Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)-dependent phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain (RLC) of cardiac myosin is known to play a beneficial role in heart disease, but the idea of a phosphorylation-mediated reversal of a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) phenotype is novel. Our previous studies on transgenic (Tg) HCM-RLC mice revealed that the D166V (Aspartate166 →Valine) mutation-induced changes in heart morphology and function coincided with largely reduced RLC phosphorylation in situ. We hypothesized that the introduction of a constitutively phosphorylated Serine15 (S15D) into the hearts of D166V mice would prevent the development of a deleterious HCM phenotype. In support of this notion, MLCK-induced phosphorylation of D166V-mutated hearts was found to rescue some of their abnormal contractile properties. Tg-S15D-D166V mice were generated with the human cardiac RLC-S15D-D166V construct substituted for mouse cardiac RLC and were subjected to functional, structural, and morphological assessments. The results were compared with Tg-WT and Tg-D166V mice expressing the human ventricular RLC-WT or its D166V mutant, respectively. Echocardiography and invasive hemodynamic studies demonstrated significant improvements of intact heart function in S15D-D166V mice compared with D166V, with the systolic and diastolic indices reaching those monitored in WT mice. A largely reduced maximal tension and abnormally high myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity observed in D166V-mutated hearts were reversed in S15D-D166V mice. Lowangle X-ray diffraction study revealed that altered myofilament structures present in HCM-D166V mice were mitigated in S15D-D166V rescue mice. Our collective results suggest that expression of pseudophosphorylated RLC in the hearts of HCM mice is sufficient to prevent the development of the pathological HCM phenotype.cardiomyopathy | hemodynamics | myocardial contraction | X-ray structure | myosin RLC

(2008) J. Mol. Cell. Cardiol. 45, 281-288). We performed actomyosin ATPase and spectroscopic solution studies to investigate the molecular properties of these mutations. Actomyosin ATPase activity was measured as a function of [Ca 2؉ ] utilizing reconstituted thin filaments (TFs) with 50% mutant and 50% wild type (WT) and 100% mutant cardiac troponin (cTn) complexes: A8V, C84Y, and D145E increased the Ca 2؉ sensitivity with only A8V demonstrating lowered Ca 2؉ sensitization at the 50% ratio when compared with 100%; E134D was the same as WT at both ratios. Of these four mutants, only D145E showed increased ATPase activation in the presence of Ca 2؉ . None of the mutants affected ATPase inhibition or the binding of cTn to the TF measured by co-sedimentation. Only D145E increased the Ca 2؉ affinity of site II measured by 2-(4-(2؆-iodoacetamido)phenyl)aminonaphthalene-6-sulfonic acid fluorescence in isolated cTnC or the cTn complex. In the presence of the TF, only A8V was further sensitized to Ca 2؉ . Circular dichroism measurements in different metal-bound states of the isolated cTnCs showed changes in the secondary structure of A8V, C84Y, and D145E, whereas E134D was the same as WT. PyMol modeling of each cTnC mutant within the cTn complex revealed potential for local changes in the tertiary structure of A8V, C84Y, and D145E. Our results indicate that 1) three of the hypertrophic cardiomyopathy cTnC mutants increased the Ca 2؉ sensitivity of the myofilament; 2) the effects of the mutations on the Ca 2؉ affinity of isolated cTnC, cTn, and TF are not sufficient to explain the large Ca 2؉ sensitivity changes seen in reconstituted and fiber assays; and 3) changes in the secondary structure of the cTnC mutants may contribute to modified proteinprotein interactions along the sarcomere lattice disrupting the coupling between the cross-bridge and Ca 2؉ binding to cTnC.Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) 3 is typically inherited as an autosomal dominant disease that is caused by mutations in sarcomeric genes and is the most prevalent cause of sudden death in athletes and young people (1, 2). The clinical hallmark of HCM is an increased thickness of the left ventricular wall. Myocyte disarray, fibrosis, septal hypertrophy, and abnormal diastolic function can also be present in HCM patients (3). HCM mutations have been reported in 13 myofilament-related genes; however, the cardiac troponin C (cTnC) gene remained excluded from this list (4 -7). The clinical and functional phenotypes may vary according to the gene and the location of the mutation (8). Recently our group has reported evidence that brings cTnC into focus as an HCM susceptibility gene (9). Interestingly the prevalence for cTnC HCM mutations was the same as other well characterized genes (i.e. actin and tropomyosin) (6). To date, prior to our recent report, only one mutation in cTnC (L29Q) had been linked to HCM (10). In vitro and in situ studies demonstrating changes in the functional parameters of cardiac muscle regulation suggest that this mutation is causative...

Human cardiac Troponin I (cTnI) is the first sarcomeric protein for which mutations have been associated with restrictive cardiomyopathy. To determine whether five mutations in cTnI (L144Q, R145W, A171T, K178E, and R192H) associated with restrictive cardiomyopathy were distinguishable from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-causing mutations in cTnI, actomyosin ATPase activity and skinned fiber studies were carried out. All five mutations investigated showed an increase in the Ca 2؉ sensitivity of force development compared with wildtype cTnI. The two mutations with the worst clinical phenotype (K178E and R192H) both showed large increases in Ca 2؉ sensitivity (⌬pCa 50 ‫؍‬ 0.47 and 0.36, respectively). Although at least one of these mutations is not in the known inhibitory regions of cTnI, all of the mutations investigated caused a decrease in the ability of cTnI to inhibit actomyosin ATPase activity. Mixtures of wild-type and mutant cTnI showed that cTnI mutants could be classified into three different groups: dominant (L144Q, A171T and R192H), equivalent (K178E), or weaker (R145W) than wild-type cTnI in actomyosin ATPase assays in the absence of Ca 2؉ . Although most of the mutants were able to activate actomyosin ATPase similarly to wild-type cTnI, L144Q had significantly lower maximal ATPase activities than any of the other mutants or wild-type cTnI. Three mutants (L144Q, R145W, and K178E) were unable to fully relax contraction in the absence of Ca 2؉ . The inability of the five cTnI mutations investigated to fully inhibit ATPase activity/ force development and the generally larger increases in Ca 2؉ sensitivity than observed for most hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutations would likely lead to severe diastolic dysfunction and may be the major physiological factors responsible for causing the restrictive cardiomyopathy phenotype in some of the genetically affected individuals.

Several cardiac troponin I (cTnI) mutations are associated with restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) in humans. We have created transgenic mice (cTnI193His mice) that express the corresponding human RCM R192H mutation. Phenotype of this RCM animal model includes restrictive ventricles, biatrial enlargement and sudden cardiac death, which are similar to those observed in RCM patients carrying the same cTnI mutation. In the present study, we modified the overall cTnI in cardiac muscle by crossing cTnI193His mice with transgenic mice expressing an N-terminal truncated cTnI (cTnI-ND) that enhances relaxation. Protein analyses determined that wild type cTnI was replaced by cTnI-ND in the heart of double transgenic mice (Double TG), which express only cTnI-ND and cTnI R193H in cardiac myocytes. The presence of cTnI-ND effectively rescued the lethal phenotype of RCM mice by reducing the mortality rate. Cardiac function was significantly improved in Double TG mice when measured by echocardiography. The hypersensitivity to Ca2+ and the prolonged relaxation of RCM cTnI193His cardiac myocytes were completely reversed by the presence of cTnI-ND in RCM hearts. The results demonstrate that myofibril hypersensitivity to Ca2+ is a key mechanism that causes impaired relaxation in RCM cTnI mutant hearts and Ca2+ desensitization by cTnI-ND can correct diastolic dysfunction and rescue the RCM phenotypes, suggesting that Ca2+ desensitization in myofibrils is a therapeutic option for treatment of diastolic dysfunction without interventions directed at the systemic β-adrenergic-PKA pathways.

SignificanceDilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a progressive heart disease with no current cure, often culminating in heart transplantation. Transgenic D94A (aspartic acid-to-alanine) mice carrying a novel DCM-causative mutation in the MYL2 gene, encoding the cardiac myosin regulatory light chain, were created and investigated by echocardiography and invasive hemodynamic and molecular structural and functional assessments. Our data show that hypocontractile myosin motors and structural perturbations at the level of sarcomeres trigger aberrant functional remodeling in D94A hearts and the development of DCM, which closely follows the clinical phenotype. Left ventricular chamber dilation and decreased ejection fraction, observed in D94A hearts, were indicative of systolic dysfunction, a hallmark of DCM. Our study suggests that MYL2 may be considered a therapeutic target for dilated cardiomyopathy.