Structural Changes in Titin and Nebulin Filaments Specific to Calcium Ions at 0.1 mM: Factors of Meat Tenderization During Postmortem Aging

ABSTRACT Postmortem structural changes in titin and nebulin filaments were investigated by incubating isolated myofibrils in a solution containing 0.1 mM calcium ions and various concentrations of a protease inhibitor. The inhibition curves showed 2 abnormal steps with increases in the concentration of leupeptin or calpastatin domain I. While the amounts of unchanged titin and nebulin were constant in the 1st step, the 2nd occurred at higher protease inhibitor concentrations. These facts indicated that excess amounts of leupeptin and calpastatin domain I caused deterioration in titin and nebulin properties, thus interfering with the binding of calcium ions. We concluded that the severance of titin and nebulin filaments in the 1st step were induced by calcium ions at 0.1 mM.     

RBM20-Mediated Pre-mRNA Splicing Has Muscle-Specificity and Differential Hormonal Responses between Muscles and in Muscle Cell Cultures

Pre-mRNA splicing plays an important role in muscle function and diseases. The RNA binding motif 20 (RBM20) is a splicing factor that is predominantly expressed in muscle tissues and primarily regulates pre-mRNA splicing of Ttn, encoding a giant muscle protein titin that is responsible for muscle function and diseases. RBM20-mediated Ttn splicing has been mostly studied in heart muscle, but not in skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated splicing specificity in different muscle types in Rbm20 knockout rats and hormonal effects on RBM20-mediated splicing both in cellulo and in vivo studies. The results revealed that RBM20 is differentially expressed across muscles and RBM20-mediated splicing is muscle-type specific. In the presence of RBM20, Ttn splicing responds to hormones in a muscle-type dependent manner, while in the absence of RBM20, Ttn splicing is not affected by hormones. In differentiated and undifferentiated C2C12 cells, RBM20-mediated splicing in response to hormonal effects is mainly through genomic signaling pathway. The knowledge gained from this study may help further understand muscle-specific gene splicing in response to hormone stimuli in different muscle types.     

Titin N2A Domain and Its Interactions at the Sarcomere

Titin is a giant protein in the sarcomere that plays an essential role in muscle contraction with actin and myosin filaments. However, its utility goes beyond mechanical functions, extending to versatile and complex roles in sarcomere organization and maintenance, passive force, mechanosensing, and signaling. Titin’s multiple functions are in part attributed to its large size and modular structures that interact with a myriad of protein partners. Among titin’s domains, the N2A element is one of titin’s unique segments that contributes to titin’s functions in compliance, contraction, structural stability, and signaling via protein–protein interactions with actin filament, chaperones, stress-sensing proteins, and proteases. Considering the significance of N2A, this review highlights structural conformations of N2A, its predisposition for protein–protein interactions, and its multiple interacting protein partners that allow the modulation of titin’s biological effects. Lastly, the nature of N2A for interactions with chaperones and proteases is included, presenting it as an important node that impacts titin’s structural and functional integrity.     

不同钙离子浓度体外条件下磷酸化对肌联蛋白降解的影响

以羊背最长肌中肌联蛋白为原料,添加蛋白激酶A和碱性磷酸酶体外孵育使肌联蛋白发生磷酸化和去磷酸化反应。反应后添加μ-钙蛋白酶,在钙离子浓度分别为0.05 mmol/L和2 mmol/L条件下,4 ℃孵育2 d。测定孵育体系pH值、肌联蛋白磷酸化水平及其降解程度。结果表明：不同处理组孵育体系pH值差异不显著（P＞0.05）;蛋白激酶A组肌联蛋白磷酸化水平显著高于对照组,对照组肌联蛋白磷酸化水平显著高于碱性磷酸酶组（P＜0.05）;当钙离子浓度为0.05 mmol/L时,蛋白激酶A组和对照组未检测到分子质量为1 200 kDa的降解条带,而碱性磷酸酶组在孵育12 h检测到该条带;当钙离子浓度为2 mmol/L时,蛋白激酶A组和对照组均在孵育12 h检测到1 200 kDa降解条带,而碱性磷酸酶组在孵育0.5 h时检测到该条带。结论：蛋白激酶A和碱性磷酸酶能够促进肌联蛋白发生磷酸化和去磷酸化反应;随着钙离子浓度增加,肌联蛋白降解速率加快;并且在相同钙离子浓度下,肌联蛋白在碱性磷酸酶组降解较快,表明去磷酸化可以促进肌联蛋白的降解。     

Rare Titin (TTN) Variants in Diseases Associated with Sudden Cardiac Death

A leading cause of death in western countries is sudden cardiac death, and can be associated with genetic disease. Next-generation sequencing has allowed thorough analysis of genes associated with this entity, including, most recently, titin. We aimed to identify potentially pathogenic genetic variants in titin. A total of 1126 samples were analyzed using a custom sequencing panel including major genes related to sudden cardiac death. Our cohort was divided into three groups: 432 cases from patients with cardiomyopathies, 130 cases from patients with channelopathies, and 564 post-mortem samples from individuals showing anatomical healthy hearts and non-conclusive causes of death after comprehensive autopsy. None of the patients included had definite pathogenic variants in the genes analyzed by our custom cardio-panel. Retrospective analysis comparing the in-house database and available public databases also was performed. We identified 554 rare variants in titin, 282 of which were novel. Seven were previously reported as pathogenic. Of these 554 variants, 493 were missense variants, 233 of which were novel. Of all variants identified, 399 were unique and 155 were identified at least twice. No definite pathogenic variants were identified in any of genes analyzed. We identified rare, mostly novel, titin variants that seem to play a potentially pathogenic role in sudden cardiac death. Additional studies should be performed to clarify the role of these variants in sudden cardiac death.     

Low-voltage Electrical Stimulation Effects on Proteolysis and Lamb Tenderness

Lamb carcasses were subjected to low‐voltage electrical stimulation (ES; 28 V, 60 Hz) within 5 min postmortem (PM). After ES, the longissimus thoracis (LT) and semimembranosus (SM) muscles were removed to investigate subsequent biochemical changes. The pH values of the ES muscles declined rapidly until the 1^st 3 h PM (p < 0.05). The activities of μ‐calpain and calpastatin in ES muscles decreased significantly after 10 h PM (p < 0.05). Both ES LT and SM muscles tended to have lower shear‐force values, which suggested ES might accelerate activation of calpains as well as glycolytic rate, thereby improving muscle tenderness. Differences in thin and troponin‐T degradation between treatments were also observed with time PM.     

The importance of loop length in the folding of an immunoglobulin domain

Immunoglobulin (Ig)-like proteins have been shown to fold following formation of a nucleus comprising interactions between residues that are distant in the primary sequence. What role do the loops connecting these nucleus residues play? Here, the importance of loops connecting beta-strands in different sheets of the Ig fold is investigated, by insertion of five glycine residues into the B-C loop of an Ig domain from human titin, TI I27. The folding pathway of this elongated 'pseudo wild-type' TI I27 is probed using protein engineering and Phi-value analysis. The Phi-values calculated for mutants within the pseudo wild-type protein indicate that the folding nucleus in wild-type TI I27 is conserved, supporting the hypothesis that the inter-sheet loop is not critical to the formation of a long-range folding nucleus.     

黄鳍鲷肌肉中肌联蛋白的纯化、抗体制备与性质分析

以黄鳍鲷为研究对象，经过低温抽提、凝胶过滤等方法从黄鳍鲷肌肉中分离纯化到肌联蛋白（Titin）。免疫斑点印迹法（dot-blot）检测结果显示，纯化蛋白与小鼠抗鸡肌联蛋白单克隆抗体产生特异性反应。55℃条件下，以肌原纤维蛋白和纯化后肌联蛋白为底物进行分解结果显示，肌原纤维结合型丝氨酸蛋白酶（MBSP）对肌联蛋白有明显的分解作用。     

Increased Expression of N2BA Titin Corresponds to More Compliant Myofibrils in Athlete’s Heart

Long-term exercise induces physiological cardiac adaptation, a condition referred to as athlete’s heart. Exercise tolerance is known to be associated with decreased cardiac passive stiffness. Passive stiffness of the heart muscle is determined by the giant elastic protein titin. The adult cardiac muscle contains two titin isoforms: the more compliant N2BA and the stiffer N2B. Titin-based passive stiffness may be controlled by altering the expression of the different isoforms or via post-translational modifications such as phosphorylation. Currently, there is very limited knowledge about titin’s role in cardiac adaptation during long-term exercise. Our aim was to determine the N2BA/N2B ratio and post-translational phosphorylation of titin in the left ventricle and to correlate the changes with the structure and transverse stiffness of cardiac sarcomeres in a rat model of an athlete’s heart. The athlete’s heart was induced by a 12-week-long swim-based training. In the exercised myocardium the N2BA/N2B ratio was significantly increased, Ser11878 of the PEVK domain was hypophosphorlyated, and the sarcomeric transverse elastic modulus was reduced. Thus, the reduced passive stiffness in the athlete’s heart is likely caused by a shift towards the expression of the longer cardiac titin isoform and a phosphorylation-induced softening of the PEVK domain which is manifested in a mechanical rearrangement locally, within the cardiac sarcomere.