Myosin phosphatase (MP) is the primary effector of smooth muscle relaxation and a key target of signaling pathways that regulate smooth muscle tone. We and others have proposed a model in which leucine zipper (LZ) mediated hetero-dimerization of the cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG1) and the MP targeting subunit (MYPT1) activates MP and causes smooth muscle relaxation in response to NO/cGMP signaling. We previously showed that chicken and rat MYPT1 isoforms are generated by tissue-specific and developmentally regulated cassette-type alternative splicing of exons. We hypothesized that regulated expression of MYPT isoforms determines smooth muscle phenotype-specific responses to NO/cGMP signaling in normal and disease states. The goals of the previous funding period were to 1) Investigate the functional significance of MYPT1 isoforms and 2) Define the molecular mechanisms for their tissue-specific expression. We showed that tissues that express the MYPT1 LZ+ isoform responded to cGMP as evidenced by 1) Association of PKG1 with MYPT1 2) Activation of MP by cGMP (de-phosphorylation of myosin) and 3) Complete smooth muscle relaxation to cGMP at pCa4. These responses were not observed in tissues that express MYPT1 LZ- isoform. Forced expression of MYPT1 LZ- isoform in cultured SMCs suppressed cGMP-triggered de-phosphorylation of myosin. We used mutation/deletion of MYPT1 mini-gene constructs, gain-and-loss of function, and RNA-protein binding experiments to show 1) TIA and SR protein binding to regulatory elements near the 5' splice site are necessary for splicing of the alt exon in tonic SM and 2) Supression of splicing in phasic SM is due to loss of TIA-dependent enhancer activity plus a putative tissue-specific cis-silencer. We now propose to refine and extend these models: 1) MYPT:PKG association: The original model did not account for other MYPT subunits. M21 is part of the MP complex and contains a nearly identical LZ motif. Experiments are proposed to determine if PKG1 displaces M21 from MYPT1, or binds to M21 LZ, and whether the PKG1/MYPT1 association is ligand (cGMP)-dependent. 2) Functional significance: We extended the model to show vascular smooth muscle tissue-specific and developmentally regulated expression of MYPT 1 LZ+/- isoforms, and isoform switching in a disease model (portal hypertension) characterized by vasodilatation. We will test the relationships between the expression of MYPT isoforms and NO/cGMP signaling in vascular development and disease. As a further test LZ interactions will be specifically disrupted in vascular smooth muscle in vivo. 3) Regulated splicing of MYPT1: We propose a) To test the novel model that PTB protein competes with TIA and suppresses TIA-dependent splicing in phasic SM and b) To more specifically define the putative exonic tissue-specific suppressor of splicing. These studies will advance our long-range goal to understand the relationship between regulated expression of myosin phosphatase subunits, smooth muscle phenotypic diversity and vascular function in development and disease.
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