studied under various conditions. (1) Actin binding in the absence of ATP is not influenced by the nature of the myosin species (phosphorylated, dephosphorylated or devoid of LC2). (2) A 50% inhibition of K+/EDTA-ATPase was obtained with actin concentrations hardly different when phosphorylated and dephosphorylated myosins were compared (of the order of 5 microM), whereas both myosin devoid of LC2 and myosin in which the LC2 N-terminal peptide has been removed required significantly higher concentrations of actin (13.0 +/- 2 and 12.0 +/- 2.0 microM, respectively). (3) Dissociation of the actomyosin complex at high ionic strength with nucleotides is not influenced by phosphorylation. (4) Actin activation of Mg2+-ATPase is enhanced when LC2 is phosphorylated; no activation enhancement is observed with myosin devoid of LC2. (5) Translational diffusion coefficient measurements of myosin in high-ionic-strength solutions indicate a tendency for LC2-deprived myosin to form autoassociation oligomers. It thus appears that a structural modification (partial cleavage or removal of LC2) induces important structural changes in myosin, pointing to a role for LC2 in the intrinsic conformation of the molecule and its interaction potentialities. Effects of LC2 removal at high ionic strength are best explained by interactions bearing no relationship to physiological functions. A physiologically significant effect of LC2 phosphorylation requires a minimum degree of organization (actomyosin complex) to be expressed in which LC2 could play the role of a return-spring in the cross-bridge mechanism.

Actins↗

Electric birefringence study of rabbit skeletal myosin subfragments HMM, LMM, and rod in solution.

Electric birefringence measurements and depolarized light scattering experiments were performed with HMM, LMM, and rod, the three fragments of myosin, under conditions (0.3 M KCl, 0.02 M PO4, pH 7.3) the medium currently used for biochemical assays of myosin in its native state as well as of its subfragments. The comparison of myosin and rod relaxation times (17.2 and 22.8 microseconds, respectively) suggests that the average bend angle in the tail is sharper in intact myosin (90 degrees) whereas rod, when detached from the heads, is a more elongated species with an average bend angle of 120-135 degrees. The LMM relaxation time (6.4 microseconds) is consistent with a rigid linear stick model of length 78 nm. Flexibility in myosin tail is thus confirmed as located in the HMM-LMM hinge. LMM and rod did not exhibit any significant variation of their apparent relaxation times with concentration and the decay curves were best fitted by a single exponential, evidence that the concentration of parallel staggered dimers was negligible in the concentration range studied here (0-7 g/l). This observation lends support to previous results obtained with myosin. Respective HMM, LMM, and rod molecular weights and homogeneity as evaluated by SDS-PAGE analysis were correlated to the Kerr constants of their solutions. Large variations in LMM Kerr constants could be related to the loss of a COOH-terminal peptide on prolonged chymotryptic digestion. Electric birefringence combined with depolarized light scattering is presented as a potential method for net charge distribution studies.

Animals↗

75Se-seleno-methionine-actin as a probe for determination of platelet production rate.

Synthesis of actin is a reasonably correct representation of the platelet production rate. Measurement of actin production obviates some of the drawbacks encountered in currently available methods. Platelet actin was characterized on polyacrylamide gel electrophoreses using methylated radioactive rabbit actin as a reference. Platelet actin was unambiguously identified by showing that it forms a complex with DNAase-I similar to the complex obtained with pure rabbit actin. Six days after intravenous injection of 75Se-seleno-methionine actin was one of the most highly labelled platelet components. The platelet pellet (one rat per sample) was solubilized with 1% Triton X-100, 0.75 M guanidine-HCl and dialyzed in a medium containing 1% SDS (to eliminate Triton X-100 and guanidine-HCl). A carefully measured aliquot was deposited on a polyacrylamide gel. After electrophoresis in the presence of SDS the radioactivity of the actin band was measured and the ratio of the total actin radioactivity to the injected radioactivity was taken as a measure of platelet production. The validity of the actin probe was tested with populations of normal animals. The specific radioactivity of actin was proportional to the injected dose of 75Se-seleno-methionine up to 1 mCi/kg animal. A semi-log plot of actin specific radioactivity vs time exhibited a pseudo-first order decrease. Another constituent with a high specific radioactivity (XM) was excluded as a suitable probe because it was shown to be an adsorbed plasma protein.

Actins↗

Location of an essential carboxyl group along the heavy chain of cardiac and skeletal myosin subfragments 1.

Cardiac and skeletal myosin subfragments 1 cleaved into three fragments were modified by 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinoethyl)carbodiimide metho-p-toluene-sulfonate in the presence of the nucleophile nitrotyrosine ethyl ester. The effects observed (first-order kinetics of ATPase inactivation, incorporation of 1 mol of nitrotyrosine/mol of subfragment 1) were similar to those previously observed for the nondigested subfragments 1 [Lacombe, G., Van Thiem, N., & Swynghedauw, B. (1981) Biochemistry 20, 3648-3653; Körner, M., Van Thiem, N., Lacombe, G., & Swynghedauw, B. (1982) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 105, 1198-1207]. For both native and digested subfragments 1, which were inactivated to the extent of about 70%, the location of the label nitrotyrosine was performed by immunological blotting with 125I-labeled anti-nitrotyrosine immunoglobulins. It was found that the modified residue was essentially located on the heavy chain for the native subfragments 1 and on the 50K peptide for the digested subfragments 1.

Animals↗

Structural differences between atrial and ventricular myosins from normal human hearts.

Comparisons were made between myosins isolated from the right and left ventricles and the atria of normal human hearts. Parameters examined included electrophoretic mobilities of native molecules, K+ and Ca2+ dependent enzymatic activities, light chain composition, peptide patterns from partial proteolytic digests of entire heavy chains or rods, and maps of complete digests of specific 21 and 25 kilodalton heavy chain fragments. Human ventricular and atrial myosins differ in all parameters except in the charge of molecules. Structural differences between cardiac myosins derived from the two sources were apparent in both the head and tail portions of the heavy chains. With respect to the above parameters no differences were found between myosins from left and right human ventricles.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

'Artificial' myosin isozymes: preparation and characteristics.

Using precisely monitored proteolytic digestion conditions rabbit fast skeletal muscle myosin could be selectively modified in different ways. A myosin isozyme with a 20-kDa alkali light chain 1 (A1) could be obtained by digesting with papain in the presence of Ca2+. Under these conditions alkali light chain 2 (A2) was cleaved at Lys-17 and lost a 2.3-kDa N-terminal fragment including the strongly basic N terminus and about half of the characteristic (Ala-Pro) sequence. The Nbs2-[5,5' dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid)-]light chain and A2 were left unmodified and less than 5% of the myosin heavy chain presented a break in the subfragment-2 region. EDTA and Ca2+ ATPase activities were unchanged. A myosin isozyme with an 18-kDa Nbs2-light chain was obtained by limited digestion with trypsin in the presence of Ca2+. The 18.9 leads to 18-kDa conversion was nearly 100% whereas less than 10% of the heavy chain was fragmented and only about 5% of A1 was converted to A1. The Nbs2-light chain was cleaved at Arg-7 preserving Ser-15 and consequently a phosphorylated modified myosin could be obtained. A quasi-elastic light-scattering study showed that this modified myosin in high-ionic-strength solutions exhibited physicochemical characteristics quite similar to those of unmodified myosin.

Amino Acids↗

Quasi-elastic light scattering studies of rabbit skeletal myosin solutions.

Homodyne measurements of the laser light spectrum scattered from solutions of rabbit skeletal muscle myosin in high ionic-strength media manifested a characteristic D value dependence on myosin concentrations. Using the typical D versus myosin concentration curves obtained in the presence of 0.5 M phosphate and 0.2 M phosphate respectively as references, it has been shown that: (1) the observed phenomena are completely reversible; (2) minor components such as C- and F-protein do not significantly influence the measured D values; and (3) the effect of preparation procedures on these dynamic light-scattering measurements is negligible. A common argument (irreversible aggregation) against a monomer-dimer equilibrium is ruled out; on the other hand, some doubt still remains with regard to the existence and physiological significance of a reversible dimerization.

Animals↗

Fate of the light chains in the course of proteolytic digestion of rabbit fast skeletal myosin.

During proteolytic digestion of myosin to prepare HMM or HMM-S-1 subfragments, myosin light chains are affected variously according to experimental conditions. In the presence of Ca2+ at low ionic strength trypsin rapidly degrades the DTNB light chain to a 18 K peptide. This new DTNB light chain is compared to a DTNB (17K) light chain obtained by chymotryptic digestion under similar conditions as shown here and in parallel studies. (Weeds and Pope (1977), J. Mol. Biol, 111, 129--157). Whereas the chymotryptic DTNB (17K) has lost its phosphorylation site (Ser-15), tryptic DTNB (18K) has lost only a strongly basic N-terminal peptide. A transitory (ca 14K) fragment is formed when digestion occurs in the presence of EDTA. A-1 light chain (20.7K) is cut to form a 20K species when myosin (of (CT)-HMM obtained ina high ionic strength medium) is digested with trypsin whether Me2+ is present or not. The new formed species has also lost its strongly basic N-terminal peptide and assumes a primary structure closer to that of A-2. Chymotrypsin was shown to have no effect on the A-1 light chain under the present conditions, whereas A-2 is not affected by chymotrypsin or trypsin under any of the conditions described in the present study.

Animals↗

Nucleoside deoxyribosyltransferase-II from Lactobacillus helveticus Substrate specificity studied. Pyrimidine bases as acceptors.

The nucleoside deoxyribosyltransferase (nucleoside:purine (pyrimidine) deoxyribosyltransferase, EC 2.4.2.6) fraction catalyzing specifically the transfer of the deoxyribosyl moiety from a purine (or a pyrimidine) to a pyrimidine (or a purine) exhibits a broad specificity for the acceptor base. With a pyrimidine base as the acceptor a -OH or -SH group adjacent to the N-1 atom is essential. A substituent on position 6 hinders the reaction. On positions 4 and 5 various substituent were found to influence the reaction rate and some of them give non-competent substrates. A few anomalous cases are also discussed in relation with the role of N-3. Deoxyribonucleosides can also be obtained with non-pyrimidine rings.

Catalysis↗