Dr. Dave Heeley - January 23

Phosphorylation of the muscle protein tropomyosin

Tropomyosin is an integral component of the thin filament, a complex of five proteins in striated muscle that regulates contraction. Tropomyosin is phosphorylated at a single site (serine-283). Although on the surface tropomyosin presents a simplified case, it is not a substrate for commercially available protein kinases. Areas to be discussed: proof of covalent modification, phosphorylation during muscle development, preparation of fully phosphorylated protein and the effects of phosphorylation on the biochemical properties of tropomyosin and a reconstituted actomyosin system