Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9(9), 1863-1875; doi:10.3390/ijms9091863
Myosin Assembly, Maintenance and Degradation in Muscle: Role of the Chaperone UNC-45 in Myosin Thick Filament Dynamics
Department Biological Sciences, CW-405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Received: 6 June 2008 / Revised: 8 September 2008 / Accepted: 13 September 2008 / Published: 19 September 2008
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Muscle Contraction Mechanism, Motor Proteins Function and Molecular Aspects of Water)
Abstract
Myofibrillogenesis in striated muscle cells requires a precise ordered pathway to assemble different proteins into a linear array of sarcomeres. The sarcomere relies on interdigitated thick and thin filaments to ensure muscle contraction, as well as properly folded and catalytically active myosin head. Achieving this organization requires a series of protein folding and assembly steps. The folding of the myosin head domain requires chaperone activity to attain its functional conformation. Folded or unfolded myosin can spontaneously assemble into short myosin filaments, but further assembly requires the short and incomplete myosin filaments to assemble into the developing thick filament. These longer filaments are then incorporated into the developing sarcomere of the muscle. Both myosin folding and assembly require factors to coordinate the formation of the thick filament in the sarcomere and these factors include chaperone molecules. Myosin folding and sarcomeric assembly requires association of classical chaperones as well as folding cofactors such as UNC-45. Recent research has suggested that UNC-45 is required beyond initial myosin head folding and may be directly or indirectly involved in different stages of myosin thick filament assembly, maintenance and degradation.Keywords:
Myosin; chaperone; protein folding; UNC-45; motor domain; heat shock protein
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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Kachur, T.M.; Pilgrim, D.B. Myosin Assembly, Maintenance and Degradation in Muscle: Role of the Chaperone UNC-45 in Myosin Thick Filament Dynamics. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2008, 9, 1863-1875.
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