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Vol. 18, Issue 12, 5081-5090, December 2007

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The Phosphorylation of Myosin II at the Ser1 and Ser2 Is Critical for Normal Platelet-derived Growth Factor–induced Reorganization of Myosin Filaments

Department of Physiology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01655

Submitted December 5, 2006; Revised September 21, 2007; Accepted October 1, 2007
Monitoring Editor: Paul Forscher

Phosphorylation of the regulatory light chain of myosin II (MLC₂₀) at the activation sites promotes both the motor activity and the filament formation of myosin II, thus playing an important role in various cell motile processes. In contrast, the physiological function of phosphorylation of MLC₂₀ at the inhibitory sites is unknown. Here we report for the first time the function of the inhibitory site phosphorylation in the cells. We successfully produced the antibodies specifically recognizing the phosphorylation sites of MLC₂₀ at Ser1, and the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced change in the phosphorylation at the Ser1 was monitored. The phosphorylation of MLC₂₀ at the Ser1 significantly increased during the PDGF-induced actin cytoskeletal reorganization. PDGF disassembled the stress fibers, and this was attenuated with the expression of unphosphorylatable MLC₂₀ at the Ser1/Ser2 phosphorylation sites. The present results suggest that the down-regulation of myosin II activity achieved by the phosphorylation at the Ser1/Ser2 sites plays an important role in the normal reorganization of actomyosin filaments triggered by PDGF receptor stimulation.

Address correspondence to: Mitsuo Ikebe (mitsuo.ikebe{at}umassmed.edu) or Satoshi Komatsu (satoshi.komatsu{at}umassmed.edu).

Abbreviations used: PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; MLCK, myosin light-chain kinase; MLC₂₀, myosin regulatory light chain, 20 kDa; PKC, protein kinase C; PI3K, phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase; MAPK, p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase; Dox, doxycycline; TPA, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate; MHC, myosin heavy chain.