title: Single molecule force spectroscopy of the cardiac titin N2B element: effects of the molecular chaperone alphaB-crystallin with disease-causing mutations.
abstract: The small heat shock protein alphaB-crystallin interacts with N2B-Us, a large unique sequence found in the N2B element of cardiac titin. Using single molecule force spectroscopy, we studied the effect of alphaB-crystallin on the N2B-Us and its flanking Ig-like domains. Ig domains from the proximal tandem Ig segment of titin were also studied. The effect of wild type alphaB-crystallin on the single molecule force-extension curve was determined as well as that of mutant alphaB-crystallins harboring the dilated cardiomyopathy missense mutation, R157H, or the desmin-related myopathy mutation, R120G. Results revealed that wild type alphaB-crystallin decreased the persistence length of the N2B-Us (from approximately 0.7 to approximately 0.2 nm) but did not alter its contour length. alphaB-crystallin also increased the unfolding force of the Ig domains that flank the N2B-Us (by 51 +/- 3 piconewtons); the rate constant of unfolding at zero force was estimated to be approximately 17-fold lower in the presence of alphaB-crystallin (1.4 x 10(-4) s(-1) versus 2.4 x 10(-3) s(-1)). We also found that alphaB-crystallin increased the unfolding force of Ig domains from the proximal tandem Ig segment by 28 +/- 6 piconewtons. The effects of alphaB-crystallin were attenuated by the R157H mutation (but were still significant) and were absent when using the R120G mutant. We conclude that alphaB-crystallin protects titin from damage by lowering the persistence length of the N2B-Us and reducing the Ig domain unfolding probability. Our finding that this effect is either attenuated (R157H) or lost (R120G) in disease causing alphaB-crystallin mutations suggests that the interaction between alphaB-crystallin and titin is important for normal heart function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Sarver Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724-5217.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bogomolovas
authors.affiliation: Medical Faculty Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, 68167 Mannheim, Germany.
authors.forename: Siegfried
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Labeit
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Sarver Molecular Cardiovascular Research Program, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85724-5217. Electronic address: granzier@email.arizona.edu.
authors.forename: Henk
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Granzier
mesh_terms: D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated; D064211:Connectin; D006801:Humans; D009124:Muscle Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020125:Mutation, Missense; D009206:Myocardium / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D017510:Protein Folding; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary / Q000235:genetics; D038203:alpha-Crystallin B Chain / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C059215:CRYAB protein, human; D064211:Connectin; D009124:Muscle Proteins; C577285:TTN protein, human; D038203:alpha-Crystallin B Chain; D011494:Protein Kinases