Content area
Full text
ABSTRACT When smooth muscle myosin subfragment 1 (S1) is bound to actin filaments in vitro, the light chain domain tilts upon release of MgADP, producing a -3.5-nm axial motion of the head-rod junction (Whittaker et al., 1995. Nature. 378:748-751). If this motion contributes significantly to the power stroke, rigor tension of smooth muscle should decrease substantially in response to cross-bridge binding of MgADP. To test this prediction, we monitored mechanical properties of permeabilized strips of chicken gizzard muscle in rigor and in the presence of MgADP. For comparison, we also tested psoas and soleus muscle fibers. Any residual bound ADP was minimized by incubation in Mg2+-free rigor solution containing 15 mM EDTA. The addition of 2 mM MgADP, while keeping ionic strength and free Mg2+ concentration constant, resulted in a slight increase in rigor tension in both gizzard and soleus muscles, but a decrease in psoas muscle. In-phase stiffness monitored during small (<0.1 %) 500-Hz sinusoidal length oscillations decreased in all three muscle types when MgADP was added. The changes in force and stiffness with the addition of MgADP were similar at ionic strengths from 50 to 200 mM and were reversible. The results with gizzard muscle were similar after thiophosphorylation of the regulatory light chain of myosin. These results suggest that the axial motion of smooth muscle S1 bound to actin, upon dissociation of MgADP, is not associated with force generation. The difference between the present mechanical data and previous structural studies of smooth S1 may be explained if geometrical constraints of the intact contractile filament array alter the motions of the myosin heads.
INTRODUCTION
During muscle contraction, mechanical work is generated by transduction of the chemical energy liberated from hydrolysis of ATP to ADP and inorganic phosphate (P^sub i^) (reviewed in Huxley, 1980; Cooke, 1997; Goldman, 1998). This energy transduction is accomplished by a cyclic interaction between the globular head (subfragment 1, S1) of myosin projecting from the backbone of the thick filaments and actin in the thin filaments. Relaxed muscle contains predominantly detached or weakly attached heads with tightly bound products from ATP hydrolysis (M-ADP-Pi and AM-ADP-P^sub i^; Scheme 1). Upon activation, SIattaches to the actin filament and then tilts to produce a sliding force on the filaments. Force generation seems...