Wortmannin, a microbial product inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase

We have found that a fungal strain, Talaromyces wortmannin KY12420, produces a potent inhibitor of smooth muscle myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). This active product, designated as MS-54, was isolated and purified from the culture broth of the fungus and identified as wortmannin. The inhibition of MLCK by wortmannin was prevented by a high concentration of ATP. The activity of the catalytic domain, which was disclosed by partial tryptic digestion, was also inhibited by wortmannin. These results suggest that wortmannin acts at or near to the catalytic site of the enzyme. It was shown clearly by kinetic analyses, preincubation studies, and dialysis experiments that the inhibitory action of wortmannin on MLCK was irreversible. Under the condition of preincubation for 3 min, 0.3 microM wortmannin inhibited the activity of MLCK, while 10 microM wortmannin had no effect on the activities of cAMP-dependent protein kinase, cGMP-dependent protein kinase, and calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and had little effect on protein kinase C activity. These data expressed clearly the marked selectivity of the compound for MLCK. Furthermore, wortmannin also inhibited both the phosphorylation of myosin light chain and the contraction in rat thoracic aorta stimulated with KCl, which indicates the effectiveness of the compound in the cellular level as an MLCK inhibitor.