A simple and rapid preparation of smooth muscle myosin 2 for the electron microscopic analysis

Abstract

There has been an increase in the demand for purified protein as a result of recent developments in the structural biology of myosin 2. Although promising, current practices in myosin purification are usually time-consuming and cumbersome. The reported increased actin to myosin ratio in smooth muscles adds to the complexity of the purification process. Present study outlines a streamlined approach to isolate smooth muscle myosin 2 molecules from actomyosin suspension of chicken gizzard tissues. The procedure entails treating actomyosin for a brief period with actin-binding peptide phalloidin, followed by co-sedimentation and short column size exclusion chromatography. Typical myosin molecule with heavy and light chains and approximately 95% purity was examined using gel electrophoresis. Negative staining electron microscopy and image processing showed intact 10S myosin 2 molecules, proving that phalloidin is effective at eliminating majority of actin in the form of F-actin without dramatic alteration in the structure of myosin. The entire purification discussed here can be completed in a few hours, and further analysis can be done the same day. Thus, by offering quick and fresh supplies of native myosin molecules suited for structural research, specially cryo-electron microscopy, this innovative approach can be adapted to get around the drawbacks of time-intensive myosin purifying processes.