Introduction of negative charge mimicking protein kinase C phosphorylation of cardiac troponin I - Effects on cardiac troponin C

Protein kinase C phosphorylation of cardiac troponin, the Ca2+-sensing switch in muscle contraction, is capable of modulating the response of cardiac muscle to a Ca2+ ion concentration. The N-domain of cardiac troponin I contains two protein kinase C phosphorylation sites. Although the physiological consequences of phosphorylation at Ser(43)/Ser(45) are known, the molecular mechanisms responsible for these functional changes have yet to be established. In this work, NMR was used to identify conformational and dynamic changes in cardiac troponin C upon binding a phosphomimetic troponin I, having Ser(43)/Ser(45) mutated to Asp. Chemical shift perturbation mapping indicated that residues in helix G were most affected. Smaller chemical shift changes were observed in residues located in the Ca2+/Mg2+-binding loops. Amide hydrogen/deuterium exchange rates in the C-lobe of troponin C were compared in complexes containing either the wild-type or phosphomimetic N-domain of troponin I. In the presence of a phosphomimetic domain, exchange rates in helix G increased, whereas a decrease in exchange rates for residues mapping to Ca2+/Mg2+-binding loops III and IV was observed. Increased exchange rates are consistent with destabilization of the Thr(129) - Asp(132) helix capping box previously characterized in helix G. The perturbation of helix G and metal binding loops III and IV suggests that phosphorylation alters metal ion affinity and inter-subunit interactions. Our studies support a novel mechanism for protein kinase C signal transduction, emphasizing the importance of C-lobe Ca2+/Mg2+-dependent troponin interactions.