| Research Abstract |
Processivity of Myosin V : We evidenced that single molecules of myosin V move processively along actin tracks attached to a substratum. The present research project was developed based on this finding. Analysis of Myosin V Processive Movement : Dependence on the ATP concentration of the dwell time between adjacent step-wise displacements was obtained. The histogram of the data was analyzed assuming two continuous reaction steps, which resulted in k_1/[ATP]=0.4 s^<-1>M^<-1>,k_2=18 s^<-1>. The value of k_2 is much larger than the ATPase rate, 1.2s^<-1>/head. Therefore, the two continuous reactions cannot be interpreted as the ADP-release step and the subsequent ATP-binding step. Preparation and Characterization of Single-headed Myosin V : We found that single-headed myosin V(S1) was able to be prepared by digesting myosin V with proteinase K in the presence of Ca^<2+>, and then found that S1 was not processive. Reconstruction of Double-headed HMM from S1 : HMM was reconstructed by linki
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ng two S1s with two flexible PEG chains. One of the head was labeled with a fluorophore, and then its movement along actin filaments was observed. We found that this HMM was processive, and its step size was about 70nm. The two heads linked via flexible PEG chains do not mechanically constrain each other. In the swinging leverarm model, bending of the leading head is supposed to detach the trailing head from actin and bring it forward. Therefore, the movement of this HMM cannot be accounted for by this model. In addition, the step size(70nm) is much smaller than the maximum span(i.e.,2x(70+36)nm), and approximately coincides with the helical pitch of an actin filament. High-speed AFM imaging of nanometerscale dynamic behavior of HMM : Using a high-speed AFM we imaged myosin V before and after releasing ATP from caged-ATP. We found that the head of myosin V bent quickly soon after releasing ATP, and returned to the original conformation in 1-2s. With acto-myosin V we found following events to take place ; soon after one head of myosin V was attached to an actin filament, the head dislocated along the actin filament. This behavior cannot be explained by the swinging leverarm model. Movement of an inanimate object(bead) : When both beads and myosin V were present, the beads moved processively along actin tracks. This observation cannot be accounted for by a model that assumes detachment from an actin filament of the head that is moving forward, and strongly suggests that the head is moving forward, keeping in contact with an actin filament. Less
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