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2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

Investigation on the functional significance of myosin light chain kinase and myosin light chain phosphorylation

Research Project

Project/Area Number 15590721
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section一般
Research Field Circulatory organs internal medicine
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

YAMASHITA Hiroshi  The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Assistant, 医学部附属病院, 助手 (50323572)

Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) SUGIURA Seiryo  The University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, Professor, 大学院・新領域創成科学研究科, 教授 (10272551)
SATA Masataka  The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Assistant professor, 医学部附属病院, 助教授 (80345214)
KATOH Masayoshi  The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Staff, 医学部附属病院, 医員
Project Period (FY) 2003 – 2004
KeywordsCardiac myosin / Myosin light chain kinase / Myosin light chain phosphorylation / Laser trap / In vitro motility assay / Actin-activated ATPase activity / Telokin / Subfragment-2
Research Abstract

Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) is a multifunctional protein with kinase domain in the middle, actin-binding domain in the amino-terminus, and myosin binding domain in the carboxyl-terminus of the molecule. In smooth muscles, MLCK phosphorylates the regulatory light chain (RLC) to activate myosin ATPase activity and start muscle shortening. In cardiac muscles, however, MLCK also phosphorylates RLC and has a modulatory effect on muscle contraction, i.e. phorphorylation of RLC increases calcium sensitivity of isometric force production. Recently, Kohama et al. reported that MLCK could enhance molecular function by directly binding to smooth muscle myosin molecules without phosphorylating RLC. Although similar MLCK isoform is expressed and localized on the myosin filaments in cardiac muscles, the functional role of MLCK is not well elucidated. Therefore, we investigated the effect of MLCK on the molecular function of cardiac myosin in vitro.
An amino-terminal MLCK fragment (MF) containing … More myosin-binding region but lacking the kinase domain was expressed in E.coli using bovine stomach MLCK cDNA and purified. Myosin was purified from rat cardiac muscles. Actin-activated ATPase activity and actin filament velocity in the in vitro motility assay were measured in the presence and absence of 5mmol/L of MF. The filament velocity was 22% higher in the presence of MF compared to the control condition (5.6±0.5 v.s. 4.6±0.4 mm/sec, p<0.01). The ATPase activity was not different between these conditions. On the urea polyacrylamide gels, the phosphorylation level was not affected by the addition of MF, either.
The MLCK fragment studied in the present study is expressed in smooth muscle cells as an independent protein, telokin. In smooth muscles, telokin is proposed to bind to the S-1-S-2 junction of myosin molecule and induce a conformational change. Taken together, the present results suggest that MLCK may modulate cardiac function not only by phosphorylating RLC to increase calcium sensitivity but also by directly binding to the myosin molecule to change conformation. Less

  • Research Products

    (8 results)

All 2004 2003

All Journal Article (8 results)

  • [Journal Article] Single cell mechanics of rat cardiomyocytes under isometric, unloaded, and physiologically loaded conditions.2004

    • Author(s)
      西村 智
    • Journal Title

      American Journal of Physiology - Heart & Circulatory Physiology 287

      Pages: H196-H202

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Single cell mechanics of rat cardiomyocytes under isometric, unloaded, and physiologically loaded conditions.2004

    • Author(s)
      Nishimura S., Yasuda S., Katoh M., Yamada KP., Yamashita H., Saeki Y., Sunagawa K., Nagai R., Hisada T., Sugiura S.
    • Journal Title

      American Journal of Physiology -Heart & Circulatory Physiology. 287(1)

      Pages: H196-H202

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Myosin light chain isoforms modify force-generating ability of cardiac myosin by changing the kinetics of actin-myosin interaction.2003

    • Author(s)
      山下 尋史
    • Journal Title

      Cardiovascular Research 60

      Pages: 580-588

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Measurement of force developed by a single cardiac myocyte using novel carbon fiber2003

    • Author(s)
      杉浦 清了
    • Journal Title

      Advances in Experimental Medicine & Biology 538

      Pages: 381-387

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Unloaded shortening increases peak of Ca2+ transients but accelerates their decay in ra single cardiac myocytes.2003

    • Author(s)
      保田 壮一郎
    • Journal Title

      American Journal of Physiology - Heart & Circulatory Physiology 285

      Pages: H470-H475

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Myosin light chain isoforms modify force-generating ability of cardiac myosin by changing the kinetics of actin-myosin interaction.2003

    • Author(s)
      Yamashita H., Sugiura S., Fujita H., Yasuda S., Nagai R., Saeki Y., Sunagawa K., Sugi H.
    • Journal Title

      Cardiovascular Research. 60(3)

      Pages: 580-588

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Measurement of force developed by a single cardiac myocyte using novel carbon fibers.2003

    • Author(s)
      Sugiura S., Yasuda S., Yamashita H., Kato K., Saeki Y., Kaneko H., Suda Y., Nagai R., Sugi H.
    • Journal Title

      Advances in Experimental Medicine & Biology. 538

      Pages: 381-387

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Unloaded shortening increases peak of Ca2+ transients but accelerates their decay in rat single cardiac myocytes.2003

    • Author(s)
      Yasuda S., Sugiura S., Yamashita H., Nishimura S., Saeki Y., Momomura S., Katoh K., Nagai R., Sugi H.
    • Journal Title

      American Journal of Physiology -Heart & Circulatory Physiology. 285(2)

      Pages: H470-H475

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 2006-07-11  

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