Regulation of Contraction in Striated Muscle

Ca2+ regulation of contraction in vertebrate striated muscle is exerted primarily through effects on the thin filament, which regulate strong cross-bridge binding to actin. Structural and biochemical studies suggest that the position of tropomyosin (Tm) and troponin (Tn) on the thin filament determines the interaction of myosin with the binding sites on actin. These binding sites can be characterized as blocked (unable to bind to cross bridges), closed (able to weakly bind cross bridges), or open (able to bind cross bridges so that they subsequently isomerize to become strongly bound and release ATP hydrolysis products). Flexibility of the Tm may allow variability in actin (A) affinity for myosin along the thin filament other than through a single 7 actin:1 tropomyosin:1 troponin (A7TmTn) regulatory unit. Tm position on the actin filament is regulated by the occupancy of NH-terminal Ca2+binding sites on TnC, conformational changes resulting from Ca2+ binding, and changes in the interactions among Tn, Tm, and actin and as well as by strong S1 binding to actin. Ca2+ binding to TnC enhances TnC-TnI interaction, weakens TnI attachment to its binding sites on 1–2 actins of the regulatory unit, increases Tm movement over the actin surface, and exposes myosin-binding sites on actin previously blocked by Tm. Adjacent Tm are coupled in their overlap regions where Tm movement is also controlled by interactions with TnT. TnT also interacts with TnC-TnI in a Ca2+-dependent manner. All these interactions may vary with the different protein isoforms. The movement of Tm over the actin surface increases the “open” probability of myosin binding sites on actins so that some are in the open configuration available for myosin binding and cross-bridge isomerization to strong binding, force-producing states. In skeletal muscle, strong binding of cycling cross bridges promotes additional Tm movement. This movement effectively stabilizes Tm in the open position and allows cooperative activation of additional actins in that and possibly neighboring A7TmTn regulatory units. The structural and biochemical findings support the physiological observations of steady-state and transient mechanical behavior. Physiological studies suggest the following. 1) Ca2+ binding to Tn/Tm exposes sites on actin to which myosin can bind. 2) Ca2+ regulates the strong binding of M·ADP·Pi to actin, which precedes the production of force (and/or shortening) and release of hydrolysis products. 3) The initial rate of force development depends mostly on the extent of Ca2+ activation of the thin filament and myosin kinetic properties but depends little on the initial force level. 4) A small number of strongly attached cross bridges within an A7TmTn regulatory unit can activate the actins in one unit and perhaps those in neighboring units. This results in additional myosin binding and isomerization to strongly bound states and force production. 5) The rates of the product release steps per se (as indicated by the unloaded shortening velocity) early in shortening are largely independent of the extent of thin filament activation ([Ca2+]) beyond a given baseline level. However, with a greater extent of shortening, the rates depend on the activation level. 6) The cooperativity between neighboring regulatory units contributes to the activation by strong cross bridges of steady-state force but does not affect the rate of force development. 7) Strongly attached, cycling cross bridges can delay relaxation in skeletal muscle in a cooperative manner. 8) Strongly attached and cycling cross bridges can enhance Ca2+ binding to cardiac TnC, but influence skeletal TnC to a lesser extent. 9) Different Tn subunit isoforms can modulate the cross-bridge detachment rate as shown by studies with mutant regulatory proteins in myotubes and in in vitro motility assays. These results and conclusions suggest possible explanations for differences between skeletal and cardiac muscle regulation and delineate the paths future research may take toward a better understanding of striated muscle regulation.

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Cooperative Mechanisms in the Activation Dependence of the Rate of Force Development in Rabbit Skinned Skeletal Muscle Fibers

The Journal of General Physiology ◽

10.1085/jgp.117.2.133 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 117 (2) ◽

pp. 133-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Daniel P. Fitzsimons ◽

Jitandrakumar R. Patel ◽

Kenneth S. Campbell ◽

Richard L. Moss

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Force Development ◽

Cross Bridge ◽

Strong Binding ◽

Regulation Of Contraction ◽

Cooperative Process ◽

Cross Bridges ◽

Kinetics Of ◽

Partial Extraction ◽

Activation Dependence

Regulation of contraction in skeletal muscle is a highly cooperative process involving Ca2+ binding to troponin C (TnC) and strong binding of myosin cross-bridges to actin. To further investigate the role(s) of cooperation in activating the kinetics of cross-bridge cycling, we measured the Ca2+ dependence of the rate constant of force redevelopment (ktr) in skinned single fibers in which cross-bridge and Ca2+ binding were also perturbed. Ca2+ sensitivity of tension, the steepness of the force-pCa relationship, and Ca2+ dependence of ktr were measured in skinned fibers that were (1) treated with NEM-S1, a strong-binding, non–force-generating derivative of myosin subfragment 1, to promote cooperative strong binding of endogenous cross-bridges to actin; (2) subjected to partial extraction of TnC to disrupt the spread of activation along the thin filament; or (3) both, partial extraction of TnC and treatment with NEM-S1. The steepness of the force-pCa relationship was consistently reduced by treatment with NEM-S1, by partial extraction of TnC, or by a combination of TnC extraction and NEM-S1, indicating a decrease in the apparent cooperativity of activation. Partial extraction of TnC or NEM-S1 treatment accelerated the rate of force redevelopment at each submaximal force, but had no effect on kinetics of force development in maximally activated preparations. At low levels of Ca2+, 3 μM NEM-S1 increased ktr to maximal values, and higher concentrations of NEM-S1 (6 or 10 μM) increased ktr to greater than maximal values. NEM-S1 also accelerated ktr at intermediate levels of activation, but to values that were submaximal. However, the combination of partial TnC extraction and 6 μM NEM-S1 increased ktr to virtually identical supramaximal values at all levels of activation, thus, completely eliminating the activation dependence of ktr. These results show that ktr is not maximal in control fibers, even at saturating [Ca2+], and suggest that activation dependence of ktr is due to the combined activating effects of Ca2+ binding to TnC and cross-bridge binding to actin.

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Three-dimensional stochastic model of actin–myosin binding in the sarcomere lattice

The Journal of General Physiology ◽

10.1085/jgp.201611608 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 148 (6) ◽

pp. 459-488 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Srboljub M. Mijailovich ◽

Oliver Kayser-Herold ◽

Boban Stojanovic ◽

Djordje Nedic ◽

Thomas C. Irving ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Kinetic Models ◽

Striated Muscle ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Limited Range ◽

Mass Action ◽

Myosin Filament ◽

Mass Action Kinetic ◽

Cross Bridge ◽

Myosin Binding ◽

Cross Bridges

The effect of molecule tethering in three-dimensional (3-D) space on bimolecular binding kinetics is rarely addressed and only occasionally incorporated into models of cell motility. The simplest system that can quantitatively determine this effect is the 3-D sarcomere lattice of the striated muscle, where tethered myosin in thick filaments can only bind to a relatively small number of available sites on the actin filament, positioned within a limited range of thermal movement of the myosin head. Here we implement spatially explicit actomyosin interactions into the multiscale Monte Carlo platform MUSICO, specifically defining how geometrical constraints on tethered myosins can modulate state transition rates in the actomyosin cycle. The simulations provide the distribution of myosin bound to sites on actin, ensure conservation of the number of interacting myosins and actin monomers, and most importantly, the departure in behavior of tethered myosin molecules from unconstrained myosin interactions with actin. In addition, MUSICO determines the number of cross-bridges in each actomyosin cycle state, the force and number of attached cross-bridges per myosin filament, the range of cross-bridge forces and accounts for energy consumption. At the macroscopic scale, MUSICO simulations show large differences in predicted force-velocity curves and in the response during early force recovery phase after a step change in length comparing to the two simplest mass action kinetic models. The origin of these differences is rooted in the different fluxes of myosin binding and corresponding instantaneous cross-bridge distributions and quantitatively reflects a major flaw of the mathematical description in all mass action kinetic models. Consequently, this new approach shows that accurate recapitulation of experimental data requires significantly different binding rates, number of actomyosin states, and cross-bridge elasticity than typically used in mass action kinetic models to correctly describe the biochemical reactions of tethered molecules and their interaction energetics.

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Single molecule imaging reveals the concerted release of myosin from regulated thin filaments

10.1101/357202 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

A. V. Inchingolo ◽

M. Mihailescu ◽

D. Hongsheng ◽

N. M. Kad

Keyword(s):

Single Molecule ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Calcium Binding ◽

Thin Filament ◽

Striated Muscle ◽

Monte Carlo Model ◽

Local Concentration ◽

Single Molecule Imaging ◽

Thin Filaments ◽

Myosin Binding

AbstractRegulated thin filaments (RTFs) tightly control striated muscle contraction through calcium binding to troponin, which in turn shifts the position of tropomyosin on actin to expose myosin binding sites. The binding of the first myosin holds tropomyosin in a position such that more myosin binding sites on actin are available, resulting in cooperative activation. Troponin and tropomyosin also act to turn off the thin filament; however, this is antagonized by the high local concentration of myosin, questioning how the thin filament relaxes. To provide molecular details of deactivation we use the RTF tightrope assay, in which single RTFs are suspended between pedestals above a microscope coverslip surface. Single molecule imaging of GFP tagged myosin-S1 (S1-GFP) is used to follow the activation of RTF tightropes. In sub-maximal activation conditions, S1-GFP molecules bind forming metastable clusters, from which release and rebinding of S1-GFP leads to prolonged activation in these regions. Because the RTFs are not fully active we are able to directly observe deactivation in real time. Using a Reversible Jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo model we are able to dynamically assess the fate of active regions. This analysis reveals that myosin binding occurs in a stochastic stepwise fashion; however, an unexpectedly large probability of multiple simultaneous detachments is observed. This suggests that deactivation of the thin filament is a coordinated, active process.

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Single-molecule imaging reveals the concerted release of myosin from regulated thin filaments

eLife ◽

10.7554/elife.69184 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 ◽

Author(s):

Quentin M Smith ◽

Alessio V Inchingolo ◽

Madalina-Daniela Mihailescu ◽

Hongsheng Dai ◽

Neil M Kad

Keyword(s):

Single Molecule ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Calcium Binding ◽

Thin Filament ◽

Fluorescent Protein ◽

Striated Muscle ◽

Local Concentration ◽

Single Molecule Imaging ◽

Thin Filaments ◽

Myosin Binding

Regulated thin filaments (RTFs) tightly control striated muscle contraction through calcium binding to troponin, which enables tropomyosin to expose myosin-binding sites on actin. Myosin binding holds tropomyosin in an open position, exposing more myosin-binding sites on actin, leading to cooperative activation. At lower calcium levels, troponin and tropomyosin turn off the thin filament; however, this is antagonised by the high local concentration of myosin, questioning how the thin filament relaxes. To provide molecular details of deactivation, we used single-molecule imaging of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged myosin-S1 (S1-GFP) to follow the activation of RTF tightropes. In sub-maximal activation conditions, RTFs are not fully active, enabling direct observation of deactivation in real time. We observed that myosin binding occurs in a stochastic step-wise fashion; however, an unexpectedly large probability of multiple contemporaneous detachments is observed. This suggests that deactivation of the thin filament is a coordinated active process.

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The structure of the native cardiac thin filament at systolic Ca2+ levels

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2024288118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 118 (13) ◽

pp. e2024288118

Author(s):

Cristina M. Risi ◽

Ian Pepper ◽

Betty Belknap ◽

Maicon Landim-Vieira ◽

Howard D. White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cardiac Muscle ◽

Binding Sites ◽

Short Range ◽

Bound States ◽

Thin Filament ◽

Narrow Range ◽

The Other ◽

Thin Filaments ◽

Troponin Complex ◽

Myosin Binding

Every heartbeat relies on cyclical interactions between myosin thick and actin thin filaments orchestrated by rising and falling Ca2+ levels. Thin filaments are comprised of two actin strands, each harboring equally separated troponin complexes, which bind Ca2+ to move tropomyosin cables away from the myosin binding sites and, thus, activate systolic contraction. Recently, structures of thin filaments obtained at low (pCa ∼9) or high (pCa ∼3) Ca2+ levels revealed the transition between the Ca2+-free and Ca2+-bound states. However, in working cardiac muscle, Ca2+ levels fluctuate at intermediate values between pCa ∼6 and pCa ∼7. The structure of the thin filament at physiological Ca2+ levels is unknown. We used cryoelectron microscopy and statistical analysis to reveal the structure of the cardiac thin filament at systolic pCa = 5.8. We show that the two strands of the thin filament consist of a mixture of regulatory units, which are composed of Ca2+-free, Ca2+-bound, or mixed (e.g., Ca2+ free on one side and Ca2+ bound on the other side) troponin complexes. We traced troponin complex conformations along and across individual thin filaments to directly determine the structural composition of the cardiac native thin filament at systolic Ca2+ levels. We demonstrate that the two thin filament strands are activated stochastically with short-range cooperativity evident only on one of the two strands. Our findings suggest a mechanism by which cardiac muscle is regulated by narrow range Ca2+ fluctuations.

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Cooperative attachment of cross bridges predicts regulation of smooth muscle force by myosin phosphorylation

AJP Cell Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpcell.00082.2004 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 287 (3) ◽

pp. C594-C602 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Christopher M. Rembold ◽

Robert L. Wardle ◽

Christopher J. Wingard ◽

Timothy W. Batts ◽

Elaine F. Etter ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Skeletal Muscle ◽

Smooth Muscle ◽

Time Course ◽

Muscle Force ◽

Regulatory System ◽

Force Development ◽

Cross Bridge ◽

Cross Bridges ◽

The Relationship ◽

Cooperative Activation

Serine 19 phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (MRLC) appears to be the primary determinant of smooth muscle force development. The relationship between MRLC phosphorylation and force is nonlinear, showing that phosphorylation is not a simple switch regulating the number of cycling cross bridges. We reexamined the MRLC phosphorylation-force relationship in slow, tonic swine carotid media; fast, phasic rabbit urinary bladder detrusor; and very fast, tonic rat anococcygeus. We found a sigmoidal dependence of force on MRLC phosphorylation in all three tissues with a threshold for force development of ∼0.15 mol Pi/mol MRLC. This behavior suggests that force is regulated in a highly cooperative manner. We then determined whether a model that employs both the latch-bridge hypothesis and cooperative activation could reproduce the relationship between Ser19-MRLC phosphorylation and force without the need for a second regulatory system. We based this model on skeletal muscle in which attached cross bridges cooperatively activate thin filaments to facilitate cross-bridge attachment. We found that such a model describes both the steady-state and time-course relationship between Ser19-MRLC phosphorylation and force. The model required both cooperative activation and latch-bridge formation to predict force. The best fit of the model occurred when binding of a cross bridge cooperatively activated seven myosin binding sites on the thin filament. This result suggests cooperative mechanisms analogous to skeletal muscle that will require testing.

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Abstract P338: Myopeptide Improves Contractile Mechanics In A Mouse Model Of Heart Failure Expressing Phosphoablated Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein-C

Circulation Research ◽

10.1161/res.129.suppl_1.p338 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Rohit Singh ◽

Sakthivel Sadayappan

Keyword(s):

Heart Failure ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Protein C ◽

Cardiac Myosin ◽

Bridge Formation ◽

Cross Bridge ◽

Myosin Binding Protein ◽

Myosin Binding Protein C ◽

Myosin Binding ◽

Cross Bridges

Rationale: Normal heart function depends on cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) phosphorylation. Its decrease is associated with heart failure (HF) by inhibiting actomyosin interactions. In absence of cMyBP-C phosphorylation, the protein is bound to myosin S2, but released when phosphorylated, allowing myosin to form cross-bridges with actin. Challenging cMyBP-C/myosin S2 interaction by myopeptide (the first 126 amino acids of myosin S2) could promote actomyosin interaction in vitro , but its ability to improve contractility in HF remains untested. Objective: To test contractile function in skinned papillary fibers of a cMyBP-C dephosphorylated mouse model using myopeptide. Methods and Results: To mimic constitutive phosphoablation, a knock-in mouse model was established to express cMyBP-C in which serines 273, 282 and 302 were mutated to alanine (cMyBP-C AAA ). Western blotting revealed 50% and 100% of cMyBP-C AAA in het and homo mouse hearts, respectively. Echocardiography showed a decreased percentage of ejection fraction (28%, p<0.01) and fractional shortening (30%, p< 0.05) in both het and homo cMyBP-C AAA mice at 3 months of age, compared to knock-in negative controls. These mice also developed diastolic dysfunction with elevated ratio of E/A and E/e’ waves. Next, pCa-force measurements using skinned papillary fibers determined that maximal force (F max ) and rate of cross-bridge formation ( k tr ) were decreased in the cMyBP-C AAA groups, compared to the control. However, administration of dose-dependent myopeptide increased F max and k tr in wild-type and cMyBP-C AAA permeabilized skinned papillary fibers without affecting myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity. Conclusions: Myopeptide can increase contractile force and rate of cross-bridge formation by releasing cMyBP-C/myosin S2 and promoting actomyosin formation of cross-bridges, thus validating its therapeutic potential.

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Functional and evolutionary relationships of troponin C

Physiological Genomics ◽

10.1152/physiolgenomics.00197.2007 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 32 (1) ◽

pp. 16-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Todd E. Gillis ◽

Christian R. Marshall ◽

Glen F. Tibbits

Keyword(s):

Functional Properties ◽

Thin Filament ◽

Troponin I ◽

Striated Muscle ◽

Troponin T ◽

Extensive Study ◽

Troponin C ◽

High Conservation ◽

Cross Bridges ◽

And Function

Striated muscle contraction is initiated when, following membrane depolarization, Ca2+ binds to the low-affinity Ca2+ binding sites of troponin C (TnC). The Ca2+ activation of this protein results in a rearrangement of the components (troponin I, troponin T, and tropomyosin) of the thin filament, resulting in increased interaction between actin and myosin and the formation of cross bridges. The functional properties of this protein are therefore critical in determining the active properties of striated muscle. To date there are 61 known TnCs that have been cloned from 41 vertebrate and invertebrate species. In vertebrate species there are also distinct fast skeletal muscle and cardiac TnC proteins. While there is relatively high conservation of the amino acid sequence of TnC homologs between species and tissue types, there is wide variation in the functional properties of these proteins. To date there has been extensive study of the structure and function of this protein and how differences in these translate into the functional properties of muscles. The purpose of this work is to integrate these studies of TnC with phylogenetic analysis to investigate how changes in the sequence and function of this protein, integrate with the evolution of striated muscle.

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Three-dimensional image reconstruction of insect flight muscle. I. The rigor myac layer.

The Journal of Cell Biology ◽

10.1083/jcb.109.3.1085 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 109 (3) ◽

pp. 1085-1102 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

K A Taylor ◽

M C Reedy ◽

L Córdova ◽

M K Reedy

Keyword(s):

Thin Filament ◽

Flight Muscle ◽

Insect Flight ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Bridge Structure ◽

Insect Flight Muscle ◽

Single Filament ◽

Cross Bridge ◽

Cross Bridges

We have obtained detailed three-dimensional images of in situ cross-bridge structure in insect flight muscle by electron microscopy of multiple tilt views of single filament layers in ultrathin sections, supplemented with data from thick sections. In this report, we describe the images obtained of the myac layer, a 25-nm longitudinal section containing a single layer of alternating myosin and actin filaments. The reconstruction reveals averaged rigor cross-bridges that clearly separate into two classes constituting lead and rear chevrons within each 38.7-nm axial repeat. These two classes differ in tilt angle, size and shape, density, and slew. This new reconstruction confirms our earlier interpretation of the lead bridge as a two-headed cross-bridge and the rear bridge as a single-headed cross-bridge. The importance of complementing tilt series with additional projections outside the goniometer tilt range is demonstrated by comparison with our earlier myac layer reconstruction. Incorporation of this additional data reveals new details of rigor cross-bridge structure in situ which include clear delineation of (a) a triangular shape for the lead bridge, (b) a smaller size for the rear bridge, and (c) density continuity across the thin filament in the lead bridge. Within actin's regular 38.7-nm helical repeat, local twist variations in the thin filament that correlate with the two cross-bridge classes persist in this new reconstruction. These observations show that in situ rigor cross-bridges are not uniform, and suggest three different myosin head conformations in rigor.

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Myosin Cross-bridge Behaviour in Contracting Muscle – The T1 Curve of Huxley & Simmons (1971) Revisited

10.20944/preprints201903.0147.v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Carlo Knupp ◽

John M. Squire

Keyword(s):

Actin Filaments ◽

Striated Muscle ◽

X Ray Diffraction ◽

Step Size ◽

Weakly Bound ◽

X Ray ◽

Cross Bridge ◽

Key Factor ◽

Length Changes ◽

Cross Bridges

The stiffness of the myosin cross-bridges is a key factor in analysing possible scenarios to explain myosin head changes during force generation in active muscles.  The seminal study of Huxley and Simmons (1971: Nature 233: 533) suggested that most of the observed half-sarcomere instantaneous compliance (=1/stiffness) resides in the myosin heads.    They showed with a so-called T1 plot that, after a very fast release, the half-sarcomere tension reduced to zero after a step size of about 60Å (later with improved experiments reduced to 40Å).   However, later X-ray diffraction studies showed that myosin and actin filaments themselves stretch slightly under tension, which means that most (at least two-thirds) of the half sarcomere compliance comes from the filaments and not from cross-bridges.    Here we have used a different approach, namely to model the compliances in a virtual half sarcomere structure in silico.   We confirm that the T1 curve comes almost entirely from length changes in the myosin and actin filaments, because the calculated cross-bridge stiffness (probably greater than 0.4 pN/Å) is higher than previous studies have suggested.    In the light of this, we present a plausible modified scenario to describe aspects of the myosin cross-bridge cycle in active muscle.   In particular, we suggest that, apart from the filament compliances, most of the cross-bridge contribution to the instantaneous T1 response comes from weakly-bound myosin heads, not myosin heads in strongly attached states.   The strongly attached heads would still contribute to the T1 curve, but only in a very minor way, with a stiffness that we postulate could be around 0.1 pN/Å, a value which would generate a working stroke close to 100 Å from the hydrolysis of one ATP molecule.  The new program can serve as a tool to calculate sarcomere elastic properties for any vertebrate striated muscle once various parameters have been determined (e.g. tension, T1 intercept, temperature, X-ray diffraction spacing results).

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