In indirect flight muscles Drosophila projectin has a short PEVK domain, and its NH2-terminus is embedded at the Z-band

J Muscle Res Cell Motil. 2005;26(6-8):467-77. doi: 10.1007/s10974-005-9031-8.

Abstract

Insect indirect flight muscles (IFM) contain a third filament system made up of elastic connecting or C-filaments. The giant protein projectin is the main, if not the only, component of these structures. In this study we found that projectin is oriented within the IFM sarcomere with its NH2-terminus embedded in the Z-bands. We demonstrate that this protein has an elastic region that can be detected by the movement of specific epitopes following stretch. One possible elastic region is the PEVK-like domain located close to the NH2-terminus. The amino acid length of this region is short, and 52% of its residues are P, E, V or K. We propose a model in which projectin extends from the Z-band to the lateral borders of the A-band. The PEVK-like domain and a series of Ig domains spanning the intervening I-band may provide the elastic properties of projectin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Alternative Splicing*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Animals
  • Binding Sites / genetics
  • Calpain / pharmacology
  • Gene Expression / genetics
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Microscopy, Immunoelectron
  • Models, Molecular
  • Muscle Proteins / chemistry
  • Muscle Proteins / genetics
  • Muscle Proteins / metabolism*
  • Muscle, Skeletal / metabolism*
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Myofibrils / drug effects
  • Myofibrils / metabolism
  • Myofibrils / ultrastructure
  • Myosins / metabolism
  • Protein Isoforms / chemistry
  • Protein Isoforms / genetics
  • Protein Isoforms / physiology
  • Sarcomeres / metabolism*
  • Sarcomeres / ultrastructure

Substances

  • Muscle Proteins
  • Protein Isoforms
  • projectin
  • Calpain
  • Myosins