Myosin-binding protein C displaces tropomyosin to activate cardiac thin filaments and governs their speed by an independent mechanism

JY Mun, MJ Previs, HY Yu, J Gulick… - Proceedings of the …, 2014 - National Acad Sciences
JY Mun, MJ Previs, HY Yu, J Gulick, LS Tobacman, S Beck Previs, J Robbins, DM Warshaw
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2014National Acad Sciences
Myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C) is an accessory protein of striated muscle thick filaments
and a modulator of cardiac muscle contraction. Defects in the cardiac isoform, cMyBP-C,
cause heart disease. cMyBP-C includes 11 Ig-and fibronectin-like domains and a cMyBP-C-
specific motif. In vitro studies show that in addition to binding to the thick filament via its C-
terminal region, cMyBP-C can also interact with actin via its N-terminal domains, modulating
thin filament motility. Structural observations of F-actin decorated with N-terminal fragments …
Myosin-binding protein C (MyBP-C) is an accessory protein of striated muscle thick filaments and a modulator of cardiac muscle contraction. Defects in the cardiac isoform, cMyBP-C, cause heart disease. cMyBP-C includes 11 Ig- and fibronectin-like domains and a cMyBP-C-specific motif. In vitro studies show that in addition to binding to the thick filament via its C-terminal region, cMyBP-C can also interact with actin via its N-terminal domains, modulating thin filament motility. Structural observations of F-actin decorated with N-terminal fragments of cMyBP-C suggest that cMyBP-C binds to actin close to the low Ca2+ binding site of tropomyosin. This suggests that cMyBP-C might modulate thin filament activity by interfering with tropomyosin regulatory movements on actin. To determine directly whether cMyBP-C binding affects tropomyosin position, we have used electron microscopy and in vitro motility assays to study the structural and functional effects of N-terminal fragments binding to thin filaments. 3D reconstructions suggest that under low Ca2+ conditions, cMyBP-C displaces tropomyosin toward its high Ca2+ position, and that this movement corresponds to thin filament activation in the motility assay. At high Ca2+, cMyBP-C had little effect on tropomyosin position and caused slowing of thin filament sliding. Unexpectedly, a shorter N-terminal fragment did not displace tropomyosin or activate the thin filament at low Ca2+ but slowed thin filament sliding as much as the larger fragments. These results suggest that cMyBP-C may both modulate thin filament activity, by physically displacing tropomyosin from its low Ca2+ position on actin, and govern contractile speed by an independent molecular mechanism.
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