Casein kinase II phosphorylation of caldesmon downregulates myosin-caldesmon interactions

It is well-known that caldesmon (CaD) is a substrate for casein kinase II (CKII), and the phosphorylation of CaD by CKII regulates the interaction of CaD with myosin. However, the functionally relevant CKII phosphorylation site(s) on CaD and the precise role of CaD phosphorylation by CKII in mediating CaD's function have remained elusive. In this study, we demonstrate that Ser-26 is the major CKII phosphorylation site on CaD, while Ser-73 is of relatively minor importance. Moreover, the phosphorylation of Ser-26 and Ser-73 reduced CaD's ability to bind myosin by 45% and 27%, respectively, suggesting that the interaction of CaD with myosin is downregulated, at least in part, by the phosphorylation of these serine residues by CKII. Our results also demonstrate that there are at least four myosin-binding motifs within the amino-terminal region of CaD, located between residues 1-23, 34-43, 44-53, and 86-115, respectively. The myosin-binding motif between residues 44-53 contributes to strong myosin binding, while the three other myosin-binding motifs are responsible for weak myosin binding. The sequences between residues 24-33 and 54-85 on CaD are not required for the binding of CaD to myosin; thus, both Ser-26 and Ser-73 are located outside of the myosin-binding motifs. It is therefore likely that the downregulation of myosin-CaD interactions by CKII phosphorylation is due to phosphorylation-induced conformational changes in the adjacent myosin-binding motifs on CaD, rather than by the direct modification of these myosin-binding motifs by CKII.