James R Sellers

Pennsylvania State University, University Park, MD, USA

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Publications (76)587.85 Total impact

  • Article: Loss of actomyosin regulation in distal arthrogryposis myopathy due to mutant myosin binding protein-C slow.
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    ABSTRACT: Myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C) is expressed in striated muscles, where it plays key roles in the modulation of actomyosin cross-bridges. Slow MyBP-C (sMyBP-C) consists of multiple variants sharing common domains but also containing unique segments within the NH2 and COOH termini. Two missense mutations in the NH2 terminus (W236R) and COOH terminus (Y856H) of sMyBP-C have been causally linked to the development of distal arthrogryposis-1 (DA-1), a severe skeletal muscle disorder. Using a combination of in vitro binding and motility assays, we show that the COOH terminus mediates binding of sMyBP-C to thick filaments, while the NH2 terminus modulates the formation of actomyosin cross-bridges in a variant-specific manner. Consistent with this, a recombinant NH2-terminal peptide that excludes residues 34-59 reduces the sliding velocity of actin filaments past myosin heads from 9.0 ± 1.3 to 5.7 ± 1.0 μm/s at 0.1 μM, while a recombinant peptide that excludes residues 21-59 fails to do so. Notably, the actomyosin regulatory properties of sMyBP-C are completely abolished by the presence of the DA-1 mutations. In summary, our studies are the first to show that the NH2 and COOH termini of sMyBP-C have distinct functions, which are regulated by differential splicing, and are compromized by the presence of missense point mutations linked to muscle disease.-Ackermann, M. A., Patel, P. D., Valenti, J., Takagi, Y., Homsher, E., Sellers, J. R., Kontrogiannni-Konstantopoulos, A. Loss of actomyosin regulation in distal arthrogryposis myopathy due to mutant myosin binding protein-C slow.
    The FASEB Journal 05/2013; · 5.71 Impact Factor
  • Article: Mammalian Myosin-18A: A Highly Divergent Myosin.
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    ABSTRACT: The M. musculus myosin-18A gene is expressed as two alternatively spliced isoforms, α and β, with reported roles in Golgi localization, maintenance of cytoskeleton, and as receptors for immunological surfactant proteins. Both myosin-18A isoforms feature a myosin motor domain, a single predicted IQ motif and a long coiled-coil reminiscent of myosin-2. The myosin-18Aα isoform, additionally, has an N-terminal PDZ domain. Recombinant HMM- and S1-like constructs for both myosin-18Aα and -18β species were purified from the baculovirus/Sf9 cell expression system. These constructs bound both essential and regulatory light chains indicating an additional noncanonical light chaing binding site in the neck. Myosin-18Aα and -18Aβ-S1 molecules bound actin weakly with Kd values of 4.9 and 54 uM, respectively. The actin binding data could be modeled by assuming an equilibrium between two myosin conformations, a competent and an incompetent form to bind actin. Actin binding was unchanged by presence of nucleotide. Both myosin-18A isoforms bound mant-nucleotides, but the rate of ATP hydrolysis was very slow (<0.002s-1) and not significantly enhanced by actin. Phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain had no effect on ATP hydrolysis and neither did addition of tropomyosin or of GOLPH3, a myosin-18A binding partner. Electron microscopy of myosin18A-S1 showed that the lever is strongly angled with respect to the long axis of the motor domain, suggesting a pre-powerstroke conformation regardless of the presence of ATP. These data lead us to conclude that myosin-18A does not operate as a traditional molecular motor in cells.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 02/2013; · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: A subdomain interaction at the base of the lever allosterically tunes the mechanochemical mechanism of Myosin 5a.
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    ABSTRACT: The motor domain of myosin is the core element performing mechanochemical energy transduction. This domain contains the actin and ATP binding sites and the base of the force-transducing lever. Coordinated subdomain movements within the motor are essential in linking the ATPase chemical cycle to translocation along actin filaments. A dynamic subdomain interface located at the base of the lever was previously shown to exert an allosteric influence on ATP hydrolysis in the non-processive myosin 2 motor. By solution kinetic, spectroscopic and ensemble and single-molecule motility experiments, we determined the role of a class-specific adaptation of this interface in the mechanochemical mechanism of myosin 5a, a processive intracellular transporter. We found that the introduction of a myosin 2-specific repulsive interaction into myosin 5a via the I67K mutation perturbs the strong-binding interaction of myosin 5a with actin, influences the mechanism of ATP binding and facilitates ATP hydrolysis. At the same time, the mutation abolishes the actin-induced activation of ADP release and, in turn, slows down processive motility, especially when myosin experiences mechanical drag exerted by the action of multiple motor molecules bound to the same actin filament. The results highlight that subtle structural adaptations of the common structural scaffold of the myosin motor enable specific allosteric tuning of motor activity shaped by widely differing physiological demands.
    PLoS ONE 01/2013; 8(5):e62640. · 4.09 Impact Factor
  • Article: Kinetic Characterization of Nonmuscle Myosin IIB at the Single Molecule Level.
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    ABSTRACT: Nonmuscle myosin IIB (NMIIB) is a cytoplasmic myosin, which plays an important role in cell motility by maintaining cortical tension. It forms bipolar thick filaments with ~14 myosin molecule dimers on each side of the bare zone. Our previous studies showed that the NMIIB is a moderately high duty ratio (~20-25%) motor. The ADP release step (~0.35 s-1), of NMIIB is only ~3 times faster than the rate-limiting phosphate release (0.13 +/- 0.01 s-1). The aim of this study was to relate the known in vitro kinetic parameters to the results of single molecule experiments and to compare the kinetic and mechanical properties of single- and double-headed myosin fragments, and nonmuscle IIB thick filaments. Examination of the kinetics of NMIIB interaction with actin at the single molecule level was accomplished by the use of TIRF using FIONA and dual-beam optical trapping. At a physiological ATP concentration (1 mM), the rate of detachment of the single-headed and double-headed molecules was similar (~0.4 s-1). Using optical tweezers we found that the power-stroke sizes of single- and double-headed HMM were each ~6 nm. No signs of processive stepping at the single molecule level were observed in the case of NMIIB-HMM in optical tweezers or TIRF/in vitro motility experiments. In contrast robust motility of individual fluorescently labeled thick filaments of full-length NMIIB was observed on actin filaments. Our results are in good agreement with the previous steady state and transient kinetic studies and show that the individual nonprocessive nonmuscle myosin IIB molecules form a highly processive unit when polymerized into filaments.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 11/2012; · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Temperature dependent measurements reveal similarities between muscle and non-muscle myosin motility.
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    ABSTRACT: We examined the temperature dependence of muscle and non-muscle myosin (heavy meromyosin, HMM) with in vitro motility and actin-activated ATPase assays. Our results indicate that myosin V (MV) has a temperature dependence that is similar in both ATPase and motility assays. We demonstrate that skeletal muscle myosin (SK), smooth muscle myosin (SM), and non-muscle myosin IIA (NM) have different temperature dependence in ATPase compared to in vitro motility assays. In the class II myosins we examined (SK, SM, and NM) the rate-limiting step in ATPase assays is thought to be attachment to actin or phosphate release, while for in vitro motility assays it is controversial. In MV the rate-limiting step for both in vitro motility and ATPase assays is known to be ADP release. Consequently, in MV the temperature dependence of the ADP release rate constant is similar to the temperature dependence of in vitro motility. Interestingly, the temperature dependence of the ADP release rate constant of SM and NM was shifted toward the in vitro motility temperature dependence. Our results suggest that the rate-limiting step in SK, SM, and NM may shift from attachment-limited in solution to detachment limited in the in vitro motility assay. Internal strain within the myosin molecule or by neighboring myosin motors may slow ADP release which becomes rate-limiting in the in vitro motility assay. Within this small subset of myosins examined, the in vitro sliding velocity correlates reasonably well with actin-activated ATPase activity, which was suggested by the original study by Barany (J Gen Physiol 50:197-218, 1967).
    Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility 08/2012; · 1.98 Impact Factor
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    Article: Nonmuscle myosin II exerts tension but does not translocate actin in vertebrate cytokinesis.
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    ABSTRACT: During vertebrate cytokinesis it is thought that contractile ring constriction is driven by nonmuscle myosin II (NM II) translocation of antiparallel actin filaments. Here we report in situ, in vitro, and in vivo observations that challenge this hypothesis. Graded knockdown of NM II in cultured COS-7 cells reveals that the amount of NM II limits ring constriction. Restoration of the constriction rate with motor-impaired NM II mutants shows that the ability of NM II to translocate actin is not required for cytokinesis. Blebbistatin inhibition of cytokinesis indicates the importance of myosin strongly binding to actin and exerting tension during cytokinesis. This role is substantiated by transient kinetic experiments showing that the load-dependent mechanochemical properties of mutant NM II support efficient tension maintenance despite the inability to translocate actin. Under loaded conditions, mutant NM II exhibits a prolonged actin attachment in which a single mechanoenzymatic cycle spans most of the time of cytokinesis. This prolonged attachment promotes simultaneous binding of NM II heads to actin, thereby increasing tension and resisting expansion of the ring. The detachment of mutant NM II heads from actin is enhanced by assisting loads, which prevent mutant NM II from hampering furrow ingression during cytokinesis. In the 3D context of mouse hearts, mutant NM II-B R709C that cannot translocate actin filaments can rescue multinucleation in NM II-B ablated cardiomyocytes. We propose that the major roles of NM II in vertebrate cell cytokinesis are to bind and cross-link actin filaments and to exert tension on actin during contractile ring constriction.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 03/2012; 109(12):4509-14. · 9.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: Walking to work: roles for class V myosins as cargo transporters.
    John A Hammer, James R Sellers
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    ABSTRACT: Cells use molecular motors, such as myosins, to move, position and segregate their organelles. Class V myosins possess biochemical and structural properties that should make them ideal actin-based cargo transporters. Indeed, studies show that class V myosins function as cargo transporters in yeast, moving a range of organelles, such as the vacuole, peroxisomes and secretory vesicles. There is also increasing evidence in vertebrate cells that class V myosins not only tether organelles to actin but also can serve as short-range, point-to-point organelle transporters, usually following long-range, microtubule-dependent organelle transport.
    Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 12/2011; 13(1):13-26. · 39.12 Impact Factor
  • Article: Regulation of myosin 5a and myosin 7a.
    Verl B Siththanandan, James R Sellers
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    ABSTRACT: The myosin superfamily is diverse in its structure, kinetic mechanisms and cellular function. The enzymatic activities of most myosins are regulated by some means such as Ca2+ ion binding, phosphorylation or binding of other proteins. In the present review, we discuss the structural basis for the regulation of mammalian myosin 5a and Drosophila myosin 7a. We show that, although both myosins have a folded inactive state in which domains in the myosin tail interact with the motor domain, the details of the regulation of these two myosins differ greatly.
    Biochemical Society Transactions 10/2011; 39(5):1136-41. · 3.71 Impact Factor
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    Article: Nucleotide pyrophosphatase employs a P-loop-like motif to enhance catalytic power and NDP/NTP discrimination.
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    ABSTRACT: We investigated the potential (d)NDP/(d)NTP discrimination mechanisms in nucleotide pyrophosphatases. Here, we report that dUTPase, an essential nucleotide pyrophosphatase, uses a C-terminal P-loop-like sequence in a unique mechanism for substrate discrimination and efficient hydrolysis. Our spectroscopy and transient kinetics results on human dUTPase mutants combined with previous structural studies indicate that (i) H-bond interactions between the γ-phosphate and the P-loop-like motif V promote the catalytically competent conformation of the reaction center at the α-phosphate group; (ii) these interactions accelerate the chemical step of the kinetic cycle and that (iii) hydrolysis occurs very slowly or not at all in the absence of the γ-phosphate--motif V interactions, i.e., in dUDP, dUDP.BeFx, or in the motif V-deleted mutant. The physiological role of dUTPase is to set cellular dUTPdTTP ratios and prevent injurious uracil incorporation into DNA. Based upon comparison with related pyrophosphate generating (d)NTPases, we propose that the unusual use of a P-loop-like motif enables dUTPases to achieve efficient catalysis of dUTP hydrolysis and efficient discrimination against dUDP at the same time. These specifics might have been advantageous on the appearance of uracil-DNA repair. The similarities and differences between dUTPase motif V and the P-loop (or Walker A sequence) commonly featured by ATP- and GTPases offer insight into functional adaptation to various nucleotide hydrolysis tasks.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 08/2011; 108(35):14437-42. · 9.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: Drosophila melanogaster myosin-18 represents a highly divergent motor with actin tethering properties.
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    ABSTRACT: The gene encoding Drosophila myosin-18 is complex and can potentially yield six alternatively spliced mRNAs. One of the major features of this myosin is an N-terminal PDZ domain that is included in some of the predicted alternatively spliced products. To explore the biochemical properties of this protein, we engineered two minimal motor domain (MMD)-like constructs, one that contains the N-terminal PDZ (myosin-18 M-PDZ) domain and one that does not (myosin-18 M-ΔPDZ). These two constructs were expressed in the baculovirus/Sf9 system. The results suggest that Drosophila myosin-18 is highly divergent from most other myosins in the superfamily. Neither of the MMD constructs had an actin-activated MgATPase activity, nor did they even bind ATP. Both myosin-18 M-PDZ and M-ΔPDZ proteins bound to actin with K(d) values of 2.61 and 1.04 μM, respectively, but only about 50-75% of the protein bound to actin even at high actin concentrations. Unbound proteins from these actin binding assays reiterated the 60% saturation maximum, suggesting an equilibrium between actin-binding and non-actin-binding conformations of Drosophila myosin-18 in vitro. Neither the binding affinity nor the substoichiometric binding was significantly affected by ATP. Optical trapping of single molecules in three-bead assays showed short lived interactions of the myosin-18 motors with actin filaments. Combined, these data suggest that this highly divergent motor may function as an actin tethering protein.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 06/2011; 286(24):21755-66. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Dynein struts its stuff.
    Neil Billington, James R Sellers
    Nature Structural &#38 Molecular Biology 06/2011; 18(6):635-6. · 12.71 Impact Factor
  • Article: The kinetic mechanism of mouse myosin VIIA.
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    ABSTRACT: Myosin VIIa is crucial in hearing and visual processes. We examined the kinetic and association properties of the baculovirus expressed, truncated mouse myosin VIIa construct containing the head, all 5IQ motifs and the putative coiled coil domain (myosin VIIa-5IQ). The construct appears to be monomeric as determined by analytical ultracentrifugation experiments, and only single headed molecules were detected by negative stain electron microscopy. The relatively high basal steady-state rate of 0.18 s(-1) is activated by actin only by ∼3.5-fold resulting in a V(max) of 0.7 s(-1) and a K(ATPase) of 11.5 μM. There is no single rate-limiting step of the ATP hydrolysis cycle. The ATP hydrolysis step (M·T M·D·P) is slow (12 s(-1)) and the equilibrium constant (K(H)) of 1 suggests significant reversal of hydrolysis. In the presence of actin ADP dissociates with a rate constant of 1.2 s(-1). Phosphate dissociation is relatively fast (>12 s(-1)), but the maximal rate could not be experimentally obtained at actin concentrations ≤ 50 μM because of the weak binding of the myosin VIIa-ADP-P(i) complex to actin. At higher actin concentrations the rate of attached hydrolysis (0.4 s(-1)) becomes significant and partially rate-limiting. Our findings suggest that the myosin VIIa is a "slow", monomeric molecular motor with a duty ratio of 0.6.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 01/2011; 286(11):8819-28. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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    Article: Functional adaptation of the switch-2 nucleotide sensor enables rapid processive translocation by myosin-5.
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    ABSTRACT: Active site loops that are conserved across superfamilies of myosins, kinesins, and G proteins play key roles in allosteric coupling of NTP hydrolysis to interaction with track filaments or effector proteins. In this study, we investigated how the class-specific natural variation in the switch-2 active site loop contributes to the motor function of the intracellular transporter myosin-5. We used single-molecule, rapid kinetic and spectroscopic experiments and semiempirical quantum chemical simulations to show that the class-specific switch-2 structure including a tyrosine (Y439) in myosin-5 enables rapid processive translocation along actin filaments by facilitating Mg(2+)-dependent ADP release. Using wild-type control and Y439 point mutant myosin-5 proteins, we demonstrate that the translocation speed precisely correlates with the kinetics of nucleotide exchange. Switch-2 variants can thus be used to fine-tune translocation speed while maintaining high processivity. The class-specific variation of switch-2 in various NTPase superfamilies indicates its general role in the kinetic tuning of Mg(2+)-dependent nucleotide exchange.
    The FASEB Journal 11/2010; 24(11):4480-90. · 5.71 Impact Factor
  • Article: Nonmuscle myosin IIA with a GFP fused to the N-terminus of the regulatory light chain is regulated normally.
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    ABSTRACT: Nonmuscle myosin II plays a crucial role in a variety of cellular processes (e.g., polarity formation, cell motility, and cytokinesis). It is composed of two heavy chains, two regulatory light chains and two essential light chains. The ATPase activity of the myosin II motor domain is regulated through phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain (RLC) by myosin light chain kinase. To study myosin function and localization in cellular processes, GFP-fused RLCs are widely used; however, the exact kinetic properties of myosins with bound GFP-RLC are poorly described. More importantly, it has not been shown that a regulatory light chain fused at its N-terminus with GFP can maintain the normal phosphorylation-dependent regulation of nonmuscle myosin or serve as a substrate for myosin light chain kinase. We coexpressed N-terminal GFP-RLC with a heavy meromyosin (HMM)-like fragment of nonmuscle myosin IIA and essential light chain to characterize the phosphorylation dynamics and in vitro kinetic properties of the resulting HMM. Myosin light chain kinase phosphorylates the GFP-RLC bound to HMM IIA with the same V(max) as it does the wild type RLC bound to HMM IIA, but the K(m) is about two fold higher for the GFP fusion protein, meaning that it is a somewhat poorer substrate. The steady-state actin-activated MgATPase activity of the GFP-RLC HMM is very low in the absence of phosphorylation demonstrating that the GFP moiety does not prevent formation of the off state. The actin-activated MgATPase activity of phosphorylated GFP-RLC-HMM and is about half that of wild type phosphorylated HMM. The ability of phosphorylated GFP-RLC-HMM to move actin filaments in the actin gliding assay is also slightly compromised. These data indicate that despite some kinetic differences the N-terminal GFP fusion to the regulatory light chain is a reasonable model system for studying myosin function in vivo.
    Journal of Muscle Research and Cell Motility 09/2010; 31(3):163-70. · 1.98 Impact Factor
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    Article: Direct observation of the myosin-Va power stroke and its reversal.
    James R Sellers, Claudia Veigel
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    ABSTRACT: Complex forms of cellular motility, including cell division, organelle trafficking or signal amplification in the auditory system, require strong coordination of the myosin motors involved. The most basic mechanism of coordination is via direct mechanical interactions of individual motor heads leading to modification of their mechanochemical cycles. Here we used an optical trap-based assay to investigate the reversibility of the force-generating conformational change (power stroke) of single myosin-Va motor heads. By applying load to the head shortly after binding to actin, we found that, at a certain load, the power stroke could be reversed, and the head fluctuated between an actin-bound pre- and a post-power stroke conformation. This load-dependent mechanical instability might be critical to coordinate the heads of processive, dimeric myosin-Va. Nonlinear response to load leading to coordination or oscillations amongst motors might be relevant for many cellular functions.
    Nature Structural &#38 Molecular Biology 04/2010; 17(5):590-5. · 12.71 Impact Factor
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    Article: Influence of lever structure on myosin 5a walking.
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    ABSTRACT: Using electron microscopy and image processing, we have observed myosin 5a modified with lever arms of different lengths (four, six, and eight calmodulin-binding IQ domains) and orientations walking along actin filaments. Step lengths were dependent on lever length: 8IQ > 6IQ > 4IQ, which is consistent with myosin 5a having evolved to walk straight along actin. Lead heads were mostly in the prepowerstroke state, tethered there by the trail head. However, improved image processing showed that in 5-10% of molecules the lead motor was in the postpowerstroke state. This is a unique attached state of myosin, where the motor domain has completed its powerstroke at the expense of severe lever distortion, but with little cargo movement. Postpowerstroke lead heads were seen in both wild-type and modified lever molecules, mostly where there was least strain. These data allow the strain dependence of the equilibrium between pre- and postpowerstroke conformations to be measured. Slow rates of ADP dissociation observed from lead heads of these molecules can be explained by the unfavorable equilibrium between the pre- and postpowerstroke conformations preceding ADP loss.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 02/2010; 107(6):2509-14. · 9.68 Impact Factor
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    Article: The SAH domain extends the functional length of the myosin lever.
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    ABSTRACT: Stable, single alpha-helix (SAH) domains are widely distributed in the proteome, including in myosins, but their functions are unknown. To test whether SAH domains can act as levers, we replaced four of the six calmodulin-binding IQ motifs in the levers of mouse myosin 5a (Myo5) with the putative SAH domain of Dictyostelium myosin MyoM of similar length. The SAH domain was inserted between the IQ motifs and the coiled coil in a Myo5 HMM construct in which the levers were truncated from six to two IQ motifs (Myo5-2IQ). Electron microscopy of this chimera (Myo5-2IQ-SAH) showed the SAH domain was straight and 17 nm long as predicted, restoring the truncated lever to the length of wild-type (Myo5-6IQ). The powerstroke (of 21.5 nm) measured in the optical trap was slightly less than that for Myo5-6IQ but much greater than for Myo5-2IQ. Myo5-2IQ-SAH moved processively along actin at physiological ATP concentrations with similar stride and run lengths to Myo5-6IQ in in-vitro single molecule assays. In comparison, Myo5-2IQ is not processive under these conditions. Solution biochemical experiments indicated that the rear head did not mechanically gate the rate of ADP release from the lead head, unlike Myo5-6IQ. These data show that the SAH domain can form part of a functional lever in myosins, although its mechanical stiffness might be lower. More generally, we conclude that SAH domains can act as stiff structural extensions in aqueous solution and this structural role may be important in other proteins.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 12/2009; 106(52):22193-8. · 9.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: Extensibility of the extended tail domain of processive and nonprocessive myosin V molecules.
    Attila Nagy, Grzegorz Piszczek, James R Sellers
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    ABSTRACT: Myosin V is a single-molecule motor that moves organelles along actin. When myosin V pulls loads inside the cell in a highly viscous environment, the force on the motor is unlikely to be constant. We propose that the tether between the single-molecule motor and the cargo (i.e., the extended tail domain of the molecule) must be able to absorb the sudden mechanical motions of the motor and allow smooth relaxation of the motion of the cargo to a new position. To test this hypothesis, we compared the elastic properties of the extended tail domains of processive (mouse myosin Va) and nonprocessive (Drosophila myosin V) molecular motors. The extended tail domain of these myosins consists of mechanically strong coiled-coil regions interspersed with flexible loops. In this work we explored the mechanical properties of coiled-coil regions using atomic force microscopy. We found that the processive and nonprocessive coiled-coil fragments display different unfolding patterns. The unfolding of coiled-coil structures occurs much later during the atomic force microscopy stretch cycle for processive myosin Va than for nonprocessive Drosophila myosin V, suggesting that this elastic tether between the cargo and motor may play an important role in sustaining the processive motions of this single-molecule motor.
    Biophysical Journal 12/2009; 97(12):3123-31. · 3.65 Impact Factor
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    Article: A FERM domain autoregulates Drosophila myosin 7a activity.
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    ABSTRACT: Full-length Drosophila myosin 7a (myosin 7a-FL) has a complex tail containing a short predicted coiled coil followed by a MyTH4-FERM domain, an SH3 domain, and a C-terminal MyTH4-FERM domain. Myosin 7a-FL expressed in Sf9 cells is monomeric despite the predicted coiled coil. We showed previously that Subfragment-1 (S1) from this myosin has MgATPase of V(max) approximately 1 s(-1) and K(ATPase) approximately 1 microM actin. We find that myosin 7a-FL has V(max) similar to S1 but K(ATPase) approximately 30 microM. Thus, at low actin concentrations (5 microM), the MgATPase of S1 is fully activated, whereas that of myosin 7a-FL is low, suggesting that the tail regulates activity. Electron microscopy of myosin 7a-FL with ATP shows the tail is tightly bent back against the motor domain. Myosin 7a-FL extends at either high ionic strength or without ATP, revealing the motor domain, lever, and tail. A series of C-terminal truncations show that deletion of 99 aa (the MyTH7 subdomain of the C-terminal FERM domain) is sufficient to abolish bending, and the K(ATPase) is then similar to S1. This region is highly conserved in myosin 7a. We found that a double mutation in it, R2140A-K2143A, abolishes bending and reduces K(ATPase) to S1 levels. In addition, the expressed C-terminal FERM domain binds actin with K(d) approximately 30 microM regardless of ATP, similar to the K(ATPase) value for myosin 7a-FL. We propose that at low cellular actin concentrations, myosin 7a-FL is bent and inactive, but at high actin concentrations, it is unfolded and active because the C-terminal FERM domain binds to actin.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 04/2009; 106(11):4189-94. · 9.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: An alternatively spliced isoform of non-muscle myosin II-C is not regulated by myosin light chain phosphorylation.
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    ABSTRACT: We report a novel isoform of non-muscle myosin II-C (NM II-C), NM II-C2, that is generated by alternative splicing of an exon, C2, encoding 41 amino acids in mice (33 in humans). The 41 amino acids are inserted into loop 2 of the NM II-C heavy chain within the actin binding region. Unlike most vertebrate non-muscle and smooth muscle myosin IIs, baculovirus-expressed mouse heavy meromyosin (HMM) II-C2 demonstrates no requirement for regulatory myosin light chain (MLC(20)) phosphorylation for maximum actin-activated MgATPase activity or maximum in vitro motility as measured by the sliding actin filament assay. In contrast, noninserted HMM II-C0 and another alternatively spliced isoform HMM II-C1, which contains 8 amino acids inserted into loop 1, are dependent on MLC(20) phosphorylation for both actin-activated MgATPase activity and in vitro motility ( Kim, K. Y., Kovacs, M., Kawamoto, S., Sellers, J. R., and Adelstein, R. S. (2005) J. Biol. Chem. 280, 22769-22775 ). HMM II-C1C2, which contains both the C1 and C2 inserts, does not require MLC(20) phosphorylation for full activity similar to HMM II-C2. These constitutively active C2-inserted isoforms of NM II-C are expressed only in neuronal tissue. This is in contrast to NM II-C1 and NM II-C0, both of which are ubiquitously expressed. Full-length NM II-C2-GFP expressed in COS-7 cells localizes to filaments in interphase cells and to the cytokinetic ring in dividing cells.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 03/2009; 284(17):11563-71. · 4.77 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 2012
    • Pennsylvania State University
      • Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
      University Park, MD, USA
  • 2002–2012
    • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
      Bethesda, MD, USA
  • 1996–2011
    • National Institutes of Health
      • • Laboratory of Molecular Physiology
      • • Laboratory of Molecular Biology
      Bethesda, MD, USA
  • 2008
    • University of Maryland, College Park
      • Department of Biology
      College Park, MD, USA
  • 2006–2008
    • Eastern Virginia Medical School
      • Department of Physiological Sciences
      Norfolk, VA, USA
    • University of Leeds
      • Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology (ACSMB)
      Leeds, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 2005
    • MRC National Institute for Medical Research
      • Division of Physical Biochemistry
      London, ENG, United Kingdom
  • 2004
    • National Eye Institute
      Bethesda, MD, USA