[Effect of mutation Arg9lGly on the thermal stability of beta-tropomyosin].

The mutation Arg91Gly (R91G) in beta-tropomyosin (beta-TM) is known to cause distal arthrogryposis, a severe congenital disorder of muscle tissues. To elucidate how this mutation affects the structural properties of beta-TM, the thermal unfolding of beta-TM carrying mutation Arg91Gly was compared with that of the wild type protein. It was shown by differential scanning calorimetry and circular dichroism that this point mutation dramatically decreases the thermal stability of a significant part of beta-TM (about a half of the molecule).

[Some properties of complexes formed by small heat shock proteins with denatured actin].

We applied different methods to analyze the effects of the recombinant wild-type small heat shock protein with an apparent molecular mass of 27 kD (Hsp27-wt) and its S15,78,82D mutant (Hsp27-3D), which mimics the naturally occurring phosphorylation of this protein, on the thermal denaturation and aggregation of F-actin. It has been shown that, at the weight ratio of Hsp27/actin equal to 1/4, both Hsp27-wt and Hsp27-3D do not affect the thermal unfolding of F-actin but effectively prevent the aggregation of F-actin by forming soluble complexes with denatured actin. The formation of these complexes occurs upon heating and accompanies the F-actin thermal denaturation.

[Calorimetric study of stable complexes of myosin subfragment I with adenosine diphosphate and phosphate analogs].

This short review is concerned with the application of the method of differential scanning calorimetry to study the conformational changes of isolated myosin head (myosin subfragment 1, S1) caused by the formation of the S1 complexes with Mg(2+)-ADP and P(i) analogues such as orthovanadate (V), aluminium fluoride (AIF4-) or beryllium fluoride (BeFx). These changes of the whole S1 molecule are reflected in a significant increase of S1 thermal stability and in a pronounced increase of the cooperativity of the thermal denaturation. Since the complexes S1-ADP-V, S1-ADP-AIF4- and S1-ADP-BeFx are stable analogues of the S1**-ADP-P(i) transition state of the S1-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis, it is concluded that DSC studies with these complexes offer a new and promising approach to investigate the structural changes which occur in the myosin head during Mg(2+)-ATPase reaction.

[The effect of modifying the lysine-83 residue on the thermal stability of myosin subfragment 1 and changes in it caused by nucleotide binding].

The effects of trinitrophenylation of lysyl residues of rabbit skeletal myosin subfragment 1 (S1) on thermal denaturation of S1 in the absence of nucleotides, in the presence of ADP and within S1 complexes with ADP and Pi analogues, orthovanadate (Vi) or beryllium fluoride (BeFx), have been studied by differential scanning calorimetry. It has been shown that lysyl trinitrophenylation significantly affects the thermal stability of S1, changes its domain structure, promotes the decomposition of S1.ADP.