J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 264, Issue 1, 40-44, 01, 1989
Selective binding of L-thyroxine by myosin light chain kinase
M Hagiwara, S Mamiya and H Hidaka
Department of Pharmacology, Nagoya University School of Medicine, Japan.
L-Thyroxine selectively inhibited Ca2+-calmodulin-activated myosin light
chain kinases (MLC kinase) purified from rabbit skeletal muscle, chicken
gizzard smooth muscle, bovine thyroid gland, and human platelet with
similar Ki values (Ki = 2.5 microM). A detailed analysis of L- thyroxine
inhibition of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase activation was
undertaken in order to determine the effect of L- thyroxine on the
stoichiometries of Ca2+, calmodulin, and the enzyme in the activation
process. The kinetic data indicated that L-thyroxine does not interact with
calmodulin but, instead, through direct association with the enzyme,
inhibits the binding of the Ca2+- calmodulin complex to MLC kinase.
L-[125I]Thyroxine gel overlay revealed that the 95-kDa fragment of chicken
gizzard MLC kinase digested by chymotrypsin and all the fragments of 110,
94, 70, and 43 kDa produced by Staphylococcus aureus V8 protease digestion
which contain the calmodulin binding domain retain L-[125I]thyroxine
binding activity, whereas smaller peptides were not radioactive. Since MLC
kinase is phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (2 mol of
phosphate/mol of MLC kinase), the effect of L-thyroxine on the
phosphorylation of MLC kinase also was examined. L-Thyroxine binding did
not inhibit the phosphorylation of MLC kinase and, moreover, reversed the
inhibition of phosphorylation obtained with the calmodulin- enzyme complex.
These observations support the suggestion that L- thyroxine binds at or
near the calmodulin-binding site of MLC kinase. L- Thyroxine may serve as a
different type of pharmacological tool for elucidating the biological
significance of MLC kinase-mediated reactions.