Cooperative rigor binding of myosin to actin is a function of F-actin structure

J Mol Biol. 1997 Feb 7;265(5):469-74. doi: 10.1006/jmbi.1996.0761.

Abstract

Many aspects of cooperative behavior within pure F-actin filaments have now been described. We have used two myosin fragments, heavy meromyosin (HMM) and Subfragment 1 (S1), to look at the rigor binding to different forms of F-actin. With Ca2+ bound at the high-affinity metal binding site in actin, there is a very large cooperativity in the binding of HMM, but no cooperativity for S1. With Mg2+ bound at the high affinity site, or with conditions that stabilize the conformation of subdomain-2 of actin, there is no cooperativity seen with either HMM or S1. These results show that the two heads of HMM can induce structural changes in F-actin that are not observed with the single head of S1. They also support the notion that the binding of myosin to F-actin induces a conformational change in subdomain-2 of actin, and that under certain conditions this conformational change can be cooperatively propagated through an actin filament.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Actins / chemistry
  • Actins / metabolism*
  • Actins / ultrastructure*
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites
  • Calcium / metabolism
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Magnesium / metabolism
  • Microscopy, Electron
  • Molecular Structure
  • Myosin Subfragments / chemistry
  • Myosin Subfragments / metabolism
  • Myosin Subfragments / ultrastructure
  • Myosins / chemistry
  • Myosins / metabolism*
  • Myosins / ultrastructure*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Rabbits

Substances

  • Actins
  • Myosin Subfragments
  • Myosins
  • Magnesium
  • Calcium