Muscular contraction is initiated by calcium binding to troponin C in skeletal and cardiac muscles. This binding triggers a series of molecular events which ultimately lead to the cyclic interaction between myosin and actin as ATP is hydrolyzed. This cyclic interaction results in development of tension. The long-term goal of our research program is to understand how the calcium signal is transmitted from its site at troponin C to several other proteins. This signal transmission is fundamental to the overall regulatory mechanism. The approaches taken in this proposal are based on a combination of energetic analysis of multiple-ligand interactions involving calcium and the various proteins that comprise the muscle thin filament and structural perturbations on these proteins induced by calcium binding to troponin C. Proteins that are specifically altered in their sequence and synthetic oligopeptides will be used to assist in delineating alternative routes for information transfer. The methodologies chosen for these studies include steady state fluorimetry, time-resolved millisecond, nanosecond, and picosecond fluorescence spectroscopy, stopped-flow kinetic technique, and other physical methods. The role of tryptophanyl and tyrosyl residues in signal transfer will be studied through analysis of their emission decay and anisotropy decay. The rapid molecular motions of these residues in troponin C, calmodulin and possibly other proteins will be compared with simulation results based on molecular dynamics. Moleculare distances will be determine by fluorescence resonance energy transfer and will serve to report on global structural perturbations that occur when actomysosin ATPase is activated. The relevance of these changes in calcium regulation will be investigated by rapid kinetics techniques. Finally, a comparison will be made between cardiac regulatory proteins and skeletal regulatory proteins in terms of the energetics of multiple-ligand binding and the nature and extent of structural perturbations that can be correlated with functional properties. The proposed studies are expected to advance our knowledge in signal transmission in muscle and contribute toward our understanding of the role of multiple-ligand binding in biological regulation. The proposed work will also enhance our knowledge of the role of very rapid molecular motions in biological functions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01AR025193-11
Application #
3155276
Study Section
Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry B Study Section (BBCB)
Project Start
1979-09-25
Project End
1992-08-31
Budget Start
1989-09-01
Budget End
1990-08-31
Support Year
11
Fiscal Year
1989
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Alabama Birmingham
Department
Type
School of Medicine & Dentistry
DUNS #
004514360
City
Birmingham
State
AL
Country
United States
Zip Code
35294
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Dong, W J; Cheung, H C (1996) Calcium-induced conformational change in cardiac troponin C studied by fluorescence probes attached to Cys-84. Biochim Biophys Acta 1295:139-46
Censullo, R; Cheung, H C (1994) Tropomyosin length and two-stranded F-actin flexibility in the thin filament. J Mol Biol 243:520-9
Liao, R; Wang, C K; Cheung, H C (1994) Coupling of calcium to the interaction of troponin I with troponin C from cardiac muscle. Biochemistry 33:12729-34
Censullo, R; Cheung, H C (1993) A rotational offset model for two-stranded F-actin. J Struct Biol 110:75-83
Wang, C K; Liao, R; Cheung, H C (1993) Rotational dynamics of skeletal muscle troponin C. J Biol Chem 268:14671-7
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Wang, C K; Liao, R; Cheung, H C (1992) Nanosecond study of fluorescently labeled troponin C. Biochim Biophys Acta 1121:16-22
Wang, C K; Mani, R S; Kay, C M et al. (1992) Conformation and dynamics of bovine brain S-100a protein determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. Biochemistry 31:4289-95
Cheung, H C; Wang, C K; Gryczynski, I et al. (1991) Distance distributions and anisotropy decays of troponin C and its complex with troponin I. Biochemistry 30:5238-47

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