Acceleration of Crossbridge Kinetics by Protein Kinase A Phosphorylation of Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein C Modulates Cardiac Function

Abstract

Normal cardiac function requires dynamic modulation of contraction. β1-Adrenergic–induced protein kinase (PK)A phosphorylation of cardiac myosin binding protein (cMyBP)-C may regulate crossbridge kinetics to modulate contraction. We tested this idea with mechanical measurements and echocardiography in a mouse model lacking 3 PKA sites on cMyBP-C, ie, cMyBP-C(t3SA). We developed the model by transgenic expression of mutant cMyBP-C with Ser-to-Ala mutations on the cMyBP-C knockout background. Western blots, immunofluorescence, and in vitro phosphorylation combined to show that non–PKA-phosphorylatable cMyBP-C expressed at 74% compared to normal wild-type (WT) and was correctly positioned in the sarcomeres. Similar expression of WT cMyBP-C at 72% served as control, ie, cMyBP-C(tWT). Skinned myocardium responded to stretch with an immediate increase in force, followed by a transient relaxation of force and finally a delayed development of force, ie, stretch activation. The rate constants of relaxation, k_rel (s-1), and delayed force development, k_df (s-1), in the stretch activation response are indicators of crossbridge cycling kinetics. cMyBP-C(t3SA) myocardium had baseline k_rel and k_df similar to WT myocardium, but, unlike WT, k_rel and k_df were not accelerated by PKA treatment. Reduced dobutamine augmentation of systolic function in cMyBP-C(t3SA) hearts during echocardiography corroborated the stretch activation findings. Furthermore, cMyBP-C(t3SA) hearts exhibited basal echocardiographic findings of systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, and hypertrophy. Conversely, cMyBP-C(tWT) hearts performed similar to WT. Thus, PKA phosphorylation of cMyBP-C accelerates crossbridge kinetics and loss of this regulation leads to cardiac dysfunction.