title: Inhibition of actin polymerization by a synthetic dodecapeptide patterned on the sequence around the actin-binding site of cofilin.
abstract: Cofilin is an F-actin side-binding and -depolymerizing protein with an apparent molecular mass of 21 kDa. By means of the end label fingerprinting method, the amino acid residue on cofilin sequence cross-linked to actin by zero length cross-linker, 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino propyl)carbodiimide, was identified as Lys112 and/or Lys114. A synthetic dodecapeptide patterned on the sequence around the actin-cross-linking site of cofilin (Trp104-Met115) inhibited the binding of cofilin to actin. Moreover, the dodecapeptide was found to be a potent inhibitor of actin polymerization. Thus, we conclude that the dodecapeptide sequence constitutes the region essential for the actin-binding and -depolymerizing activity of cofilin. A sequence similar to the dodecapeptide is found in other actin-depolymerizing proteins, destrin, actin-depolymerizing factor, and depactin. Therefore, the dodecapeptide sequence may be a consensus sequence essential for actin-binding and -depolymerizing activity in actin-depolymerizing proteins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics and Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yonezawa
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iida
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yahara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakai
mesh_terms: D051339:Actin Depolymerizing Factors; D000199:Actins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D008322:Mammals; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010455:Peptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011108:Polymers; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D051339:Actin Depolymerizing Factors; D000199:Actins; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D010455:Peptides; D011108:Polymers; D011994:Recombinant Proteins