EFFECT OF PHALLOIDIN ON FILAMENTS POLYMERIZED FROM HEART MUSCLE ADP-ACTIN MONOMERS.

The effect of phalloidin on filaments polymerized from ADP-actin monomers of the heart muscle was investigated with differential scanning calorimetry. Heart muscle contains alpha-skeletal and alpha-cardiac actin isoforms. In the absence of phalloidin the melting temperature was 55 degrees C for the alpha-cardiac actin isoform and 58 degrees C for the alpha-skeletal one when the filaments were generated from ADP-actin monomers. After the binding of phalloidin the melting temperature was isoform independent (85.5 degrees C). We concluded that phalloidin stabilized the actin filaments of alpha-skeletal and alpha-cardiac actin isoforms to the same extent when they were polymerized from ADP-actin monomers.

Analysis of nucleotide myosin complexes in skeletal muscle fibres by DSC and EPR.

The internal dynamics and thermal unfolding of fibre bundles prepared from rabbit psoas muscle has been studied in the presence of nucleotides by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Using ADP, adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), AMP.PNP and inorganic phosphate analogue orthovanadate (V(i)), AlF(4)(-) and BeF(3)(-), three intermediate states of the ATP hydrolysis cycle were simulated in glycerinated muscle fibres. In the main transition of the DSC pattern, three overlapping endotherms were detected in rigor, four in strongly as well as weakly binding state of myosin to actin. Deconvolution procedure showed that the transition temperature of 67.5 degrees C was the same for rigor and strong binding state of myosin. In contrast, nucleotide binding induced shift of the melting temperatures of 52 degrees C and 67.5 degrees C, appeared a new fourth peak at 74 and 77 degrees C and produced changes in the calorimetric enthalpies. The changes of the parameters of the peak functions suggest global rearrangements of the internal structure in myosin heads in the intermediate states. In the presence of ADP or ATP plus phosphate analogue orthovanadate or beryllium fluoride, aluminium fluoride, the conventional EPR spectra of spin-labeled muscle fibres showed large changes in the ordering of the probe molecules, and a new distribution of spin labels appeared. ATP plus orthovanadate induced the orientation disorder of myosin heads; the random population of spin labels gave evidence of large local conformational and motional changes in the internal structure of myosin heads. Saturation transfer EPR measurements reported increased rotational mobility of spin labels in the presence of ATP plus phosphate analogues corresponding to weakly binding state of myosin to actin.

Nucleotide binding induces global and local structural changes of myosin head in muscle fibres.

Thermal stability and internal dynamics of myosin heads in fiber bundles from rabbit psoas muscle has been studied by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Using ADP, ATP and orthovanadate (V(i)), three intermediate states of the ATP hydrolysis cycle were simulated in glycerinated muscle fibers. DSC transitions contained three overlapping endotherms in each state. Deconvolution showed that the transition temperature of 58.4 degrees C was almost independent of the intermediate state of myosin, while nucleotide binding shifted the melting temperatures of 54.0 and 62.3 degrees C, and changed the enthalpies. These changes suggest global rearrangements of the internal structure in myosin head. In the presence of ADP and ADP plus V(i), the conventional EPR spectra showed changes in the ordering of the probe molecules, suggesting local conformational and motional changes in the internal structure of myosin heads. Saturation transfer EPR measurements reported increased rotational mobility of spin labels in the presence of ATP plus orthovanadate corresponding to a weakly binding state of myosin to actin.

Effect of oxygen free radicals on myosin in muscle fibres.

Experiments were performed on glycerol-extracted muscle fibres prepared from psoas muscle of rabbit in the presence of hydroxyl free radical generating system. Short irradiation of spin-labelled muscle fibres by UV light showed the interaction of probe molecules with oxygen free radicals. The intensity of the EPR signal from maleimide or isothiocyanate spin labels attached to the essential thiol groups decreased following irradiation. Oxygen free radicals affected the rate constant of the transition AM.ADP.Vi-->AM.ADP in the ATP hydrolysis cycle. It was found that the essential -SH groups of myosin were involved in the oxidation of sulphydryls by Ce(IV). Ce(IV) complexed to nitrilotriacetic acid in the presence of spin trap produced long-lived free radicals located partly on SH-1 sulphydryls.

Internal motions in myosin head: effect of ADP and ATP.

Internal flexibility of myosin heads in glycerinated muscle fibres in the presence of MgADP plus orthovanadate and after addition of Ca-ATP was studied using an isothiocyanate-based spin label attached to the reactive sulfhydryl sites of myosin. The spin labels were immobilized on the microsecond time scale and exhibited significant orientational order in rigor. In AM+.ADP.V(i) state a smaller fraction of ordered population was found showing distinct orientation from rigor; the larger population of heads was in dynamically disordered state. This new ordered population of heads was detected even in contracting fibres.

Effects of nucleotide on skeletal muscle myosin unfolding in myofibrils by DSC.

The thermal unfolding of myosin in skeletal muscle myofibrils was studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). In the absence of nucleotide two major transitions with Tm of 52 degrees C and 58 degrees C, and a minor transition with Tm of 19 degrees C were detected. The unfolding can be characterized with a total enthalpy of -90 +/- 6.1 mJ/g protein. The major transition with Tm of 58 degrees C was independent of the presence of nucleotide and orthovanadate (Vi), and it can be assigned to the unfolding of the alpha-helical rod part of myosin and partly to actin. In the presence of MgADP, the minor transition shifted to higher temperature, indicating changes between the heavy chain of subfragment-1 and the LC-2 light chain. The transition with Tm of 52 degrees C exhibited a significant broadening and a small shift to lower temperature. It indicates an internal domain or segmental rearrangement of the myosin motor. Upon addition of MgADP and Vi, a shift to higher temperature was observed for the lower major transition, evidencing that with trapped ADP and Vi the intermolecular interactions stabilized the myosin head region.

Segmental flexibility of cardiac myosins.

Conventional and saturation transfer electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR and ST EPR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were used to study the motional dynamics and structural stability of cardiac myosins. Cardiac myosins isolated from bovine and human heart muscle were spin-labelled with a maleimide- or an iodoacetamide-based probe molecule at the reactive sulhydryl sites (Cys-697 and Cys-707). The probe molecules rotated with an effective rotational correlation time of 0.04 microsecond which was at least six times shorter than the rotational correlation time of the same label on skeletal myosin. In the presence of MgADP, flexibility changes in the multisubunit structure of myosins were detected, but this did not lead to changes of the overall rotational property of the myosin heads. Temperature dependence of the EPR spectra of maleimide spin-labelled myosin showed continuous decrease of the spectral parameters (amplitude ratio of the diagnostic peak heights in the ST EPR time domain and hyperfine splitting constant) at increasing temperature. In contrast, marked changes were obtained at about 17 degrees C in light chain-2 deficient myosin. DSC measurements supported the view that the removal of the light chain-2 produced additional loosening in the multisubunit structure of cardiac myosin. It is postulated that the light chain-2 is an integral part of myosin, and there is an intersite communication between light chain-2 and the 20 kDa subunit.

Spontaneous rupture of the kidney: a report on 5 cases.

Five cases of spontaneous rupture of the renal parenchyma are reported. Two patients had renal cell cancer, one sustained acute purulent pyelonephritis secondary to stone related ureteral obstruction, one suffered from aposthematous pyelonephritis without obstruction, while one had chronic pyelonephritis and a cortical cyst as probable predisposing factors. Aetiology and important points concerning diagnosis and therapy are discussed.