Graded effects of unregulated smooth muscle myosin on intestinal architecture, intestinal motility and vascular function in zebrafish.

Smooth muscle contraction is controlled by the regulated activity of the myosin heavy chain ATPase (Myh11). Myh11 mutations have diverse effects in the cardiovascular, digestive and genitourinary systems in humans and animal models. We previously reported a recessive missense mutation, meltdown (mlt), which converts a highly conserved tryptophan to arginine (W512R) in the rigid relay loop of zebrafish Myh11. The mlt mutation disrupts myosin regulation and non-autonomously induces invasive expansion of the intestinal epithelium. Here, we report two newly identified missense mutations in the switch-1 (S237Y) and coil-coiled (L1287M) domains of Myh11 that fail to complement mlt Cell invasion was not detected in either homozygous mutant but could be induced by oxidative stress and activation of oncogenic signaling pathways. The smooth muscle defect imparted by the mlt and S237Y mutations also delayed intestinal transit, and altered vascular function, as measured by blood flow in the dorsal aorta. The cell-invasion phenotype induced by the three myh11 mutants correlated with the degree of myosin deregulation. These findings suggest that the vertebrate intestinal epithelium is tuned to the physical state of the surrounding stroma, which, in turn, governs its response to physiologic and pathologic stimuli. Genetic variants that alter the regulation of smooth muscle myosin might be risk factors for diseases affecting the intestine, vasculature, and other tissues that contain smooth muscle or contractile cells that express smooth muscle proteins, particularly in the setting of redox stress.

Role of insert-1 of myosin VI in modulating nucleotide affinity.

Myosin VI is unique in its directionality among myosin superfamily members and also displays a slow and strain-dependent rate of ATP binding that allows for gating between its heads. In this study we demonstrate that leucine 310 is positioned by a class VI-specific insert, insert-1, so as to account for the selective hindrance of ATP versus ADP binding. Mutation of leucine 310 to glycine removes all influence of insert-1 on ATP binding. Furthermore, by analyzing myosin VI structures with either leucine 310 substituted to a glycine or complete removal of insert-1, we conclude that nucleotides may initially bind to myosin by their purine rings before docking their phosphate moieties. Otherwise, insert-1 could not exert a differential influence on ATP versus ADP binding.

Cargo binding induces dimerization of myosin VI.

Although myosin VI has properties that would allow it to function optimally as a dimer, full-length myosin VI exists as a monomer in isolation. Based on the ability of myosin VI monomers to dimerize when held in close proximity, we postulated that cargo binding normally regulates dimerization of myosin VI. We tested this hypothesis by expressing a known dimeric cargo adaptor protein of myosin VI, optineurin, and the myosin VI-binding segment from a monomeric cargo adaptor protein, Dab2. In the presence of these adaptor proteins, full-length myosin VI has ATPase properties of a dimer, appears as a dimer in electron micrographs, and moves processively on actin filaments. The results support a model in which cargo binding exposes internal dimerization sequences within full-length myosin VI. Because, unexpectedly, a monomeric fragment of Dab2 triggers dimerization, it would appear that myosin VI is designed to function as a dimer in cells.

How myosin VI coordinates its heads during processive movement.

A processive molecular motor must coordinate the enzymatic state of its two catalytic domains in order to prevent premature detachment from its track. For myosin V, internal strain produced when both heads of are attached to an actin track prevents completion of the lever arm swing of the lead head and blocks ADP release. However, this mechanism cannot work for myosin VI, since its lever arm positions are reversed. Here, we demonstrate that myosin VI gating is achieved instead by blocking ATP binding to the lead head once it has released its ADP. The structural basis for this unique gating mechanism involves an insert near the nucleotide binding pocket that is found only in class VI myosin. Reverse strain greatly favors binding of ADP to the lead head, which makes it possible for myosin VI to function as a processive transporter as well as an actin-based anchor. While this mechanism is unlike that of any other myosin superfamily member, it bears remarkable similarities to that of another processive motor from a different superfamily--kinesin I.