title: Tropomodulin contains two actin filament pointed end-capping domains.
abstract: Tropomodulin 1 (Tmod1) is a approximately 40-kDa tropomyosin binding and actin filament pointed end-capping protein that regulates pointed end dynamics and controls thin filament length in striated muscle. In vitro, the capping affinity of Tmod1 for tropomyosin-actin filaments (Kd approximately 50 pm) is several thousand-fold greater than for capping of pure actin filaments (Kd approximately 0.1 microM). The tropomyosin-binding region of Tmod1 has been localized to the amino-terminal portion between residues 1 and 130, but the location of the actin-capping domain is not known. We have now identified two distinct actin-capping regions on Tmod1 by testing a series of recombinant Tmod1 fragments for their ability to inhibit actin elongation from gelsolin-actin seeds using pyrene-actin polymerization assays. The carboxyl-terminal portion of Tmod1 (residues 160-359) contains the principal actin-capping activity (Kd approximately 0.4 microM), requiring residues between 323 and 359 for full activity, whereas the amino-terminal portion of Tmod1 (residues 1-130) contains a second, weaker actin-capping activity (Kd approximately 1.8 microM). Interestingly, 160-359 but not 1-130 enhances spontaneous actin nucleation, suggesting that the carboxyl-terminal domain may bind to two actin subunits across the actin helix at the pointed end, whereas the amino-terminal domain may bind to only one actin subunit. On the other hand, the actin-capping activity of the amino-terminal but not the carboxyl-terminal portion of Tmod1 is enhanced several thousand-fold in the presence of skeletal muscle tropomyosin. We conclude that the carboxyl-terminal capping domain of Tmod1 contains a TM-independent actin pointed end-capping activity, whereas the amino-terminal domain contains a TM-regulated pointed end actin-capping activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA. velia@scripps.edu
authors.forename: Velia M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Norma J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Greenfield
authors.forename: Jeannette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moyer
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites / Q000235:genetics; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002645:Chickens; D018260:Gelsolin / Q000378:metabolism; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007700:Kinetics; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011817:Rabbits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051348:Tropomodulin; D014335:Tropomyosin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018260:Gelsolin; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D051348:Tropomodulin; D014335:Tropomyosin