The Journal of Cell Biology, Vol 102, 1047-1059, Copyright © 1986 by The Rockefeller University Press
Regulation of reactivated elongation in lysed cell models of teleost retinal cones by cAMP and calcium
CA Gilson, N Ackland and B Burnside
Teleost retinal cones elongate in the dark and contract in the light. In
isolated retinas of the green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus, cone myoids
undergo microtubule-dependent elongation from 5 to 45 micron. We have
previously shown that cone contraction can be reactivated in motile models
of cones lysed with Brij-58. Reactivated contraction is both actin and ATP
dependent, activated by calcium, and inhibited by cAMP. We report here that
we have obtained reactivated cone elongation in lysed models prepared by
the same procedures. Reactivated elongation is ATP dependent, activated by
cAMP, and inhibited by calcium. The rate of reactivated elongation is
proportional to the cAMP concentration between 10 microM and 0.5 mM, but is
constant between 10 microM and 1.0 mM Mg-ATP. No elongation occurs if cAMP
or Mg-ATP concentration is less than or equal to 5 microM. Mg-ATP is
required for both cAMP-dependent and cAMP-independent processes, suggesting
that Mg-ATP is required both for a regulatory process entailing
cAMP-dependent phosphorylation and for a force-producing process. Free
calcium concentrations greater than or equal to 10(-7) reduce the
elongation rate by 78% or more, completely inhibiting elongation at 10(-5)
M. This inhibition is not due to competition from calcium-activated
contraction. Cytochalasin D blocks reactivated contraction, but does not
abolish calcium inhibition of reactivated elongation. Thus calcium directly
affects the elongation mechanism. Calcium inhibition is calmodulin
dependent. The calmodulin inhibitor trifluoperazine abolishes calcium
inhibition of elongation. Furthermore, calcium blocks elongation only if
present during the lysis step; subsequent calcium addition has no effect.
However, if calcium plus exogenous calmodulin are subsequently added,
elongation is again inhibited. Thus calcium inhibition appears to require a
soluble calmodulin which is lost shortly after lysis.