Myosins of secretory tissues

Abstract

Myosin has been purified from the principal pancreatic islet of catfish, hog salivary gland, and hog pituitary. Use of the protease inhibitor Trasylol (FBA Pharmaceuticals, New York) was essential in the isolation of pituitary myosin. Secretory tissue myosins were very similar to smooth muscle myosin, having a heavy chain of 200,000 daltons and light chains of 14,000 and 19,000 daltons. Salivary gland myosin cross-reacted with antibodies directed toward both smooth muscle myosin and fibroblast myosin, but not with antiskeletal muscel myosin serum. The specific myosin ATPase activity measured in 0.6 M KCl was present. Tissues associated with secretion of hormone granules contained substantial amounts of this ATPase, rat pancreatic islets having 4.5 times that of rat liver. Activation of low ionic strength myosin ATPase by actin could not be demonstrated despite adequate binding of the myosin to muscle actin and elution by MgATP. The myosins were located primarily in the cytoplasm as determined by cell fractionation and were quite soluble in buffers of low ionic strength.