Maximal ATPase Activity Research Articles

Differential effects of length on maximum force production and myofibrillar ATPase activity in rat skinned cardiac muscle.

1. The fall of maximum Ca(2+)-activated force of cardiac myofibrils at short muscle lengths could be due to a reduction of cross-bridge cycling or to development of an opposing (restoring) force. To try to distinguish between these possibilities, we measured simultaneously myofibrillar force development and MgATPase activity (a measure of cross-bridge cycling) in rat skinned trabeculae at different muscle lengths. ATPase activity was measured photometrically from the utilization of NADH in a coupled enzyme assay. Muscle length was varied to give estimated 0.2 micron changes in sarcomere length (SL) over the range 1.4-2.4 microns. 2. Both Ca(2+)-activated force development and ATPase activity were optimal at a muscle length (Lo) where the resting SL was 2.2 microns. At Lo the maximum ATPase activity at 21 degrees C was 0.56 +/- 0.05 mM s-1 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 6), which was equivalent to an ATP turnover per myosin S1 head of 3.3 s-1. 3. The relationship between ATPase activity and SL was curved, with rather little change in ATPase activity over the SL range 2.0-2.4 microns, but significant falls at 1.8 microns and below. At 65% of Lo (corresponding to a mean active SL of approximately 1.4 microns), the ATPase activity was only 50% of its value at 2.2 microns SL. 4. Force development decreased linearly as SL was reduced below 2.2 microns. Force fell by more than ATPase activity, particularly at SL 1.6 and 1.8 microns. 5. The fall of ATPase activity indicates that some of the decline of force production at short SL results from a fall in the net rate of cross-bridge cycling. This is probably the result of double overlap of thin filaments. However, the differential effect on force and ATPase reveals that, in the intermediate range of SL, decreased cross-bridge cycling can account for only part of the fall of force; the remainder is probably due to an increase in a restoring force, which may arise from deformation of the connective tissue in the muscle preparations used.

Aluminum alters calcium transport in plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum from rat brain

Calcium is actively transported into intracellular organelles and out of the cytoplasm by Ca2+/Mg(2+)-ATPases located in the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membranes. We studied the effects of aluminum on calcium transport in the adult rat brain. We examined 45Ca-uptake in microsomes and Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in microsomes and synaptosomes isolated from the frontal cortex and cerebellum of adult male Long-Evans rats. ATP-dependent 45Ca-uptake was similar in microsomes from both brain regions. The addition of 50-800 microM AlCl3 resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of 45Ca-uptake. Mg(2+)-dependent Ca(2+)-ATPase activity was significantly lower in synaptosomes compared to microsomes in both frontal cortex and cerebellum. In contrast to the uptake studies, AlCl3 stimulated Mg(2+)-dependent Ca(2+)-ATPase activity in both microsomes and synaptosomes from both brain regions. To determine the relationship between aluminum and Mg2+, we measured ATPase activity in the presence of increasing concentrations of Mg2+ or AlCl3. Maximal ATPase activity was obtained between 3 and 6 mM Mg2+. When we substituted AlCl3 for Mg2+, ATPase activity was also stimulated in a concentration-dependent manner, but to a greater extent than with Mg2+. One interpretation of these data is that aluminum acts at multiple sites to displace both Mg2+ and Ca2+, increasing the activity of the Ca(2+)-ATPase, but disrupting transport of calcium.

Alterations in myofibrillar function and protein profiles after complete global ischemia in rat hearts.

We studied changes in myofibrillar function and protein profiles after complete global ischemia with anoxia in rat hearts. Hearts were exposed to global ischemia and anoxia (CGI) for 30 or 60 minutes at 37 degrees C, and myofibrils were prepared for measurement of Ca(2+)-dependent Mg(2+)-ATPase activity at pH 7.0 and 6.5. Hearts incubated in cold saline (1 +/- 1 degrees C) and nonincubated hearts served as controls. Maximum ATPase activity was unchanged at pH 7.0 and pH 6.5 in myofibrils from hearts treated with 30 or 60 minutes of CGI. At pH 7.0, the Hill coefficient, which is an index of cooperative interactions among thin-filament proteins, was unchanged after 30 minutes of CGI but was significantly increased after 60 minutes of CGI. A similar trend for increased cooperativity was observed when myofibrillar ATPase activity was measured at pH 6.5 in myofibrils from rat hearts made ischemic for 30 or 60 minutes. Both 30 and 60 minutes of CGI resulted in increased pCa50 values (half-maximally activating free [Ca2+]) at pH 7.0 and pH 6.5. Densitometric analysis of myofibrillar proteins separated with sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that troponin I and troponin T were degraded during 60 minutes of CGI. Two new protein bands appearing in ischemia-treated myofibrils were identified as partially degraded troponin I and troponin T with Western blots. The troponin I fragment could be phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. In addition, we observed phosphorylation of a protein band that corresponded to myosin light chain-2 in myofibrils from CGI-treated hearts. These results suggest that degradation of thin-filament proteins may contribute to the changes in cooperativity of Ca2+ regulation of ATPase activity observed in the myofibrils from rat hearts exposed to CGI.

Diphosphorylation of platelet myosin by myosin light chain kinase

Recently, one of the authors (K.I.) and other investigators reported that myosin light chain (MLC) of smooth muscle (gizzard, arterial and tracheal) was diphosphorylated by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) and that diphosphorylated myosin showed a marked increase in the actin-activated myosin ATPase activity in vitro and ex vivo. In this study, we prepared myosin, actin, tropomyosin (human platelet), MLCK (chicken gizzard) and calmodulin (bovine brain) and demonstrated diphosphorylation of MLC of platelet by MLCK in vitro. Our results are as follows. (1) Platelet MLC was diphosphorylated by a relatively high concentration (> 20 μg/ml) of MLCK in vitro. As a result of diphosphorylation, the actin-activated myosin ATPase activity was increased 3 to 4-fold as compared to the monophosphorylation. (2) Both di- and monophosphorylation reactions showed similar Ca 2+, KCl, MgCl 2-dependence. Maximal reaction was seen at [Ca 2+] > 10 −6 M, 60 mM KCl and 2 mM MgCl 2. This condition was physiological in activated platelets. (3) Di- and monophosphorylated myosin showed similar Ca 2+. KCl-dependence of ATPase activity but distinct MgCl 2-dependence. Diphosphorylated myosin showed maximal ATPase activity at 2 mM MgCl 2 and monophosphorylated myosin showed a maximum at 10 mM MgCl 2. (4) The addition of tropomyosin stimulated actin-activated ATPase activity in both di- and monophosphorylated myosin to the same degree. (5) ML-9, a relatively specific inhibitor of MLCK, inhibited the aggregation of human platelets induced by thrombin ex vivo in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, this drug also partially inhibited both di- and monophosphorylation reactions and actin-activated ATPase activity. On the other hand, H-7, a synthetic inhibitor of protein kinase C, had little effect on the aggregation of human platelets induced by thrombin ex vivo. From these results, we conclude that diphosphorylation of platelet myosin by MLCK may play an important role in activated platelets in vivo.

Contractile activity and fluorescence changes in fluo-3-loaded isolated ventricular myocytes.

Isolated rat ventricular myocytes were loaded with fluo-3 which did not result in a loss of beating activity, in order to record the changes in the fluorescence and contractile parameters. Changes in the beating activity induced by various reagents in perfusing medium were related to variations in the peak intensity of fluorescence time course and possibly to changes in myofibrillar ATPase activity. Isoproterenol stimulated, whereas 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) and a medium with a low Ca2+ concentration suppressed the contractile activity by increasing and reducing the Ca2+ transient, respectively, and, in the presence of BDM, a decrease in the maximum ATPase activity also contributed the suppressive effect.

Respiration and mitochondrial ATPase in energized mitochondria during isoproterenol-induced cell injury of myocardium

1. 1. Respiration of mitochondria, membrane potential and mitochondrial ATPase under energized conditions were studied in rat myocardium during cell injury induced by treatment with isoproterenol. 2. 2. Increase in the state 4 rate of respiration and ADP:O ratio, as well as decrease in the state 3 rate and Respiratory Control Ratio (RCR) were found. 3. 3. The optimum pH for RCR and for maximum ATPase activity was shifted to lower values. 4. 4. The state 3 respiration was more sensitive to oligomycin inhibition. 5. 5. The mitochondria showed lower ability to generate membrane potential. 6. 6. An increase in the K 0.5 values for catalytic sites II and III of mitochondrial ATPase at pH 7.4 and 5.5 was found. 7. 7. These results are consistent with alterations on the integrity of mitochondrial membrane, and corroborate with the hypothesis of changes on the mitochondrial ATPase during isoproterenol-induced cell injury of myocardium.

The ATPase of Bacillus alcalophilus. Purification and properties of the enzyme

The ATPase of Bacillus alcalophilus was extracted from the bacterial membranes with Triton X-100 and purified by hydroxyapatite column chromatography. SDS gel-electrophoresis of the purified protein indicated the typical subunit pattern of an F1F0 structure with five F1 subunits (alpha, beta, gamma, delta, epsilon) and three F0 subunits (a,b,c). The alpha and beta subunits were antigens for an antiserum against the corresponding subunits of the ATPase of Escherichia coli. Subunit c was extracted from the bacterial membranes with chloroform/methanol. Its amino acid composition was in the range of subunits c from other ATPases. Maximal ATPase activity was observed in the presence of 2-5 mM MgCl2, an ATP/Mg2+ ratio of 2:1 and 25% methanol. In the absence of methanol, only about 1% of the maximal activity was observed. The enzyme was also activated by Ca2+ (in the absence of methanol), reaching about 30% of the maximal activity. The dependence of initial velocity versus ATP of the Ca2(+)-activated but not of the Mg2+/methanol-activated enzyme indicted cooperativity with three strongly cooperative binding sites.

Mechanism for the Activation of Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase from Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Culture Cells by Molecular Species of a Phospholipid

The activation of H(+)-ATPase solubilized from plasma membrane of rice (Oryza sativa L. var Nipponbare) culture cells was examined by the exogenous addition of various phospholipids, free fatty acids, glycerides, polar head groups of phospholipids and molecular species of phosphatidylcholine (PC). H(+)-ATPase activity appeared to be stimulated by phospholipids in the following order: asolectin > phosphatidylserine > PC > lysophosphatidylcholine > phosphatidylglycerol, and maximal ATPase activation was noted at around 0.05 to 0.03% (w/v) of asolectin or molecular species of PC. Polar head groups such as glycerol, inositol, and serine only slightly activated ATPase activity or not at all, while ethanolamine and choline had no effect. Activation was dependent on the degree of saturation or unsaturation of the fatty acyl chain and its length. The activity decreased with increase in the length of fatty acyl chain from dimyristoryl(14:0)-PC to distearoyl(18:0)-PC and the degree of unsaturation from dioleoyl(18:1)-PC to dilinolenoyl(18:3)-PC. Maximum activation was observed when PC possessing 1-myristoyl(14:0)-2-oleoyl(18:1) or 1-oleoyl-2-myristoyl was added to the reaction mixture. These data show that the activation of plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase by PC depends on a combination of saturated (myristic acid 14:0, palmitic acid 16:0, and stearic acid 18:0) and unsaturated (oleic acid 18:1, linoleic acid 18:2, and arachidonic acid 20:4) fatty acids at the sn-1 and sn-2 positions of the triglycerides.

Effect of limited trypsin digestion on the biochemical kinetics of skeletal myosin subfragment-1

We have investigated the effect of limited trypsin digestion of chymotryptic myosin Subfragment-1 (S-1) on its kinetic properties. We find that Vmax (i.e., the extrapolated maximal ATPase activity at infinite actin) remains approximately constant, independent of the period of digestion. We also find that the apparent actin activation constant, KATPase, and the apparent dissociation constant, Kbinding, are both significantly weakened by trypsin digestion of S-1, and that these kinetic parameters change in concert. In addition, we investigated the effect of limited trypsin digestion on the initial phosphate burst. We find that trypsin digestion has no effect on the rate of the tryptophan fluorescence enhancement that occurs after ATP binds to digested S-1, but that the magnitude of the fluorescence enhancement falls approximately 40% with digestion. Digested S-1 also showed anomalous behavior in that the fluorescence magnitude increased and the fluorescence rate dropped in the presence of actin. Trypsin digestion also decreased the magnitude of the chemically measured Pi burst approximately 35%, but this magnitude was essentially unaffected by actin. A possible explanation for this behavior is discussed.

Functional consequences of the proteolytic removal of regulatory serines from the nonhelical tailpiece of Acanthamoeba myosin II

The actin-activated Mg2(+)-ATPase activity of myosin II from Acanthamoeba castellanii is regulated by phosphorylation of 3 serines in its 29-residue, nonhelical, COOH-terminal tailpiece, i.e., serines-1489, -1494, and -1499 or, in reverse order, residues 11, 16, and 21 from the COOH terminus. To investigate the essential requirements for regulation, myosin II filaments in the presence of F-actin were digested by arginine-specific submaxillary gland protease. Two-dimensional peptide mapping of purified, cleaved myosin II showed that the two most terminal phosphorylation sites, serines-1494 and -1499, had been removed. Cleaved dephosphorylated myosin II retained full actin-activated Mg2(+)-ATPase activity (with no change in Vmax or Kapp) and the ability to form filaments similar to those of the native enzyme. However, higher Mg2+ concentrations were required for both filament formation and maximal ATPase activity. The one remaining regulatory serine in the cleaved myosin II was phosphorylatable by myosin II heavy-chain kinase, and phosphorylation inactivated the actin-activated Mg2(+)-ATPase activity, as in the case of the native myosin II. Also as in the case of the native myosin II, phosphorylated cleaved myosin II inhibited the actin-activated Mg2(+)-ATPase activity of dephosphorylated cleaved myosin II when the two were copolymerized. These results suggest that at least 18 of the 29 residues in the nonhelical tailpiece of the heavy chain are not required for either actin-activated Mg2(+)-ATPase activity or filament formation and that phosphorylation of Ser-1489 is sufficient to regulate the actin-activated Mg2(+)-ATPase activity of myosin II.

Separation and purification of the tonoplast ATPase and pyrophosphatase from plants with constitutive and inducible Crassulacean acid metabolism

Tonoplast vesicles were isolated from Kalanchoe daigremontiana Hamet et Pierrer de la Bâthie and Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L., exhibiting constitutive and inducible crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), respectively. Membrane-bound proteins were detergent-solubilized with 2% of Triton X-100. During CAM induction in M. crystallinum, ATPase activity increases four-fold, whereas pyrophosphatase activity decreases somewhat. With all plants, ATPase and pyrophosphatase could be separated by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC, Sephacryl S 400), and the ATPase was further purified by diethylaminoethyl-ion-exchange chromatography. Sodium-dodecyl-sulfate electrophoresis of the SEC fractions from K. daigremontiana containing maximum ATPase activity separates several protein bands, indicating subunits of 72, 56, 48, 42, 28, and 16 kDa. Purified ATPase from M. crystallinum in the C3 and CAM states shows a somewhat different protein pattern. With M. crystallinum, an increase in ATP-hydrolysis and changes in the subunit composition of the native enzyme indicate that the change from the C3 to the CAM state is accompanied by de-novo synthesis and by structural changes of the tonoplast ATPase.

Calcium-dependent inactivation of the Ca2+-ATPase from sarcoplasmic reticulum by chemically reactive adenosine triphosphate.

1. ATP gamma P-imidazolidate, synthesized from ATP and carbonyldiimidazole, inhibits the Ca2+-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum in a biphasic manner. A fast first phase is concentration-dependent while a slower second phase is independent of the inhibitor concentration. 2. The inhibition is calcium- and magnesium-dependent. No inhibition occurs in the absence of either cation. 3. Inhibition of the Ca2+-ATPase can be prevented by the protection with ATP. 4. The loss of ATPase activity is pH-dependent. Maximal inhibition coincides with maximal ATPase activity. It indicates a participation of the reacting amino acid side chain in the catalytic cycle. 5. The incorporation of radioactive inhibitor is reversed in a time-dependent fashion while the Ca2+-ATPase remains inhibited. 6. We conclude that ATP gamma P-imidazolidate initially reacts covalently with an amino acid side chain, probably Asp-351, but is subsequently expelled by a reaction with a second amino acid. 7. This two-step reaction induces an intramolecular cross-link which can be shown by the creation of a new protein band on SDS-PAGE which originates in the Ca2+-ATPase.

Gastric H+-K+-ATPase in situ: relation to secretory state.

Isolated gastric glands from rabbit were used to measure the gastric H+-K+-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) and its partial reaction, a K+ p-nitrophenyl phosphatase (pNPPase), in situ. Measurement of the enzyme activities required permeabilization of the cells with digitonin and the use of several ATPase inhibitors to reduce nonspecific activity. The enzyme activities were identified as the H+-K+-ATPase according to the following criteria: dependence on K+, association with parietal cells, insensitivity to ouabain and ethylene glycol-bis(beta-aminoethyl ether)-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, and inhibition by the specific inhibitors omeprazole and Sch 28080. K+-stimulated ATPase, but not K+-pNPPase, was enhanced by K+ ionophores, valinomycin and nigericin, with nigericin resulting in the greatest activity. Comparison of tissues that were preincubated to establish resting and stimulated states showed that prestimulation results in an increase in K+-stimulated ATPase activity with no change in the total activity. With the use of a two-step assay procedure, it could be shown that stimulation also results in an increase in the omeprazole-sensitive maximal ATPase activity. These results indicate that the major effects of stimulation are to enhance KCl activation of the enzyme and to increase the number of active enzyme molecules.

Anion-stimulated ATPase in locust rectal epithelium

The rectum, the main reabsorptive site in the locust excretory system, actively transports Cl−. This Cl− absorption is electrogenie, not dependent on Na+or [Formula: see text] and insensitive to inhibitors of NaCl cotransport or [Formula: see text] exchange. To determine if active Cl− transport across rectal epithelia might be due to an anion-stimulated ATPase, a microsomal fraction was obtained by differential centrifugation. Microsomal ATPase activity was stimulated in the following sequence: sulphite > bicarbonate > chloride. Maximal ATPase activity was obtained at 25 mM [Formula: see text] or 25 mM Cl−. Thiocyanate (10 mM) inhibited 90% of the anion-stimulated ATPase activity. The microsomal fraction was enriched in the plasma membrane markers, leucine aminopeptidase, alkaline phosphatase, 5′-nucleotidase, and γ-glutamyItranspeptidase, and had little contamination of the mitochondrial enzymes, succinate cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome oxidase. Na,K-ATPase was enriched in the mitochondrial fraction. Microscopic examination confirmed that basolateral membranes were associated with mitochondria following differential centrifugation, while the microsomal fraction contained little mitochondrial contamination. These results indicate the presence of an anion-stimulated ATPase activity that could be responsible for active Cl− transport across locust recta.

Extensive purification from Acanthamoeba castellanii of a microtubule-dependent translocator with microtubule-activated Mg2+-ATPase activity.

A protein which supported MgATP-dependent movement of latex beads from the minus to the plus end of microtubules and which had microtubule-activated Mg2+-ATPase was purified from Acanthamoeba castellanii. At concentrations as low as 0.6 micrograms ml-1, the translocator supported movement of beads at a rate of 3 to 4 micron s-1. The translocator protein had a Ca2+-ATPase activity of 1.7 mumol min-1 mg-1 and a Mg2+-ATPase activity of about 0.03 mumol min-1 mg-1 in the absence of microtubules. The Mg2+-ATPase in the presence of microtubules had a Vmax of 3.4 mumol min-1 mg-1; half-maximal Mg2+-ATPase activity required only 0.45 microM microtubules (concentration of dimer subunits). The highly purified native protein had a Stokes radius of 8.5 nm, and three polypeptides of Mr 134,000, 139,000, and 147,000 were associated with the fractions that had maximum translocator and ATPase activities.

Latency of Plasma Membrane H+-ATPase in Vesicles Isolated by Aqueous Phase Partitioning

The properties of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase and the cause of its latency have been studied using a highly purified plasma membrane fraction from oat (Avena sativa L., cv Victory) roots, prepared by aqueous two-phase partitioning. The ATPase has a maximum specific activity (at 37 degrees C) in excess of 4 micromoles inorganic phosphate per milligram protein per minute in the presence of nondenaturing surfactants. It is inhibited by more than 90% by vanadate, is specific for ATP, has a pH optimum of 6.5, and is stimulated more than 4-fold by 50 millimolar K(+) in the presence of low levels of the nondenaturing surfactants Triton X-100 and lysolecithin. This ;latent' activity is usually explained as being a result of the inability of ATP to reach the ATPase in right-side out, sealed vesicles, until they are disrupted by surfactants. Consistent with this idea, trypsin digestion significantly inhibited the ATPase only in the presence of the surfactants. Electron spin resonance spectroscopy volume measurements confirmed that surfactant-free vesicles were mostly sealed to molecules similar to ATP. However, the Triton to protein ratio required to disrupt vesicle integrity completely is 10-fold less than that needed to promote maximum ATPase activity. We propose that plasma membrane ATPase activation is due not solely to vesicle disruption and accessibility of ATP to the ATPase but to the surfactants activating the ATPase by altering the lipid environment in its vicinity or by removing an inhibitory subunit.

Biochemical kinetics of porcine cardiac subfragment-1.

The actin binding and ATPase kinetics of cardiac myosin subfragment-1 were compared with prior studies on skeletal myosin subfragments. Previous kinetic studies on rabbit skeletal subfragment-1 (S-1) have revealed two important features of the actomyosin ATPase activity. First, hydrolysis of ATP by myosin subfragment-1 proceeds both when S-1 is bound to actin and when it is dissociated from actin. Second, the actin concentration required to reach half the maximum ATPase activity, Ka(ATPase), is considerably lower than the actin concentration required to bind half the subfragment-1 during steady state hydrolysis of ATP, Ka(binding). These kinetic facts require that skeletal myosin hydrolyze ATP without dissociating from actin; therefore, a "nondissociating" pathway for ATP hydrolysis exists. The studies reported here show that porcine cardiac S-1 is very similar to rabbit skeletal S-1. Under identical conditions to prior work on skeletal S-1, the Ka(ATPase) of porcine cardiac S-1 is approximately equal to that reported for skeletal S-1. This is also true for Ka(binding). Comparison of Ka(ATPase) and Ka(binding) shows that for cardiac proteins Ka(ATPase) is fourfold to sixfold stronger than Ka(binding), i.e., half maximal ATPase activity is achieved at about one fifth the actin necessary to reach 50% binding. The extrapolated maximum ATPase activity at saturating actin concentration for cardiac S-1 is consistently slower than skeletal S-1 by about a factor of 2.5. Furthermore, studies of the actoS-1 ATPase activity at high actin concentrations as well as with crosslinked actoS-1 show no significant inhibition, implying the requirement of a "nondissociating" pathway for ATP hydrolysis by cardiac myosin subfragment-1.

Vanadate Sensitive ATPase and Phosphatase Activity in Guard Cell Protoplasts ofCommelina

Fricker, M. D. and Willmer, C. M. 1986. Vanadate sensitive ATPase and phosphatase activity in guard cell protoplasts of Commelina.—l. exp. Bot. 38: 642-648. Phosphatase activity was measured in extracts of guard cell protoplasts of Commelina communis L. using the artificial substrate p-nitrophenylphosphate. A pH optimum of 5-8 to 6-3 was determined. Ammonium molybdate (0-1 mol m~3) and sodium vanadate (10 mol m-3) gave almost complete inhibition of phosphatase activity at pH 60. ATPase assays were, therefore, conducted in the presence of 0-2 mol m ~3 molybdate and vanadate was used as a specific inhibitor of plasmamembrane ATPase activity. Vanadate sensitive ATPase activity showed a pH optimum of 6-6 and activity was stimulated by KC1. These properties are characteristic of plasmamembrane proton pumping ATPases in other systems and suggest that proton extrusion in guard cells could be mediated by a similar enzyme. The maximum ATPase activity is sufficient to account for all the proton flux observed during the stomatal opening response.

ATPase activity and tension development in mechanically-skinned feline jaw muscle

At a muscle length L 0 (just taut), isometric tension and ATPase activity were measured at constant levels of various Ca 2+ activations in muscle fibres (2–3 mm long and 34–66 μm in diameter) isolated from temporal, masseter and digastric (anterior belly) muscles. The isometric tension increased in a sigmoid fashion with increasing Ca 2+ concentration from about pCa 6.60 to pCa 5.00 in the temporalis and from about pCa 6.37 to pCa 5.00 in both the masseter and digastric. The maximum isometric tension from four perparations of each muscle averaged 44.4 ± 6.6 g/mm 2 in the temporalis, 31.9 ± 4.0 g/mm 2 in the masseter, and 23.9 ± 5.5 g/mm 2 in the digastric. The ATPase activity also increased sigmoidally with increasing Ca 2+ concentration from slightly below pCa 7.0 to pCa 5.0 in the temporalis, and from slightly above pCa 6.0 to pCa 5.0 in both the masseter and digastric. The maximum ATPase activity obtained from four preparations of each muscle averaged 0.35 ± 0.06 μmol/mg protein per min in the temporalis, 0.29 ± 0.06 μmol/mg protein per min in the masseter, and 0.18 ± 0.04 μmol/mg protein per min in the digastric. The tension cost (ATPase activity/tension) estimated from these results was lower in the digastric than in the temporalis or masseter, indicating more economical ATP consumption in the digastric.

Modulation of vascular and cardiac contractile protein regulatory mechanisms by calmodulin inhibitors and related compounds

The abilities of several calmodulin antagonists and other compounds belonging to different pharmacological classes to modulate Ca 2+ calmodulin mediated arterial myosin light chain phosphorylation and Ca 2+-troponin C regulated cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity have been quantitated in Triton X-100 purified preparations of bovine aortic actomyosin and canine ventricular myofibrils. At submaximal free Ca 2+ concentrations, all calmodulin antagonists inhibited myosin phosphorylation; however, some (calmidazolium, trifluoperazine, chlorpromazine, pimozide) stimulated myofibrillar ATPase activity, some (compound 48/80, W-5) had no effect on activity, while others (W-7, haloperidol, mastoparan) inhibited ATPase activity. The relative order of potency for several agents in both preparations was the same, as 1050 values for inhibition of arterial myosin phosphorylation were: calmidazolium, 0.5 μM; trifluoperazine, 22 μM; perhexiline, 35 μM; and concentrations which stimulated cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity by 50% were: calmidazolium, 9 μM; trifluoperazine, 45μM; perhexiline, 90 μM. A common feature of stimulation of cardiac ATPase activity by these agents was a leftward shift in the pCa relationship, although different shape changes in the pCa curves were also apparent. Maximum ATPase activity was either not affected or inhibited (trifluoperazine). Several other agents belonging to diverse pharmacological classes also had differential effects on myosin phosphorylation and ATPase activity. These results show that structurally-distinct calmodulin antagonists and other compounds differentially affect cardiac myofibrillar ATPase activity. Moreover, several agents have been identified which inhibit arterial, and stimulate cardiac, contractile protein regulatory mechanisms. Thus, it may be possible to develop mechanistically novel cardiotonic/vasodilator agents, Ca 2+ binding protein modulators, which function primarily by altering the Ca 2+ sensitivity of contractile protein interactions.