myosin light chain

Blood pressure is a crucial physiological parameter and its abnormalities can cause a variety of health problems. We have previously reported that mice with systemic deletion of nardilysin (NRDC), an M16 family metalloprotease, exhibit hypotension. In this study, we aimed to clarify the role of NRDC in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) by generating VSMC-specific Nrdc knockout (VSMC-KO) mice. Our findings reveal that VSMC-KO mice also exhibit hypotension. Aortas isolated from VSMC-KO mice exhibited a weakened contractile response to phenylephrine, accompanied by reduced phosphorylation of myosin light chain 2 and decreased rhoA expression...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the synergistic regulation of the polarization of mesenchymal stem cells by integrin and N-cadherin-mediated mechanical adhesion and the underlying mechanobiological mechanisms. METHODS: Bilayer polyethylene glyeol (PEG) hydrogels were formulated and modified with RGD and HAVDI peptides, respectively, to achieve mechanical adhesion to integrin and N-cadherin and to replicate the integrin-mediated mechanical interaction between cells and the extracellular matrix and the N-cadherin-mediated cell-cell mechanical interaction...

Intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) presents significant challenges in clinical management because of the high morbidity and mortality, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to assess the neuroprotective effects of loganin in a rat ICH model. Sprague-Dawley rats were used, subjected to a collagenase-induced ICH model, followed by loganin treatment at doses of 2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg. Neurological functions were evaluated using the modified neurological severity score (mNSS) and a rotarod test...

INTRODUCTION: Placenta-associated pregnancy complications, including pre-eclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) are conditions postulated to originate from initial failure of placentation, leading to clinical sequelae indicative of endothelial dysfunction. Vascular smooth muscle aberrations have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of both disorders via smooth muscle contractility and relaxation mediated by Myosin Light Chain Phosphatase (MLCP) and the oppositional contractile action of Myosin Light Chain Kinase...

Myosin 5c (Myo5c) is a motor protein that is produced in epithelial and glandular tissues, where it plays an important role in secretory processes. Myo5c is composed of two heavy chains, each containing a generic motor domain, an elongated neck domain consisting of a single α-helix with six IQ motifs, each of which binds to a calmodulin (CaM) or a myosin light chain from the EF-hand protein family, a coiled-coil dimer-forming region and a carboxyl-terminal globular tail domain. Although Myo5c is a low duty cycle motor, when two or more Myo5c-heavy meromyosin (HMM) molecules are linked together, they move processively along actin filaments...

BACKGROUND: GPCRs (G-protein-coupled receptors) play a central role in the regulation of smooth muscle cell (SMC) contractility, but the function of SMC-expressed orphan GPCR class C group 5 member C (GPRC5C) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this project is to define the role of GPRC5C in SMC in vitro and in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied the role of GPRC5C in the regulation of SMC contractility and differentiation in human and murine SMC in vitro, as well as in tamoxifen-inducible, SMC-specific GPRC5C knockout mice under basal conditions and in vascular disease in vivo...

Post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a crucial role in regulating the function of many sarcomeric proteins, including myosin. Myosins comprise a family of motor proteins that play fundamental roles in cell motility in general and muscle contraction in particular. A myosin molecule consists of two myosin heavy chains (MyHCs) and two pairs of myosin light chains (MLCs); two MLCs are associated with the neck region of each MyHC's N-terminal head domain, while the two MyHC C-terminal tails form a coiled-coil that polymerizes with other MyHCs to form the thick filament backbone...

OBJECTIVE: The pathogenesis of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) is related to damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier function. Based on the Mast cell (MC)/Tryptase/Protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2)/Myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) pathway, this study explored the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) on IBS-D rats and its possible mechanism of protecting the intestinal mucosal barrier. METHODS: The IBS-D rat model was established by mother-offspring separation, acetic acid enema, and chronic restraint stress...

BACKGROUND: Pathogen inactivation treatment (PIT) has been shown to alter platelet function, phenotype, morphology and to induce a faster aging of platelet concentrates (PCs). Key pieces of information are still missing to understand the impacts of PITs at the cellular level. OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the impact of amotosalen/UVA on PCs, from a post-translational modifications (PTM) point of view. Phosphoproteomic analyses were conducted on resting platelets, right after the amotosalen/UVA treatment and compared with untreated PCs...

The decline in albumen quality resulting from aging hens poses a threat to the financial benefits of the egg industry. Exploring the underlying mechanisms from the perspective of cell molecules of albumen formation is significant for the efficient regulation of albumen quality. Two individual groups of Hy-Line Brown layers with ages of 40 (W40) and 100 (W100) wk old were used in the present study. Each group contained over 2,000 birds. This study assessed the egg quality, biochemical indicators and physiological status of hens between W40 and W100...

The second-to-fourth digit (2D:4D) ratio is thought to be associated with prenatal androgen exposure. However, the relationship between the 2D:4D ratio and hypospadias is poorly understood, and its molecular mechanism is not clear. In this study, by analyzing the hand digit length of 142 boys with hypospadias (23 distal, 68 middle, and 51 proximal) and 196 controls enrolled in Shanghai Children's Hospital (Shanghai, China) from December 2020 to December 2021, we found that the 2D:4D ratio was significantly increased in boys with hypospadias (P < 0...

Deleterious variants of more than one hundred genes are associated with hearing loss including MYO3A , MYO6 , MYO7A and MYO15A and two conventional myosins MYH9 and MYH14 . Variants of MYO7A also manifest as Usher syndrome associated with dysfunction of the retina and vestibule as well as hearing loss. While the functions of MYH9 and MYH14 in the inner ear are debated, MYO3A, MYO6, MYO7A and MYO15A are expressed in inner ear hair cells along with class-I myosin MYO1C and are essential for developing and maintaining functional stereocilia on the apical surface of hair cells...

BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) commonly leads to heart failure (HF) and represents the most common indication for cardiac transplantation in the pediatric population. Clinical manifestations of DCM are mainly the symptoms of heart failure; it is diagnosed by EKG, chest x-ray and echocardiography. For the idiopathic and familial diseases cases of DCM, there are no definite guidelines for treatment in children as they are treated for prognostic improvement. CASE PRESENTATION: We report the case of a 2-year-old girl diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy associated with homozygous mutation in the Myosin Light Chain 3 gene admitted for edema in lower extremities, muscle weakness, lethargy and vomiting, and she was found to be in cardiogenic shock...

Endometrial cancer (EC) is a frequently diagnosed gynecologic cancer. Identifying reliable prognostic genes for predicting EC onset is crucial for reducing patient morbidity and mortality. Here, a comprehensive strategy with transcriptomic and proteomic data was performed to measure EC's characteristics. Based on the publicly available RNA-seq data, death-associated protein kinase 3, recombination signal-binding protein for the immunoglobulin kappa J region, and myosin light chain 9 were screened out as potential biomarkers that affect the EC patients' prognosis...

RATIONALE: Circadian systems drive the expression of multiple genes in nearly all cells and coordinate cellular-, tissue-, and system-level processes that are critical to innate immunity regulation. OBJECTIVE: We examined the effects of circadian rhythm disorganization, produced by light shift exposure, on innate immunity-mediated inflammatory lung responses including vascular permeability and gene expression in a C57BL/6J murine model of inflammatory lung injury...

Endothelial barrier disruption plays a key role in the pathophysiology of heat stroke (HS). Knockout of DNAJA1 (DNAJA1‑KO) is thought to be protective against HS based on a genome‑wide CRISPR‑Cas9 screen experiment. The present study aimed to illustrate the function of DNAJA1‑KO against HS in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. DNAJA1‑KO cells were infected using a lentivirus to investigate the role of DNAJA1‑KO in HS‑induced endothelial barrier disruption...

Intestinal mucositis (IM) is a common adverse effect of chemotherapy, limiting its clinical application. Codonopsis pilosula -derived CP-A (an inulin-type fructan) is an edible Chinese medicine with anti-inflammatory and gastrointestinal protective effects, which may be useful for treating IM. Here, we explored CP-A's role in ameliorating IM induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and investigated the underlying mechanism using in vitro experiments and rat models. Western blotting, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and real-time PCR (RT-PCR) analyses were used to assess protein expression related to the extracellular-regulated protein kinases (ERK)/myosin light chain kinase (MLCK)/myosin light chain 2 (MLC2) signaling pathway and tight junction proteins...

BACKGROUND: The fact that during myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, myosin light chain 1 (MLC1) and troponin I (TnI) are degraded by matrix metalloproteases activity has already been well established in both in vitro and ex vivo studies. However, I/R injury is a complex issue based on several overlapping mechanisms. Increased activity of myosin light chain kinase and nitric oxide synthase due to oxidative stress leads to post-translational modifications of MLC1, thus leading to the increased degradation of these proteins...

Many studies have proven the involvement of the RhoA/ROCK pathway in autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases and the beneficial effects of its downregulation. Here, we examined whether the effect of simvastatin on experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) may be through targeting the Ras homolog family member A/Rho-associated coiled-coil containing kinases (RhoA/ROCK) pathway and whether previously shown downregulation of metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) could be associated with MLC phosphorylation. Two doses of simvastatin were administered to experimental rats with autoimmune myocarditis by gastric gavage for 3 weeks, at the stage of development of the inflammatory process...

Airway smooth muscle cell (ASM) is renowned for its involvement in airway hyperresponsiveness through impaired ASM relaxation and bronchoconstriction in asthma which poses a significant challenge in the field. Recent studies have explored different targets in ASM to alleviate airway hyperresponsiveness, however, a sizeable portion of asthmatics still experience poor control. In our study, we explored protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) in ASM as it has been reported to regulate cellular contractility by controlling intracellular calcium ([Ca2+ ]i ), ion channels, and respective regulatory proteins...