title: Down-regulation of myosin light chain kinase expression in vascular smooth muscle cells accelerates cell proliferation: requirement of its actin-binding domain for reversion to normal rates.
abstract: Myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) is a multi-domain protein with kinase and actin-binding domains, among others. Deficiency of MLCK expression in GBaSM-4 vascular smooth muscle cells enhanced cell proliferation rate and shortened cell doubling time. Transient transfection of the MLCK-deficient cells with cDNA constructs of either wild-type MLCK or its mutant lacking the kinase activity reverted the cell proliferation rate to that of wild-type cells, whereas that of MLCK lacking the actin-binding domain maintained cell proliferation at an elevated rate similar to the MLCK-deficient cells. Thus, the actin-binding domain of MLCK seems to play a role in regulating cell proliferation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, Gunma University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Hong Hui
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yoshiyama
authors.forename: Ryoki
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Li-Hong
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takano-Ohmuro
authors.forename: Kazuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kohama
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015536:Down-Regulation; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism*; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000378:metabolism*; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D009219:Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase