J. Biochem, 1989, Vol. 106, No. 1 104-109
© 1989 Japanese Biochemical Society
research-article |
I-Protein Forms Cage-Like Aggregates of Myosin In Vitro1
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chiba University Chiba, Chiba 260
I-protein was mixed with myosin before or after myosin filaments were reconstituted. In both cases, I-protein seemed to accelerate the myosin assembly. The binding of I-protein to myosin filaments was tested by sedimentation experiments and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In a low ionic strength solution at pH 6.5, the binding ratio of I-protein to myosin was 1: 40 by molar ratio when the I-protein molecules highly specifically bound to myosin filaments. I-protein could maximally bind to myosin filaments at the molar ratio of 1: 2.7. In this case, excess I-protein molecules remained in the supernatant after sedimentation, although the unbound I-protein could still bind to myosin filaments. Electron microscopic observations revealed that I-protein bundled myosin filaments in the low ionic strength solution (pH6.5). Cage-like structures which were very similar to the Mg-paracrystals of non-muscle myosins were formed at pH 7.2. In gel filtration, the apparent molecular mass of I-protein was 100 kDa, while it was 50 kDa in SDS gel electrophoresis. Therefore, I-protein is regarded to be a homodimer of a 50 kDa subunit and can divalently bind to myosin molecules.
1This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture of Japan.